Oddsmakers shifted the Pittsburgh Steelers and New Orleans Saints to major underdogs as injuries to starting quarterbacks caused significant swings to the team’s projections.
Pittsburgh quarterback Ben Roethlisberger is done for the season. An MRI exam revealed Roethlisberger would need elbow surgery as the 0-2 Steelers prepare to visit the San Francisco 49ers in Week 3. Roethlisberger was 0-2 for only the second time in his career. He was injured in a non-contact play in the first half of Sunday’s loss against the Seattle Seahawks.
The Steelers were listed as a pick ’em at San Francisco, but moments after news broke that he would miss the rest of the season, Pittsburgh was listed at plus-6 at William Hill and the game went offline at most books, including FanDuel.
Pittsburgh could also be without lead running back James Conner (knee).
The Saints are headed to Seattle without quarterback Drew Brees due to a thumb injury that will require surgery. Brees is expected to miss 6-8 weeks.
New Orleans was a 1-point favorite at Seattle prior to Week 2, but was listed at plus-4.5 on Monday morning moments after news of Brees’ status changed.
FanDuel had not shifted futures bets for either team as of noon on Monday, with the Saints still projected as NFC South champions and No. 2 in the NFC in conference odds behind only the Los Angeles Rams.