The NFL’s second-leading receiver, Antonio Brown (1,397 yards, 7 TDs), will be on display when the Pittsburgh Steelers (8-5) play the Denver Broncos (10-3). Pittsburgh comes into this game looking to continue its recent success, having won four of its last five. The game starts at 4:25 p.m. ET on Sunday, Dec 20 and can be seen on CBS.
Pittsburgh picked up a win over the Bengals 33-20 last week. Heath Miller had a good game in the win, registering 10 catches for 66 yards. DeAngelo Williams had a big game as well, totaling 76 yards and two TDs on 23 attempts. Denver didn’t have the same success as Pittsburgh, losing a game they could have won against the Raiders 15-12. Vernon Davis had a solid outing for the Broncos, totaling seven catches for 74 yards.
Pittsburgh is a six-point favorite in this game and the Over/Under (O/U) is 45 points.
Heading into Week 15 of league action, the Steelers are 8-5 Straight Up (SU) and 7-4-2 Against The Spread (ATS). In the past five games, Pittsburgh is 4-1 SU and 3-2 ATS. The Steelers have seen an uptick in scoring recently, averaging 35 points during the last five games. They average 26.5 points per game on the season. They’ve also moved the ball with ease in the last five games, putting up an average of 494 yards per game. The Pittsburgh run defense has played at a high level the past five games as well. It has given up 74.4 rush yards per game during that span. One of the keys to the game will be if the Broncos can protect the ball against the ambitious defense of the Steelers, who rank fifth in the league with 1.9 turnovers per game. Don’t expect many blunders or oversights from Pittsburgh that could cost them the game. The Steelers are the least penalized team in the NFL, averaging 5.6 penalties per game.
Moving to the road team, the Broncos have a record of 7-5-1 ATS and 10-3 SU. The Broncos went 3-2 SU and 2-3 ATS over the last five games. Despite the home-field advantage, the Steelers have struggled to stop their opponents through the air. The Broncos will look to find holes in a pass defense that ranks 28th in the NFL with 272.7 passing yards allowed per game at home. The Denver defense has given teams issues during the past five games. During that time, opponents have gained an average of 269 total yards against this terrorizing unit. When Denver’s defensive front gets going, it is nearly unstoppable. The Broncos average 3.3 sacks per game this season, good enough to lead the league. The Broncos may take advantage of Pittsburgh’s tendency to not finish off its opponents late. The Steelers allow 8.9 points in the final 15 minutes of regulation. Pittsburgh will have its work cut out for it when Denver comes to returning the ball. The Broncos average the fifth-most return yards when playing on the road with 101.
Predictions: SU Winner – Pit, ATS Winner – Den, O/U – Under
Notes
Pittsburgh is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games.
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Pittsburgh’s last 5 games.
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Pittsburgh’s last 6 games at home.
Pittsburgh is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games at home.
Pittsburgh is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games when playing Denver.
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Pittsburgh’s last 6 games when playing Denver.
Pittsburgh is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games when playing Denver.
Pittsburgh is 2-5 SU in its last 7 games when playing at home against Denver.
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Pittsburgh’s last 6 games when playing at home against Denver.
Denver is 8-1 SU when leading at the start of the fourth quarter this season. Pittsburgh is 7-3 SU when leading at the end of the third quarter.
Remarkably, Pittsburgh is winless (0-4) SU in games where it wins the turnover battle, yet 7-1 SU when losing the turnover battle.
When it comes to passing this year, Denver is rated higher on both sides of the ball. Its 18th-ranked passing attack will face the 31st-ranked pass defense of Pittsburgh, while its top-ranked pass defense will look to limit the fifth-ranked passing game of the Steelers.
