The Falcons are coming off a 37-36 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals. For a second straight week, they lost at home on a last-second play. Now they have to go on the road in a hostile environment against a desperate team that has underachieved throughout the first few weeks of the season. Can Atlanta march in to Heinz Field and get its season on track with a win? Or will it be the Steelers that take care of business and at least temporarily silence the doubters? Here is a closer look at the matchup heading in to Week 5.

NFL Point Spread and Betting Analysis

The total has remained under in each of the Falcons last five road games. Atlanta needs to figure things out on offence in order to start getting the results they need on the road. Meanwhile, the Falcons are just 1-3 against the spread heading in to Week 5, including an 18-12 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles on the opening night of the season in their lone road game.

Pittsburgh also owns a 1-3 record against the spread this season. The Steelers are listed as a three-point favorite heading in to this Sunday’s contest. That might have something to do with Pittsburgh’s dominance of the Falcons over the past couple of decades. The Steelers are 9-1-1 in their last 11 meetings with Atlanta.

Atlanta Falcons

Mental lapses and busted coverage have really hurt the Falcons through the first four weeks of the season. Atlanta has scored 31 points or more in three straight games but is just 1-2 in those contests. Dan Quinn and his staff need to figure out a way to limit the big numbers opposing teams have put up against them in each of the last three weeks. The Falcons have allowed an average of 35.5 points per game in their last three contests. Injuries to Deion Jones, Keanu Neal and Ricardo Allen have caught up with the team. The latest news suggests that they’ll also be without defensive tackle Grady Jarrett this week.

This figures to a high-scoring affair but it feels like too tall an order for the Falcons, who are not only banged up on defence but are on the road this spot.

Pittsburgh Steelers

Pittsburgh has looked pretty good for the most part in the first halves of games so far this season. The problem is that the Steelers have looked absolutely terrible in the final two quarters and it has cost them. They’ve been outscored 29-0 in second halves the last two weeks.

At any rate, this figures to be a week for the Steelers to get right. They’re at home for a second straight week and are facing an indoor team who is traveling to play outdoors. They should be able to shred the Falcons defence and if the Steelers offence is working, they’ll win this game. Their defence is also struggling but at least they are healthy and have the home-crowd behind them.

Falcons vs. Steelers Prediction