Pinnacle +6½ -105 BET365 +6½ -105 SportsInteraction +6½ -105 5DIMES +6½ -105 888Sport +6½ -114

Posted at 10:15 AM EST.

Pittsburgh +6½ -105 over SAN FRANCISCO

4:25 PM EST. Averaging 414 yards per game and 6.41 yards per play, the 2-0 San Francisco 49ers boast one of the league’s most potent offenses so far but that’s not all they boast. With 72 total points, the Niners are the NFL’s highest-scoring team which hasn’t had the luxury of facing the shipwreck in Miami – i.e. trailing only the Ravens (82 points) and Patriots (76). San Francisco is 2-0 against the number.

Like anyone else, we have access to the data and in case you do not care to look it up, we can assure you that in Week 1 in Tampa Bay, the books needed the 49ers to cover. In Week 2, the books once again needed the 49ers to cover. In fact, in the two weeks combined, the 49ers have been faded more than any other team. Now this high scoring bunch that finally has the market’s attention, is going up against an 0-2 team without its starting, high profile QB. It gets better still.

Pittsburgh was a popular target taking back 5½ points in a prime-time game against the Patriots in Week 1. The entire football universe watched the Steelers get steamrolled, which is forgivable against New England thus, the market was on high alert in Week 2 for the Steelers to be a prime bounce back candidate. In the Las Vegas Westgate Super Contest, the so-called “sharps” made Pittsburgh one of its favorite selections of the day as a four-point choice against Seattle. We all know what happened next, as Seattle emerged victorious while Pittsburgh fans and backers watched in horror, as Ben Roethlisberger would leave the game and never return. That brings us to Mason Rudolph. The season-ending injury to Big Ben means Rudolph enters the conversation. He played pretty well off of the bench, and with a week of first-team reps, the second-year quarterback has an opportunity that he looks ready for.

In 2017, Steelers quarterback Mason Rudolph and Steelers wide receiver James Washington put on the greatest passing performance the city of Pittsburgh has ever seen. Rudolph threw for 497 yards and five touchdowns, leading his team to touchdowns on all seven of its first-half drives; Washington had five catches for 124 yards, including a 39-yarder. It was not a Steelers game. It was a Pitt home game, so instead of 70,000 Terrible Towels, there were about 30,000 fans and 40,000 empty yellow seats. The ratio got worse by the end of the game, as the beatdown became so thorough so quickly that Pitt promised a free beverage to students who stayed until the end. Rudolph and Washington were playing for Oklahoma State, winning 59-21.

Great QB’s emerge from anywhere at anytime and who’s to say that Mason Rudolph won’t give the Steelers a boost and a solid new look? This kid can play and it also makes the Steelers a little more difficult to prepare for but that’s speculation. What’s not speculation is that the Steelers stock is down while the 49ers stock has risen sharply after the first two weeks. What’s not speculation is that the Steelers are taking back inflated points here because they’re 0-2 v the spread, they lost their #1 QB and the 49ers are 2-0 while scoring more points than anyone that hasn’t played the Dolphins. In terms of value, this one might be the best on the board. Steelers outright gets the call and we’ll decide on Sunday whether to play the money line or take the points

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