This week’s matchup between the Indianapolis Colts (6-5) and the Pittsburgh Steelers (6-5) will give the Colts a chance to add to their three-game winning streak. A player to watch is the NFL’s second-leading receiver, Antonio Brown (1,192 yards, 5 TDs). It will begin Sunday, Dec 6 at 8:30 p.m. ET and can be seen on NBC.
Pittsburgh dropped one to the Seahawks 39-30 last week. Markus Wheaton had a big game in the loss, totaling nine catches for 201 yards and one TD. Ben Roethlisberger also had a big game with 456 yards and a TD through the air. Indianapolis is hoping for a similar result as last week when they beat the Buccaneers 25-12. T.Y. Hilton had an outstanding performance for the Colts, registering six catches for 95 yards and two TDs. Donte Moncrief also had a big day, contributing 114 yards on eight receptions.
Pittsburgh is a six-point favorite in this game and the Over/Under (O/U) is unavailable at the moment.
Heading into Week 13 of league action, the Steelers are 6-5 Straight Up (SU) and 5-4-2 Against The Spread (ATS). In the past five games, Pittsburgh is 2-3 SU and 1-4 ATS. Look for Pittsburgh to take advantage of an inferior Indianapolis pass defense, which ranks 27th in the league with 272.8 passing yards allowed per game. Transitioning to the Pittsburgh defense, there are some factors that could impact the outcome. The Colts may have a difficult time running against the Steelers. The Colts average 92 yards per game on the ground, 26th in the NFL. One of the keys to the game will be if the Steelers can take advantage of the turnover-prone Colts, who rank 31st in the league in turnovers with two per game. The Steelers should be able to profit from Indianapolis’s struggles during the second quarter, when it gives up 8.4 points per game. Pittsburgh isn’t likely to jeopardize its chances of winning this week with penalties. The team is the least penalized in the league, averaging 5.8 per game.
Moving to the road team, the Colts have 6-5 SU and ATS records this season. The Colts went 3-2 SU and 4-1 ATS over the last five games. If Pittsburgh’s earlier games are any indication, the Colts should throw the ball often on offense. The Steelers allow 283.6 passing yards per game, 30th in the NFL. Shifting to the other side of the ball, the Indianapolis defense can dominate if it takes advantage of some favorable matchups. If the Steelers aren’t careful throwing the ball against Indianapolis’s defense, they could be in trouble. Its defense has picked off the third-most throws on the season with 1.3 per game. The Colts generally save their best for last, averaging a league-best 9.6 points in the fourth quarter. With an average of 95.9 return yards per game (fifth-most in the league), Indianapolis has had a great deal of success with its special teams.
Predictions: SU Winner – Pit, ATS Winner – Ind
Notes
Pittsburgh is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games.
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of Pittsburgh’s last 9 games.
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Pittsburgh’s last 5 games at home.
Pittsburgh is 15-6 SU in its last 21 games at home.
Pittsburgh is 12-2 SU in its last 14 games when playing Indianapolis.
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Pittsburgh’s last 5 games when playing at home against Indianapolis.
Pittsburgh is 9-1 SU in its last 10 games when playing at home against Indianapolis.
Indianapolis is 2-0 SU when leading at the start of the fourth quarter this season. Pittsburgh is 5-3 SU when carrying a lead into the fourth quarter.
Remarkably, Pittsburgh is winless (0-4) SU in games where it wins the turnover battle, yet 5-1 SU when losing the turnover battle.
The Pittsburgh passing attack is ranked sixth in the league, while the Indianapolis pass defense is only ranked 27th. The Colts’ passing game is ranked 14th, compared to the 30th-ranked pass defense of the Steelers.
Indianapolis has allowed 26.0 points per game on the road, which is ranked only 23rd in the league. Pittsburgh has put up 27.7 points per game at home (ranked sixth overall).
