Pittsburgh Steelers at San Francisco 49ers: Finally, a Close Monday Night Football Game?

Can the 49ers snap out of a mini funk?

Steelers at 49ers is the first quality MNF game in a few weeks. Know how long it has been since a Monday Night Football game was decided by less than a TD? November 7th. Yikes.

Pittsburgh can take the No. 1 playoff spot in the AFC with a win (tiebreaker over New England). With a loss, the Steelers fall all the way to 5th and a Wild Card spot. Screams Pittsburgh victory tonight, right?

Problem is, the 49ers have lost two of three, finish the season with two games on the road, and the Saints have passed them for the 2nd seed (and a coveted bye) in the first round of the playoffs. Would you rather face nobody, or Atlanta/Detroit?

The line has hovered around three all weekend but dipped to 2.5 or 2 with reports that Roethlisberger would play. All I know is that without Roethlisberger, the Steelers are going to lose because they can’t move the football with Charlie Batch under center. I don’t trust Alex Smith in a big spot anywhere, but he might only need to get San Francisco 10 points. The defense can do the rest.

Player to keep an eye on: Aldon Smith, the 49ers’ beastly defensive end from Missouri. He’s a terror. The 22-year-old rookie has 10.5 sacks this season.

I thought I liked Pittsburgh +3 when I woke up, but I’ve changed course and will take San Francisco on the moneyline. Feels like a 17-16 finish.