NFL Betting: Pittsburgh looks for payback

If a tough guy gets his teeth knocked out, he stops smiling and starts brawling. Six days ago, ironman receiver Hines Ward and the Pittsburgh Steelers' proud defense got punched in the mouth.

Ward was knocked out and the Steelers allowed 450 yards in a 39-26 loss to the New England Patriots that was more lopsided than the score. It was almost stunning to see.

But it's not panic time for Pittsburgh. In fact, the Patriots absorbed a similar beating the previous week at Cleveland and bounced back with their finest performance of the season.

It's time for the Steelers to do the same, and Ward issued the familiar "sense of urgency" challenge to his teammates this week.

Pittsburgh (6-3) has several opportunities to pile up victories with NFL lightweights Buffalo, Cincinnati and Carolina still on the schedule.

The Steelers are 7-point home favorites over the Oakland Raiders on Sunday. Oddly enough, the Raiders are riding a three-game winning streak and sitting fat and happy at 5-4.

But this is where the Raiders' surprising joyride should hit a steel wall. It's a bad time to be rolling into Pittsburgh to take on an angry team that just took a wake-up call.

The fundamentals of the matchup also work against Oakland, which needs running back Darren McFadden to be the driving force for the offense. McFadden has four 100-yard games, but he's unlikely to get his fifth this weekend.

The Steelers, with strong safety Troy Polamalu flying around the field like the Tasmanian Devil, rank No. 1 in the league in rushing defense by allowing 63.2 yards per game.

Pittsburgh's defense is vulnerable against the pass, a fact Tom Brady and the Patriots exposed, but Oakland quarterback Jason Campbell is no Tom Brady.

The Raiders traveled east in Week 1 and lost by 25 to Tennessee. Ben Roethlisberger and Ward will get the Steelers' offense on track, and the defense will be out for payback. Pittsburgh is the play.

Four more plays for Week 11 (Home team in CAPS):

■ VIKINGS (+3) over Packers: The money is pouring in on Green Bay. That's understandable, considering how poorly Minnesota has played. The Vikings are 2-6-1 against the spread. But their defense will be energized at home, and Brett Favre is down to his last shot.

■ RAMS (+3) over Falcons: Quarterback Sam Bradford and running back Steven Jackson have led St. Louis to four consecutive home victories. The Rams' defense allowed an average of 11.5 points in those games. The Falcons have not been impressive offensively on the road.

■ PATRIOTS (-3½) over Colts: A major coaching mismatch favors New England's Bill Belichick. Patriots quarterback Tom Brady has a 24-game home winning streak in the regular season.

■ EAGLES (-3) over Giants: It's tough to bet against the hot hand of Philadelphia quarterback Michael Vick. This is an unpredictable spot for each team. The Eagles are full of themselves; the Giants are hungry after an ugly home loss to the Cowboys. I'll lay 3 with Philadelphia, but not 3½, which is where the number is moving.

Last week: 2-3 against the spread

Season: 24-23-3

Las Vegas Review-Journal sports writer Matt Youmans can be reached at myoumans@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2907.