Steelers Look to Stay Undefeated Against Lowly Jaguars

The undefeated Pittsburgh Steelers (9-0 SU, 7-2 ATS) head to Jacksonville to take on the Jaguars (1-8 SU, 4-5 ATS) in an AFC matchup between teams at opposite ends of the spectrum. The Steelers beat up on a bottom-feeder last week against Cincinnati and again face a rookie quarterback with the odds stacked heavily against him.

Sportsbook Odds Analysis

The game opened with the Steelers as favorites at -9.5 but the line has since risen to either -10 or -10.5 depending on the sportsbook. The total opened at 46 and has risen to 47.5 or 48 depending on where you look.

Pittsburgh News & Notes

Ben Roethlisberger and the Steelers have not played the toughest schedule so far this year, but they are the heaviest favorite of the week for good reason. The Steelers sport a trio of receivers unparalleled through the rest of the league outside of perhaps Tampa Bay.

Any of Diontae Johnson, JuJu Smith-Schuster or rookie Chase Claypool can break open a game single-handedly. All three scored in last week’s blowout victory over Cincinnati and we expect much of the same this week in Jacksonville.

While the offense is formidable, the Steelers owe much of their success to a top-notch defense that is tied for the league lead in turnovers and has allowed the third-fewest points and the fourth-fewest yards on the season. Expect this defense to present a much tougher test than Jaguars rookie quarterback Jake Luton has faced the last two weeks.

Jacksonville News & Notes

Jake Luton has certainly been a surprise through his first two weeks as a starter. The big sixth-round pick out of Oregon State has thrown for 304 and 169 yards respectively in two games, keeping both within four points.

Luton had a touchdown and interception in each contest and sports a quarterback rating of 77. This certainly feels like the obvious first “face plant” game of his young career. With the Jaguars defense playing so poorly and the quarterback likely having to drop back a lot in a negative game script, this could not be a worse spot for the rookie.

That Jaguars defense is getting shredded on a weekly basis and has allowed 6.4 yards per play (31st), the third-most yards and the third-most total touchdowns.

Betting Pick: Steelers -10

It is a huge line, but all signs point to another blowout win for the Steelers as the Jaguars are simply outmatched in all facets. It would not be terribly surprising if the Jaguars get shut out completely.