The Steelers (+1.5) are ready to welcome the New England Patriots (-1.5) to Pittsburgh. This vital late afternoon game is scheduled to kick off at 4:25 p.m. ET and spectators can tune in to the action on CBS.
New England Patriots -1½ -125 ov 52½
Pittsburgh Steelers +1½ +105 un 52½
Odds Provided by BetDSI.eu
In what may be an AFC playoff preview, New England is labeled as the favorite and is currently giving up 1.5 points. The Patriots are also receiving -125 moneyline odds while the Steelers are +105. Oddsmakers have set the over/under (O/U) at 52.5 points, and should one team can find paydirt in the early stages, it’ll likely result in a solid in-game betting opportunity.
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This game’s line opened at 1. The total has not moved after it was set initially at 52.5.
The Patriots are 8-5 against the spread (ATS) and have lost 1.6 units this season. They’ve been a good under bet and have posted an Over-Under record of 5-8. The Steelers are down 3.8 units for moneyline bettors so far. They’re 6-6-1 ATS and have an O/U record of 7-6.
The Patriots have gone 9-4 straight up (SU) in 2018 while the Steelers are 7-5-1 SU.
The Pats fell to Miami 34-33 in a Week 14 nailbiter where Tom Brady completed 27 passes for 358 yards and three touchdowns. Sony Michel (only 57 yards on 20 rush attempts) propelled the ground attack in the loss while Julian Edelman (nine receptions, 86 yards, one TD) and Rob Gronkowski (eight catches, 107 yards, one TD) shared the receiving duties.
Back in Week 14, Oakland took care of this Pittsburgh crew by a score of 24-21. The Steelers defensive secondary let the Raiders air it out for 322 yards and two touchdowns. Jared Cook had a good showing for Oakland, recording 116 yards on seven catches. As a group, the Steelers collectively completed 29-of-38 passes for 306 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. Ben Roethlisberger went 25-for-29 for 282 yards and two touchdowns while Joshua Dobbs was four-of-nine for 24 yards and one interception. Jaylen Samuels (28 yards on 11 rush attempts) handled the ground game in the defeat while JuJu Smith-Schuster (eight receptions, 130 yards, two TDs) and Samuels (seven catches, 64 yards) led the pass-catching corps.
New England has run the ball on 44.3 percent of its offensive possessions this year while Pittsburgh has an overall rush percentage of 33.5 percent. The Patriots have rushed for 118 yards per game and have 16 scores via handoffs this year. The Steelers are logging 89 rush yards per game and have 16 total rushing TDs.
The Pats offensive scheme has tallied 288 yards/contest through the air overall and has 23 passing scores so far. The Steelers have put up 329 pass yards per contest and have 29 total pass TDs.
On the defensive side of the ball, New England has allowed 113 rush yards and 274 pass yards per game. The Pittsburgh defense has allowed 257.2 yards per game to opposing passers and 96.9 yards per game on the ground. Both teams allow similar adjusted net yards per pass attempt (ANY/A) to opponents, as the Pats have given up an ANY/A of 6.20 to opposing QBs, while the Steelers are yielding an ANY/A of 6.40.
Offensively, Brady is up to 3,389 passing yards on the year, and has completed 65 percent of his 445 attempts with 22 passing scores and only seven interceptions. Brady has a 7.32 adjusted net yards per pass attempt overall, although that number sits at 8.96 over the past two outings.
Josh Gordon (660 receiving yards, three receiving touchdowns on the year), Julian Edelman (35 rush yards, 596 receiving yards, four receiving TDs) and James White (316 rush yards, four rush TDs, 582 receiving yards, six TDs) have all played big roles of late.
On the other sideline, Ben Roethlisberger has completed 337-of-501 passes for 3,946 yards, 26 TDs and 12 INTs. Roethlisberger’s ANY/A sits at 7.36 for the year and 7.66 across his last two outings.
Antonio Brown, JuJu Smith-Schuster and Jaylen Samuels have combined to account for 485 yards from scrimmage and four touchdowns as a trio the last couple of games.
When these two teams met a year ago, New England knocked Pittsburgh off by a field goal 27-24.
RELATED: Week 15 NFL Betting Odds and Predictions
NFL Pick: New England Patriots vs. Pittsburgh Steelers
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Notes
Team Betting Notes
The Patriots offense has created seven pass plays of 40+ yards, while the Steelers have accounted for 12 such plays.
The New England defense has allowed eight pass plays of 40 or more yards, while Pittsburgh has given up five such plays.
The New England offense has created eight rushing plays of 20 or more yards, while Pittsburgh has created nine such runs.
The Patriots defense has allowed nine rushing plays of 20 yards or more, while the Steelers have given up eight such runs.
The Pittsburgh D has sacked opposing quarterbacks 45 times this season. New England has produced just 24 sacks.
New England has averaged 4.3 yards per rush attempt across its last three games and 3.4 over its last two.
Pittsburgh has averaged 3.5 yards per carry over its last three contests and 2.9 over its past two.
Over its last three matchups, Pittsburgh is 0-3 ATS and the under cashed in two of those three.
The Over/Under for New England’s last game was 49.5. The over cashed in the team’s 34-33 defeat to Miami.
In its last three contests, New England is 2-1 ATS and the under cashed in two of those three.
The O/U for Pittsburgh’s previous matchup was set at 51. The under cashed in the 24-21 defeat to Oakland.
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