The betting world was not too surprised when the NFL betting results came in for week six and the Dolphins had beaten the Green Bay Packers. The Packers secondary is so beat up that they could barely put together zone coverage on Miami wide receiver Brandon Marshall. The result was Dolphins quarterback Chad Henne throwing the ball to Marshall all day long. Even with their injuries, the Packers hung in there but lost the game in overtime.The Dolphins are, for the most part, a completely healthy football team. When the NFL scores came in, the Dolphins had only racked up 23 points on a weakened Green Bay defense. There were some special teams blunders by the Packers that helped out the Dolphins as well, but the Dolphins took advantage of an ailing team. That is what you are supposed to do in the NFL.
The Pittsburgh Steelers are not ailing. The Steelers just welcomed back their starting quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and Big Ben went on to put up 28 points against the Cleveland Browns. The Pittsburgh defense held rookie quarterback Colt McCoy and the Browns offense to only 10 points. The Steelers looked very good against the Browns, and the Steelers have shown that they have one of the best defensive units in the NFL.
When you are thinking about your NFL predictions this week, remember that the Steelers have one of the best run defenses in the NFL. That shuts down the Miami wildcat. The Steelers do have a healthy secondary capable of covering Brandon Marshall. The Steelers are playing exceptionally well on special teams. In short, the Steelers can be considered the polar opposite of the Green Bay team that the Dolphins just struggled to beat.
The Pittsburgh offense looked like it was waiting for Roethlisberger to return. Whether or not Roethlisberger is a team captain, he is still the best quarterback on the Pittsburgh roster. In his first Northbet game back since his suspension, Big Ben threw for 257 yards and three touchdowns. He torched a Cleveland defense that was open to be brutalized. His passing arm improved over the course of the game, and his accuracy was spot on by the second half.
Let us not forget that the Steelers also have a running game featuring Rashad Mendenhall. Mendenhall is already on pace for more than 1,000 yards rushing this season and more than 10 touchdowns scored. The Miami defense is decent against the run, but when you put a passing game together with a running game then the Dolphins are going to have to pick which one they want to defend.
The Pittsburgh defense is too fast and too hard-nosed to tolerate the wildcat. If the Dolphins try it, the Steelers will shut it down. If the Dolphins try to throw the ball, the Steelers will take it away. The Steelers offense has so many choices against the Dolphins defense that it is almost not fair. The Steelers just keep rolling along as one of the best teams in the NFL.
Pick: Pittsburgh Steelers 21-10
