The Pittsburgh Steelers have been one of the most disappointing teams—and bets--in the league and sit at 2-5 straight-up and against the spread.
Now, the Steelers head to New England to face the favored Patriots. New England is around a 7.5-point favorite. Pittsburgh lost to the Oakland Raiders last week, snapping a two-game win streak that had raised Steelers fans’ hopes of a second-half rally. Pittsburgh ranks 30th in the league in rushing offense.
The Patriots bounced back from a loss to the New York Jets to rally past the Miami Dolphins last week. They’ve covered the spread in eight of their last 11 games against the Steelers.
But New England is banged up with tons of injuries and historically struggles at home in November. In 16 games in this situation, the Pats are 4-12 ATS.
They battle the Steelers, currently with a 2-5 mark (2-5 ATS). The over under records, important for totals bettors, are 3-5 for the Patriots and 2-5 for the Steelers.
View Pittsburgh Steelers vs New England Patriots Odds and Stats.
Sportsbooks such as Sportsbook had the Patriots pegged as -5.5-point favorites in this matchup. The total, meanwhile, was listed by books like Sportsbook at 44.
The Patriots - Steelers odds would favor the Patriots if the lines were set according to power ranks. New England is rated No. 7 in our latest OddsShark poll, while the Steelers sit at No. 17. Math models based on recent stats and predictive formulas point to a 23-15 win for the Patriots.
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Last time out for Pittsburgh, they were a 21-18 loser as they battled the Raiders on the road. The Steelers failed to cover in the match as a 2.5-point favorite, while 39 combined points moved the game UNDER for totals bettors. The Steelers suffered a Week 8 loss against Oakland in their last game, falling 21-18 at O.co Coliseum. The Patriots grabbed a Week 8 victory over the Dolphins in their last game, winning 27-17 at Gillette Stadium.
How They Match Up:
Offensively, the game matches up New England's No. 17-ranked offense (22.38 PPG) against a Steelers defense that ranks No. 14 at 21.86 PPG. The Patriots passing attack has averaged 209.38 yards per game, more than the Steelers give up through the air (181 YPG on average).
In comparing defenses, the Steelers own the league's No. 29-rated front 7 in terms of stopping the run, allowing 138 yards per game when on the road. New England, on the other hand, rates No. 10 this week in generating rushing yards at home.
A few Steelers at Patriots trends to consider:
Pittsburgh is 4-10-1 ATS in its last 15 games
Pittsburgh is 3-8 SU in its last 11 games
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of Pittsburgh's last 9 games
Pittsburgh is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games on the road
New England is 4-2 ATS in its last 6 games
New England is 16-4 SU in its last 20 games
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of New England's last 9 games
New England is 5-2 ATS in its last 7 games at home
Next up:
Pittsburgh at Buffalo, Sunday, November 10th
New England at Carolina, Monday, November 18th
