Pittsburgh Looks To End Recent Skid Hosting Indianapolis
Since Sportsbook the season with an 11-0 SU and 8-3 ATS record, the Pittsburgh Steelers have gone 0-3 SU and ATS over their last three games. They’ll try to end their slide against the surging Indianapolis Colts on Sunday afternoon.
Sportsbook Odds Analysis
The Steelers opened this matchup as 2.5-point favorites at home, but steady action coming in on the Colts has flipped the line over to Indianapolis -1.5. There has also been heavy movement on the total as UNDER bets on the opener of 48.5 points have moved the line down to 44.5 points. Pittsburgh is 6-0 SU and 4-2 ATS in its last six games against Indianapolis.
Indianapolis News & Notes
The Colts failed to cover the spread as 7.5-point favorites in their 27-20 win over the Houston Texans last Sunday. But they did pick up their third straight win in that game and are now 5-1 SU and 4-2 ATS over their last six games.
Indianapolis has been solid on both sides of the ball this season with the eighth-best scoring offense in the NFL averaging 28.5 points per game and the 11th-best scoring defense in the league allowing 22.9 points per game.
Rookie running back Jonathan Taylor has been hitting a groove in recent weeks as well. After averaging just 47.6 rushing yards per game through his first nine games of the season, Taylor has averaged 103.5 rushing yards over his last four starts. The Colts are averaging 32.8 points per game over that stretch with a 4-0 SU and 3-1 ATS record.
Pittsburgh News & Notes
Coming off two straight losses, the Steelers had no reason not to be highly motivated to beat the lowly Cincinnati Bengals on Monday night. Yet despite being a 14.5-point favorite in need of a win, the Steelers stumbled to a 17-0 halftime deficit and eventually lost the game 27-17. Ben Roethlisberger had his worst game of the season, going 20-for-38 with only 170 passing yards, one touchdown and one interception.
This ugly performance came on the heels of a 21-for-37 day against the Buffalo Bills in which Roethlisberger had only 187 passing yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions.
The 38-year-old quarterback has now thrown interceptions in each of Pittsburgh’s last five games, and the team is averaging only 17 points per game over its last four outings. The Steelers’ recent struggles have opened the door for the Cleveland Browns to potentially take over the division lead with a win over Pittsburgh in Week 17.
Betting Pick: Indianapolis -1.5
Perhaps this will be the week that the Steelers snap out of their recent struggles. But considering how consistently well Indianapolis is playing, the Colts are too good to pass up on here as such small favorites.