NFL FOOTBALL BETTING PREDICTION - PITTSBURGH STEELERS @ DALLAS COWBOYS

NFL Football

2012-12-16 - Pittsburgh Steelers at Dallas Cowboys

A Sports Betting Pick by FirstDown

Pittsburgh Steelers @ Dallas Cowboys
United States: NFL Football
Sunday 16 December 2012 - Kick Off 4:25pm
9:25pm (British Time)

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Preview

Usually non-Conference games are not of the same importance as those within your own Conference and Division, but neither one of these teams can afford to take another loss if they have real ambitions of making it into the Play Offs this season.

The Pittsburgh Steelers (7-6) were stunned by the San Diego Chargers last weekend and that leaves them 2 games behind the Baltimore Ravens in the AFC North. That record also means they are in a race with Cincinnati, Indianapolis and the New York Jets for Wild Card places and they cannot afford to fall to 7-7 after the Bengals beat Philadelphia on Thursday Night Football.

Dallas (7-6) have the same record as the Steelers and they are just 1 game behind the New York Giants in the NFC East, while also just 1 game behind the Chicago Bears and the Seattle Seahawks when it comes to Wild Card spots. The Cowboys have three tough games left on the slate and they cannot afford to drop this one either which raises the prospect of a good game with a Play Off feel.

The Cowboys have won 4 of their last 5 games and are quietly going about their business, but this does look a tough match up for them. The biggest news of the week is the injury suffered to Dez Bryant which is likely to limit his impact in this game, especially as the Steelers Defense has allowed less than 170 yards per game through the air.

It will be tough for Tony Romo as his Offensive Line is either making false starts and backing the Cowboys up or they are going to have a tough time keeping the likes of James Harrison and Brett Keisel away from the Quarter Back. Dallas could attempt to establish DeMarco Murray to negate that pass rush, but he has been banged up and may not find the room to get off big gains in this one.

What I said about Tony Romo will also apply to Ben Roethlisberger in this one as he was rusty in his first game back from injury last weekend and is playing behind an Offensive Line that has struggled. However, Jay Ratliff is a big miss at the centre of the Defensive Line the Cowboys have so Big Ben may just have a little more time.

The middle of the Cowboys Defense has been decimated by injuries and I think the likes of Mike Wallace and Antonio Brown will be able to have big games in this one to help the Steelers move the chains.

Dallas have also struggled to stop the run and the Steelers could exploit that element to help Pittsburgh create time for Roethlisberger in this one and that could prove to be the difference between which of these teams ends the day at 8-6 and which ends at 7-7 with their Play Off spot looking in trouble.

Head to Head

Being in different Conferences means these teams have only met twice in the last 10 seasons and Pittsburgh have picked up the win on both of those occasions.

This will be the first time Pittsburgh will face Dallas in their brand-spanking new stadium, although the Steelers did play in the SuperBowl here in 2011.

Prediction

These teams are pretty closely matched, but I think the Steelers have the edge when it comes to the Coaching department, while their injuries are a little less crucial than the ones that are affecting Dallas.

Pittsburgh suffered a big loss last weekend, but I think they have enough edges in this game to think they will knock off the Cowboys and get a little bit closer to the Baltimore Ravens in the Division.

The Pick :