Pennsylvania Sportsbooks Think NFL’s Steelers, Eagles Unlikely to Make Playoffs in 2021

The Pittsburgh Steelers have been in the playoffs 13 of the last 20 seasons, appearing in the Super Bowl three times and winning it twice during that time frame. The Philadelphia Eagles haven’t been quite as successful as the Steelers but did appear in the post-season 12 times and went 1-1 in the Super Bowl since 2001.

But oddsmakers at BetRivers Sportsbook PA and TwinSpires Sportsbook PA believe both the Steelers and Eagles will face challenges down the stretch and are unlikely to make the post-season in 2021.

Last year, the Steelers made the playoffs after going 12-4 in the regular season and clinching the AFC North. They then surprised their division rival, the Cleveland Browns, ultimately losing at home, 48-37. Meanwhile, the Eagles finished the season with a 4-11-1 record and missed the playoffs for the first time in four seasons.

Mike Tomlin will return to coach the Steelers for the 15th time this year, but Philadelphia will welcome Nick Sirianni to the sidelines in 2021. Ben Roethlisberger returns as quarterback for Pittsburgh while the Eagles will use Jalen Hurts at QB with Joe Flacco as his backup.

Both the BetRivers and TwinSpires sportsbooks project the Baltimore Ravens will ultimately win the AFC North while the Dallas Cowboys will prevail in the NFC East and offered $120 and $145 ($150 on TwinSpires), respectively, on a $100 wager that those teams will go on to win their divisions.

In Week 1 of the NFL season, to be played on September 12, the sportsbooks list the Steelers as the underdog to the Buffalo Bills and the Eagles as the underdog to the Atlanta Falcons. Both the Steelers are the Eagles are the visiting teams this week.

The point spread for the Eagles-Falcons game at both sportsbooks is 3.5, with -114 odds on the Eagles and -107 odds on the Falcons. The over/under is 48.5 with -108 odds against Philadelphia and -113 on Atlanta. The moneyline is +155 for the Eagles and -186 for the Falcons at BetRivers, but at TwinSpires the Eagles odds are +143.

For the Steelers-Bills game, both sportsbooks have a 7-point spread and show the Steelers with -114 odds. But while BetRivers has the Bills at -107 odds, TwinSpires has them at -106. The over/under also differs, with a 50.5 over/under at BetRivers offering Pittsburgh at -108 odds and Buffalo at -113, while on TwinSpires a 48.5 over/under offers -117 odds for the Steelers and -105 for the Bills.

The moneyline also differs — +235 for the Steelers and -295 for the Bills on BetRivers, and +230 for the Steelers and -295 for the Bills on TwinSpires.

On BetRivers, a $100 wager where Hurts and Eagles running back Miles Sanders would combine for at least 1,800 yards this season will pay $130, while a similar wager on Steelers wide receivers Diontae Johnson and JuJu Smith-Schuster combining for more than 2,000 receiving yards will pay $200.

At BetRivers, offered a $100 wager on Roethlisberger leading the NFL in passing yards will pay $4,000; for Hurts, the payoff is $12,500.

Penn State Underdog at Wisconsin

Oddsmakers have the Alabama Crimson Tide at +300 odds to win the national championship in 2021. Penn State has longer, but not impossible, odds of winning – a $100 bet at both sportsbooks would pay $8,000 if the Nittany Lions are crowned champs.

Both sportsbooks have Ohio State listed as the favorite to win the Big Ten at -230 odds, but a $100 wager that Penn State will win the Big Ten East will pay $500 and a conference title would pay $1,000.

Penn State travels to Wisconsin to play the Badgers on September 4. The Nittany Lions are the underdog at both sportsbooks with a 5.5-point spread and -110 odds, while the over/under is 50.5 with Penn State at -109 odds and Wisconsin at -112. The moneyline is +175 for Penn State and -230 for Wisconsin.

In other college football action, UMass travels to Pittsburgh for a game on September 4. The point spread is 38.5 with UMass at -114 odds and Pitt at -107. The over/under is 55.5 with the Minutemen at -109 odds and the Panthers at -112.

Meanwhile, the Temple Owls travel to play the Rutgers Scarlet Knights on September 2. The point spread in that matchup is 14.5, with Temple at -117 odds and Rutgers at -104. The over/under is 51.5, with the Owls at -106 odds and the Scarlet Knights at -115. Both sportsbooks show the moneyline as +475 for Temple and -770 for Rutgers.