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It is hard to believe, but the Pittsburgh Steelers are preparing to play their fourth prime time game in seven games on Monday Night Football when the Steelers host the Miami Dolphins on Monday Night Football.
So far, the team has a 2-1 record on prime time, beating the Cincinnati Bengals on Monday Night Football in Week 4, beating the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday Night Football in Week 6, but losing to the New England Patriots to start the season on Sunday Night Football.
But there is more to this game than just the fact this game is on prime time. Mike Tomlin has never lost a home Monday Night Football game, and the last time the Steelers did such a thing was back in the 90s. The team will also wear their Nike ‘Color Rush’ uniforms, and they remain undefeated when donning those unique uniforms. On top of all that, Mike Tomlin has a pretty solid record coming off a bye week, which the Steelers after taking Week 7 off.
Does this all equate to a win for the home team on Monday night? According to NFL experts that is exactly what it means. Let’s take a look at who the experts like in this AFC matchup...
The folks at USA Today are all-in on the Steelers, and they aren’t alone. The same can be said about the experts at ESPN, SB Nation, CBS Sports and Sports Illustrated.
To be quite honest, I tried to find a website that had someone picking the Dolphins to win this game, but all I came up with was Bailey the Dog for SB Nation, and picks against the spread. With the Steelers giving the Dolphins 14 points, you have to wonder if the anemic Steelers offense will finally come alive at some point.
Nonetheless, these are only some of the sites who make expert picks every week. What about all those other sites that make picks? This is where NFL Pick Watch comes in. The fine folks at NFL Pick Watch take all NFL expert picks and compile them into an easy-to-read chart. According to them, 99% percent of the experts are liking the Steelers to hold serve at home and advance their record to 3-4 on the season heading into Week 9.
Will the experts’ picks hold true? For the Steelers’ playoff hopes they better hope they are right...