NFL Week 8 Picks: Washington Redskins vs. Pittsburgh Steelers

Defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau is a major reason why the Pittsburgh Steelers have enjoyed tremendous success recently against rookie quarterbacks, which is an important angle to handicap when making your against-the-spread picks this weekend.

The Steelers are currently 4.5-point home favorites against the Washington Redskins in the Week 8 NFL betting odds (courtesy of SBR Forum), while the total sits at 47 in the market.

LeBeau has led the franchise to a 12-1 record against first-year signal-callers since the 2004 campaign, with the Steel Curtain limiting those players to a 59.2 passer rating.

Let's take a closer look at this matchup from a betting perspective, while offering a pro football prediction along the way.

Washington Redskins

The Washington Redskins are 2-0 against the spread (ATS) as underdogs of 3.5 to 9.5 points this season, which will cause a good amount of betting action to land in this direction.

Robert Griffin III is also turning into a money magnet in the betting market, considering he leads the NFL in completing 70.4 percent of his passes.

I believe the Redskins are going to have major problems on the defensive side of the football in this contest, as they rank last in the league in allowing 328.4 passing yards per game.

Pittsburgh Steelers

Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger has compiled a dominating 22-7 record against NFC opponents during the regular season. This week, his team looks to win consecutive games for the first time in 2012.

The Steelers have won four straight games against the Washington Redskins, with the under cashing in each of those meetings.

Las Vegas Perspective

I reached out to Jimmy Vaccaro earlier this week about this high-profile affair. He serves as the public relations director for William Hill US, and here's what he had to say:

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Game flies over the total. RG III should have a big day. Polamalu missing his fifth game of the season is a major aide in this one going over.

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Prediction

I'm going to recommend that readers lay the points on the Pittsburgh Steelers in this spot, as they've won eight consecutive home games against NFC opponents.

Sports bettors will also find that the Steelers have covered four of their last six games as a home favorite of 3.5 to seven points.

NFL Week 8 Pick: Pittsburgh Steelers -4.5

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