The visiting Cincinnati Bengals are growing favorites as they head to Pittsburgh to try to bury the Steelers.
Pittsburgh has shown the ability to stand up as home dogs. The Steelers are 9-2-1 against the spread in their last 12 games as home underdogs.
The Bengals won the first meeting between the two AFC North rivals, 20-10, in September. But Pittsburgh has won 14 of the last 20 games against Cincinnati and is 13-6-1 against the spread in those games.
The Steelers are coming off a dramatic loss the Miami Dolphins. The Bengals rolled past the Indianapolis Colts last week and own a two-game lead in the division over the Baltimore Ravens heading into Week 15.
Backers of the Steelers have seen them go 5-8 and 6-7 ATS so far this season, while the Bengals are at 9-4 and 8-4-1 ATS. In totals betting, the Bengals are 7-6, while the Steelers are 6-7.
View Cincinnati Bengals vs Pittsburgh Steelers Odds and Stats.
On the Sportsbook line for this matchup, the Steelers sat as 1.5-point underdogs at shops such as Sportsbook. The total, meanwhile, has been pegged by the oddsmakers at Sportsbook at 40.5.
The Steelers sit at No. 12 in the current NFL Power Rankings here at OddsShark, while the Bengals are at No. 5 on that chart. Math models have concluded that the Bengals will win this game 27-20.
In their last action, Cincinnati was a 42-28 Sportsbook at home against the Colts. They covered the 7.5-point spread as favorites, while the combined score (70) was profitable news for OVER bettors. In their last game, the Steelers got 3 passing scores out of Ben Roethlisberger, but lost 34-28 to the Dolphins on Sunday at Heinz Field.
How They Match Up:
Offensively, the game matches up Pittsburgh's No. 19-ranked offense (22.38 PPG) against a Bengals defense that ranks No. 6 at 18.77 PPG. The Steelers passing attack has averaged 266.85 yards per game, more than the Bengals give up through the air (222.38 YPG on average).
Defensively, the Bengals feature the league's No. 8-rated road run defense, allowing 101.43 yards per game. Pittsburgh, meanwhile, ranks No. 28 in rushing offense at home.
A few Bengals at Steelers trends to consider:
Cincinnati is 5-2 ATS in its last 7 games
Cincinnati is 7-2 SU in its last 9 games
Cincinnati is 2-5-1 ATS in its last 8 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Cincinnati's last 6 games on the road
Pittsburgh is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Pittsburgh's last 6 games
Pittsburgh is 18-7 SU in its last 25 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 13 of Pittsburgh's last 17 games at home
Next up:
Cincinnati home to Minnesota, Sunday, December 22nd
Pittsburgh at Green Bay, Sunday, December 22nd
