This year marks the 50th anniversary of the Pittsburgh Steelers taking a $10 million offer they couldn’t refuse and moving to the newly formed American Football Conference.
The switch meant the end of one of pro football’s longest divisional rivalries, as the Philadelphia Eagles would no longer be annually facing their cross-state rivals for the first time since both teams entered the league together in 1933 (World War-induced temporary mergers notwithstanding).
Battle of Pennsylvania
After that shift to the AFC, the paths diverged for the franchises. Smart drafting brought the Steelers four Super Bowls in the 70s after appearing in one playoff game during their NFL tenure (a loss to the Eagles in 1947).
The Eagles, well, had some spurts of success before finally climbing the mountain in 2018 with the win over the Patriots. In doing so, the Birds managed to do something their cross-state rivals failed at in three tries: defeat Tom Brady in the postseason.
The Eagles won the last meeting four years ago at Lincoln Financial Field in Carson Wentz’s rookie year. Since the split, the Steelers are 4-2 at home against Philly and have won both games with Ben Roethlisberger under center. Overall, Philly leads the rivalry 48-28-3.
Sunday, with fans back in the stands at Heinz Field, it’s the renewal of Wawa vs. Sheetz. “Yo” vs. “Yoi!”. Well-dressed elected officials vs. a guy who wears shorts in the winter and looks like he’s ingested poison when he wears a suit and tie (Lt. Gov. John Fetterman is an excellent advocate of his beliefs, a wonderful husband and father, and a very decent man. But you started this on Twitter Fetts.)
The NJ online sportsbooks have put out some promotions and odds boosts for the fans looking forward to the Keystone State rivalry. Here are some of the best we found:
FoxBet Sportsbook Boosts
FOX Bet Sportsbook has the most odds boosts on this game. Their PA operations give them a major edge to make some waves against the bigger names in a competitive market. Here are the promoted boosts:
- Miles Sanders and James Conner combine for 150+ rushing yards: +160
- Each team scores a TD in each half: +300
- Zach Ertz to score a TD in the second half: +380
- JuJu Smith-Schuster to score a TD in the fourth quarter: +600
- Final Score – Steelers 28, Eagles 21: +10000
- Final Score – Eagles 28, Steelers 24: +10000
FanDuel Bet Boosts
FanDuel Sportsbook has seen personalities take both sides of the rivalry. The Minus Three’s Fade Geoff Schwartz Challenge has taken Philly +7.5 with a boost to +100. Pat McAfee has the Steelers on his Pat’s Pick. He has the Steelers -0.5, along with the Texans +0.5 and the Ravens -5.5 for +200.
BetMGM Free Bets
Players on BetMGM Sportsbook can get $20 in free in-play bets with $50 or more wagered in-game on the NFL.
For the Eagles-Steelers game, the site put the home team in one of their early game parlays, along with the Rams, Chiefs, and Texans. All four to win outright pays +175.
For players in NJ, the site also has debuted the Parlay Builder for this and all Week 5 action. Click on the game and see the assortment of the pre-made, same game, three-leg parlays with differing payouts.
PointsBet Spreads
Players making wagers on Saturday can get even-money on the spread (+100). Currently, the line is Steelers -7 so keep an eye out to see if your site might get the half-point kicker.
PB will also offer an incentive to in-game betting for this and all the early kickoffs. The site will match 50 percent of in-game wagers, up to $25, in free bets.
