Steelers and Titans To Open NFL Season and NFL Week 1 Betting

NFL News - September 7th, 2009 - Written by Jimmy

The Tennessee Titans start the 2009 NFL season with a trip to Pittsburgh to take on the defending Super Bowl Champion Steelers at Heinz Field. This Thursday night Week 1 game will be the first game of the 2009 NFL Season. The Steelers lost one more game than the Titans in the 2008 NFL regular season, but proved to be the better team in the end by going on to win Super Bowl XLIII. Defense is sure to be on display in this one, and offensive points will be at a premium.

Tennessee is coming off a 2008 season which saw them have their best record in the NFL. They finished the regular season at 13-3 before losing their first playoff game. Tennessee relied heavily on their defense and running game last year and will be looking to do much of the same in 2009. The Titans lost their standout defensive tackle, Albert Haynesworth, to free agency this off season. Haynesworth was a big part of their defense and it will be interesting to see how much impact his loss will have on the Titans defense. On offense Tennessee returns their two headed running attack of Chris Johnson and Lendale White, dubbed "Thunder and Lightning" in 2008. Kerry Collins will start the season back under center with Vince Young coming into the season as the back up. If Tennessee can get production from the quarterback position they will be a tough team to beat this season.  

As for Pittsburgh, the Steelers are coming off a Super Bowl victory in 2008 and look to build upon that success. Pittsburgh found the winning formula in '08 by playing stellar defense with an efficient offense. Coming into 2009, many of the pieces to the puzzle still remain in place. DB Bryant McFadden left the team to join the Cardinals, and LB Larry Foote is now with the Detroit Lions. Other than those departures, much of the team remains the same, which includes James Harrison, and Troy Polamalu on the defensive side of the ball. On the offense, key figures like Ben Roethlisberger, Willie Parker, Hines Ward, and Super Bowl MVP Santonio Holmes. Coach Tomlin is sure to have the Steelers in form, as there have been little to report in the way of injury coming out of Steelers camp this year.

The Titans are getting +5 1/2 points on the NFL week 1 betting lines and it may or may not be enough to take against the Steelers. Some argue that picking the Steelers to cover the spread in week 1 is a good bet, especially considering the fact that the Steelers have won the first game of the season the last three years by 10 points or more, so a -5 1/2 points would be a great spread to take. However, the Steelers only coming down the stretch in 2008 came at the hands of the Tennessee Titans in week 16. The Titans showed out in that game, and further disrespected the Steelers by stomping on 'Terrible Towels' on the sidelines. The Steelers and their fans have most likely kept this in mind, throughout the off season, and this should fuel their desire to win as well as create a hostile environment for the visiting Titans. The Steelers love running the ball as well as eating the clock. Rarely do they go to the air unless necessary and if they get an early 1st quarter lead, expect the Steelers to control the time of possession and shorten the game.

Since the Titans and Steelers both play great defense picking the under is usually the best way to go, as many would suggest. Currently, the line on the Over/Under is set at 34 1/2 points, with both sides paying evenly. For those bettors feeling more confident, or less confident on the point spread, there is always the moneyline for betting straight up. With Tennessee being the underdog, their moneyline is at +215 compared to Pittsburgh at -225. Those that prefer to bet on halves will find that the first half line is set at -3 Steelers, +3 Titans. The total for the 1st half is set at 17 points, with the under paying slightly better than the over. By now, all online sportsbooks will have these odds available. Look for this game and others, when looking at the betting lines for NFL week 1 action.

All Betting Lines Above Can Be Found At BookMaker Online Sportsbook

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