Week 1 in the NFL wraps up with a doubleheader on Monday Night Football live on TSN.

As a side note, who says no to a twin bill on Monday Night for all 17 weeks of the season?

You could schedule Bengals versus Jaguars as one of the two games and I’d still watch every single second.

Back to Week 1, and the first game on tonight’s slate.

After suffering through 14 games of Mason Rudolph and Duck Hodges in 2019, Steelers fans can finally breathe a sigh of relief as Ben Roethlisberger returns from elbow surgery to face the Giants.

Pittsburgh Steelers vs New York Giants
Line: Steelers -5.5
Total: 45.5

Big Ben Rejuvenates Steelers Offence

If you were to handpick which defence you’d want to face after nearly a one-year absence, the G-Men would be pretty high on the list.

New York was a bottom-five pass defence in 2019, and only two teams gave up more points on a per-game basis.

Big Ben will have a healthy group of skilled position players at his disposal, including off-season acquisition Eric Ebron. The veteran tight end is just one season removed from a 13-touchdown campaign. He gives Roethlisberger the kind of big-body red zone threat the Steelers have been sorely missing.

Not only is Pittsburgh’s aerial attack in a position to succeed, but its ground game is as well. The Giants hemorrhaged production to opposing running backs last season, surrendering 144.8 yards per game on the ground. James Conner is completely healthy after an injury-plagued 2019, and is set up to smash in a projected favourable game script.

The Steel Curtain is Back

On the other side of the ball, it could be a rough night for Daniel Jones. The sophomore QB will be under pressure all game long, as the Steelers return 10 of 11 starters from a defence that absolutely dominated last season.

Pittsburgh led the NFL in sacks, turnovers and pressure rate in 2019. The Steelers also allowed the fifth-fewest passing yards per game.

That’s bad news for Jones, who struggled under pressure in his rookie season, and will be playing behind three new starters on the offensive line. Jones completed just 50 per cent of his passes under duress in 2019, averaging only 5.9 yards per attempt.

The Line

The Steelers allowed just 18.9 points per game in 2019 and were excellent at limiting pass plays of 20 yards or more. They forced opponents to try to methodically march down the field, something this New York offence isn’t built to do.

Pittsburgh will dominate time of possession and wreak havoc on Jones behind the Giants mediocre offensive line.

Pick: Steelers
ATS Pick: Steelers -5.5
Over/Under Pick: Under 45.5

Fantasy Sleeper

Ebron draws a very favourable matchup against a Giants team that was torched by tight ends in 2019. New York gave up 73 catches and eight touchdowns to that position, and few tight ends possess bigger touchdown upside than Ebron.

The former first-round draft pick is owned in just 33.8 per cent of TSN Fantasy Football leagues, and is a worth consideration for a start in leagues with 12 or more teams.