Steelers Being Disrespected by Week 1 Odds Against Bills

Despite their slow finish to the season, the Pittsburgh Steelers won the hyper competitive AFC North with a 12-4 record in 2020. It's not like they totally collapsed in the playoffs either, putting up 37 points in a shootout against the Cleveland Browns.

But now they don't seem to be getting any respect for the 2021 season.

Steelers vs Bills Odds Week 1

FanDuel Sportsbook's Week 1 NFL odds have been released, and the Steelers are massive 6.5-point underdogs against the Buffalo Bills.

To the Bills' credit, they're looking like one of the best teams in the league this year, and they're among the favorites to win the Super Bowl.

But 6.5 points is a huge spread — with only the Los Angeles Rams (7 point vs. the Chicago Bears) and San Francisco 49ers (7.5 vs. the lowly Detroit Lions) favored by more.

The Steelers return the majority of the key contributors on a defense that checked in at No. 1 in Football Outsiders' defensive DVOA metric last year.

They also return the bulk of their talent on the offensive side of the ball, with a decided upgrade at running back in rookie Najee Harris.

The obvious question mark is 39-year-old Ben Roethlisberger, but he looks to be in the best shape we've seen in a long time. And it's not like he was a liability in 2020 either, finishing tied for 21st among 36 qualifying QBs with an average of 6.27 adjusted net yards per pass attempt (ANY/A).

Injuries are always a concern for Roethlisberger, but he should be fully healthy in Week 1, and that should have Steelers fans optimistic about their chances of staying competitive with anyone — including the Bills.

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Jason Schandl is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Jason Schandl also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username Jaymun. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in his articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.