The Pittsburgh Steelers (-11) are heading west to battle the Oakland Raiders at Oakland Coliseum. FOX is scheduled to have the TV rights and this late afternoon game gets underway at 4:25 p.m. ET.
Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Oakland Raiders Betting Preview
In this Sunday AFC game, Pittsburgh is labeled as the big favorite and is currently giving up 11 points. The Steelers are also receiving -550 moneyline odds while the Raiders are +375. If one team can create a bunch of points early it would create a nice live betting opportunity. Vegas has placed the over/under (O/U) at 51.5 points.
The early action has swayed toward both the Raiders and the over. The opening line was originally placed at 13 while the game’s total was initially just 49.5.
The Steelers have gained 0.9 units so far in 2018 and are 6-5-1 against the spread (ATS). The team’s posted an O/U record of 7-5. The underwhelming Raiders have lost 7.5 units this season. The team is 4-8 ATS and has an even O/U record of 6-6.
The Steelers are 7-4-1 straight up (SU) in 2018 while the Raiders are 2-10 SU.
Each team comes into this matchup on a two-game losing streak. The Steelers are looking to get back on track after a narrow 33-30 loss to the Chargers in Week 13 where their secondary let the Chargers air it out for 299 yards and two touchdowns. Keenan Allen posted a productive day for the Chargers in that one with 148 yards and a score on 14 catches. On the offensive side, Ben Roethlisberger completed 29-of-45 passes for 281 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. James Conner (60 yards on 15 rushes, two TDs) provided the ground attack while Antonio Brown (10 receptions, 154 yards, one TD) and JuJu Smith-Schuster (six catches, 49 yards) handled the receiving duties in the defeat.
Oakland just dropped a 40-33 game to Kansas City last week. The team’s defense let the Chiefs eat up the clock by running for 174 yards on 30 rush attempts, along with one rushing TD. Travis Kelce shredded the defense, recording 168 yards and two touchdowns on 12 catches for Kansas City. For Oakland, Derek Carr completed 29-of-38 passes for 285 yards and three touchdowns. Doug Martin (61 yards on 18 rush attempts, one TD) and Jalen Richard (95 yards on six carries) spearheaded the running game as Jordy Nelson (10 receptions, 97 yards) and Jared Cook (seven catches, 100 yards, one TD) led the pass-catching attack in the loss.
Pittsburgh has run the ball on 33.5 percent of its offensive possessions this year while Oakland has an overall rush percentage of 40.3 percent. The Steelers have run for 93 yards/game and have 15 scores on the ground this year. The Raiders are putting up 105 rushing yards per game and have six total rush TDs.
If the numbers so far this season are any indication, then it seems like the Steelers ought to hold an edge along both the offensive and defensive fronts, since their offensive line has given up only 24 sacks while the D-line logged 56 sacks. The Raiders, on the other hand, have allowed 24 sacks and their defense has generated only 31 sacks.
The Steelers offense has averaged 331 yards in the air overall and has 27 passing scores so far. The Raiders have put up 260 pass yards per game and have 16 total pass TDs.
Pittsburgh has allowed opponents to rush for an average of 100 yards and throw for 252 yards per game. The Oakland D has allowed 248.8 yards per game to opposing passers and 153.3 yards per game to opposing runners. The Steelers are giving up an adjusted net yards per pass attempt (ANY/A) of just 6.20 to opposing QBs, while the Raiders have allowed a staggering 8.72 ANY/A.
Offensively, Roethlisberger is already up to 3,483 passing yards on the year. He’s completed 65 percent of his 461 attempts with 25 scores through the air and 11 interceptions. He’s got a 7.11 adjusted net yards per pass attempt, including 6.21 over the last two games.
In the home locker room, Derek Carr has connected on 276-of-388 passes for 2,918 yards, 15 TDs and eight INTs. Carr’s ANY/A stands at 6.28 for the season and 6.83 over his past two outings.
RELATED: Week 14 NFL Betting Odds and Predictions
Betting Pick: Steelers vs. Raiders
SU Winner – Steelers, ATS Winner – Raiders, O/U – Over
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Notes
Team Betting Notes
As a team, Pittsburgh has rushed for 3.8 yards per attempt over its past three outings and 4.2 over its last two.
Oakland has averaged 4.9 yards per carry over its last three contests and 5.1 over its last two.
Oakland has lost nine fumbles this season while Pittsburgh has lost seven.
Oakland has lost eight of its last nine games SU, with a two-point triumph over Arizona on November 18th accounting for its only win over that stretch.
The Steelers offense has produced 12 pass plays of 40+ yards, while the Raiders have accounted for five such plays.
The Pittsburgh defense has allowed five pass plays of 40 yards or more, while Oakland has given up 12 such plays.
The Pittsburgh offense has created nine rushing plays of 20 yards or more, while Oakland has created six such runs.
The Steelers defense has allowed eight rushing plays of 20 or more yards, while the Raiders have given up 10 such runs.
The Pittsburgh defense has 41 sacks on the year while Oakland has just 10.
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