The Pittsburgh Steelers travel to Sports Authority Field at Mile High to take on the Denver Broncos with a chance to move on to the AFC Championship Game on the line. The NFL’s leading receiver, Antonio Brown (1,953 yards, 10 TDs), will be a player to watch in this game. Kickoff is at 4:40 p.m. ET on Sunday, Jan 17 and will air on CBS.
In its last game, Denver prevailed against the Chargers 27-20. Ronnie Hillman had a huge game running the ball in the victory, dashing 15 times for 117 yards and one TD. Demaryius Thomas also had a great game with 117 yards and a TD on five catches. Pittsburgh won a tight one against the Bengals 18-16. Antonio Brown had a great game for the Steelers, grabbing seven receptions for 119 yards.
As a slim two-point underdog, the Steelers look to upend the Broncos. The Over/Under (O/U) is unavailable currently.
Sitting at 12-4 Straight Up (SU) and 7-7-2 Against The Spread (ATS), the Broncos will look to improve heading into Week 19. In their five most recent matchups, the Broncos went 3-2 SU and 1-3-1 ATS. The passing game could be a priority for Denver against a Pittsburgh pass defense that ranks 30th in the league with 91.2 yards allowed per game. Crossing over to the defensive side of the ball, the Broncos look to have a distinct advantage in certain spots. Expect the Steelers to have a tough time running against the second-ranked Broncos run defense, which gives up 83.4 yards per game on the ground. The Steelers will need to stop Denver’s defense from getting to their quarterback in order to be successful in this game. The Broncos lead the league in sacks with 3.2 per game. The Broncos are one of the best in the league at scoring in the fourth quarter, averaging eight points.
Shifting to the opposition, the Pittsburgh Steelers head into Week 19 with records of 8-5-3 ATS and 10-6 SU. Over their last five games, the Steelers have a SU record of 4-1 and a 2-1-2 record ATS. The Pittsburgh Steelers have the fifth-ranked run defense in the league, giving up 91.2 yards per game on the ground. Avoiding turnovers will be essential for the Broncos against the Steelers defense, which ranks third in the league in generating turnovers with 1.9 per game. Denver will want to keep its intensity through the fourth quarter against the Steelers, who average a league-leading 9.1 points in the final 15 minutes of regulation. Pittsburgh Steelers has avoided penalties this season, receiving 5.9 per game, the third-fewest in the league.
Predictions: SU Winner – Pit, ATS Winner – Pit
Notes
Denver is 1-3-1 ATS in its last 5 games.
Denver is 12-4 SU in its last 16 games.
Denver is 14-3 SU in its last 17 games at home.
Denver is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games at home.
Denver is 4-1-1 ATS in its last 6 games when playing Pittsburgh.
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Denver’s last 7 games when playing Pittsburgh.
Denver is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games when playing Pittsburgh.
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Denver’s last 5 games when playing at home against Pittsburgh.
Denver is 6-2 SU in its last 8 games when playing at home against Pittsburgh.
Pittsburgh is 8-3 SU when leading at the half this season. Denver is 8-2 SU when taking a lead into halftime.
Remarkably, Pittsburgh is winless (0-5) SU in games where it wins the turnover battle, yet 9-1 SU when losing the turnover battle.
Pittsburgh is an even 4-4 SU this season when allowing at least 3.0 sacks in a game. The Denver defense is currently averaging 3.2 sacks over the last five games.
According to overall NFL pass rankings, Denver is rated higher on both sides of the ball. Its 14th-ranked offensive passing game will face the 30th-ranked pass defense of Pittsburgh, while its first-ranked pass defense will look to limit the third-ranked aerial attack of the Steelers.
