Steelers-Rams odds: Can Pittsburgh’s Healthy Offense Make a Difference?
Steelers WR Johnson & TE Freiermuth Back Sunday
With all the talk about how bad the Pittsburgh Steelers are this season, you’d think that the Steelers would be way below .500.
However, they’re 3-2 despite earning under 300 yards per game on offense. The Mike Tomlin effect is real.
Tomlin’s Steelers will take on a Los Angeles Rams team with Cooper Kupp active over the last two games. He’s made an immediate impact on their offense.
Will the Rams do enough offensively to push past the Steelers on Sunday?
Take a look at the Steelers-Rams odds for this exciting matchup scheduled for 4:05 p.m. on FOX.
Pittsburgh Steelers vs Los Angeles Rams 
Day/Time: Location: SoFi Stadium
Streaming: FOX
Pittsburgh’s Offense Is Starting To Get Healthy
The crowd continues to chant “Fire Canada.” But it probably wasn’t warranted with how many players have been out on the offense over the last few games.
Diontae Johnson and Pat Freiermuth are two critical names for this Pittsburgh offense. However, both were out with injuries and unable to perform.
Until now.
Those two are back in practice and should be able to compete against the Rams this weekend. Other offensive linemen have also joined the practice following a six-day break during Pittsburgh’s off weak.
Johnson acknowledged last week that he would “definitely” play in this game. Freiermuth admitted that he would’ve played last week if the Steelers didn’t have a bye week.
This offense is healthy again. Let’s see what they can do with Kenny Pickett throwing the football.
A Dilemma at Running Back
Nobody really knows what the Rams will do at running back this weekend.
Earlier this year, Kyren Williams won the job at running back. The Rams played him so much and never used Cam Akers, so eventually, the Rams shipped Akers out to Minnesota in a minor trade.
But last weekend, Williams was hurt. He’s now expected to miss multiple games and won’t return until Week 11.
Like Williams, his backup, Ronnie Rivers, has a leg injury that will keep him out of the lineup for multiple games.
That left the Rams with just Zach Evans at running back. Evans has had four carries for ten yards this season. Those four carries came last weekend against the Cardinals.
Los Angeles elevated Royce Freeman to the active roster. They also signed former Rams running back Darrell Henderson, whom they had waived last season, and sent him to the practice squad.
The Rams also brought in Myles Gaskin from the Minnesota Vikings‘ practice squad and added him to the active roster.
The Rams now have plenty of viable options. So it’s unclear who will get the most carries. They’ll likely run with the hot hand and watch each player in practice to make their decision.
After all, the Rams should have plenty of success throwing it. They’ll likely elect to throw the ball more as they await a running back to step up.
Below, we’ll break down the Steelers-Rams odds for this late afternoon game.
Steelers-Rams Odds
The Los Angeles Rams are 3-point favorites at home against the Steelers for this Week 7 matchup. The total is at 43.5, with the Over juiced to -115.
Pittsburgh is 3-2 against the spread this season. The Steelers have won three of their last four games against the spread, with all three wins coming as underdogs. Pittsburgh beat arch-rival Baltimore, 17-10, a couple of weeks ago as a 4.5-point favorite.
However, the total has gone Under in four of five games this year in Pittsburgh games.
On the other hand, the Rams are 4-1-1 against the spread this season. Their latest against-the-spread win came against the Cardinals as a 7.5-point favorite. The Rams won that game, 26-9.
Meanwhile, the Under has hit in four games for the Rams this season.
These teams have played each other four times since 2007. The Steelers have won each game, while the Under has hit in three of those four games.
Will Pittsburgh Air The Ball Out?
Pittsburgh fans want the offense to create big plays down the field. With Pat Freiermuth and Diontae Johnson back in the mix, the Steelers have enough targets to make that happen.
Although the Rams have allowed just 219.2 yards per game on defense, 219.2 yards have come in the air. The pass rush for Los Angeles has been good. However, the secondary hasn’t played well at all.
The Steelers’ pass block hasn’t held up this year. But if Pickett can find a way to get a little bit more time in the pocket, receivers like Johnson and George Pickens can get open and make plays down the field against this Rams secondary.
The Rams have also struggled with tackling. They’ve missed plenty of tackles this season, and the run defense has allowed 122.2 yards per game. Although the Steelers don’t have an impressive running game, they’ll still need balance.
They can get it with Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren.
The offense has new hype, and it’s warranted.
Expect The Rams To Air It Out?
The Rams are still fighting for an NFC West divisional title. With a potential home win in sight, the Rams would be above .500 in the NFL standings.
The Rams have earned nearly 100 more yards of offense than the Steelers this year. With Cooper Kupp’s addition and Puka Nacua’s emergence, Matthew Stafford and the Rams have added nearly 280 yards in the air per game.
Pittsburgh has allowed 409.2 yards per game this season. The pass rush is very good. Everything else is not. Stafford, like Pickett, needs to hope his offensive line protects a little better. But if he can buy time, he’ll also find guys down the field for significant gains.
Pittsburgh’s secondary is also poor, and the Steelers also tackle at a horrible rate. The Rams’ NFL football schedule gets harder from here. They’ll need to escape home with a win. However, forget the NFL spread. I like the Over 43.5 and would take it up to 45.
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