Thursday Night Football brings a classic rivalry showdown between the New England Patriots and the Pittsburgh Steelers on Primetime. The kick-off is scheduled for 8:15 PM EST. New England is already out of playoff contention and remains one of the most disappointing teams in the league, losing 6-0 to the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday. In other words, their offense is absolutely atrocious and has shown no signs of improving. As for Pittsburgh, they fell to 7-5 in Week 13 with a loss to the Arizona Cardinals also lost QB Kenny Pickett in the process to an ankle injury. Mitch Trubisky will be the starter for TNF. Below, find the Patriots vs Steelers picks.
Before we lay out the odds, preview, and prediction, check out our NFL betting odds and Super Bowl odds for 2024.
By no surprise, the Steelers are a 6-point favorite with -260 moneyline odds, even without Pickett under center. The Patriots come back at +220. The total in points is set at a mere 30.5, which makes sense considering how inefficient both offenses are. When it comes to recent meetings, New England has won two in a row against Pittsburgh, but their last matchup was in 2022 when the Pats were a better team.
Could it be any worse for New England? Mac Jones’ time in Foxborough is basically over, Bill Belichick may get fired, and the team owns a 2-10 record. If you’re a Pats fan, it’s a nightmare. NE is at the bottom of the AFC East by a mile and just turned to backup Bailey Zappe on Sunday due to Jones’ struggles. But, it didn’t make much of a difference. Zappe completed 13 of 25 passes for 141 yards and no touchdowns while getting sacked five times.
In fact, the Patriots mustered up only 257 total yards and 109 passing yards. The story of this season has been their inability to put up points and that certainly showed here, posting a goose egg. It doesn’t get much uglier than that. New England’s offense ranks dead last in the NFL with only 12.3 points per game and also sits towards the bottom of the league in numerous other categories. Jones, who is likely to be moved this offseason, has completed only 64.9% of his passes for 2,120 yards and has thrown more interceptions (12) than touchdowns (10). Not to mention, he’s been sacked 22 times. There is a very unclear future ahead for this franchise after seeing the 2023 campaign unfold.
Heading into Thursday, the Pats have lost five in a row and have now scored a putrid 13 points across their last three outings. It won’t get any easier against a Steelers defense that is allowing only 19.1 points per game, led by TJ Watt. Also, New England’s remaining schedule is a grind, facing the Chiefs, Broncos, and Bills after visiting the Steel City. Honestly, they may not even win another game in 23′.
I know Pittsburgh’s record looks decent, but it’s hard to understand how they’re even above .500. The offense was awful under Matt Canada, who was fired a couple of weeks back. Pickett looks inconsistent, throwing for only 2,070 yards and six touchdowns against four picks this season. Now, he’s out for 2-4 weeks after having surgery on a high ankle sprain. That means it’s time for Trubisky to step in. He didn’t fare all that well in Week 13, completing 11 of 17 throws for only 117 yards and a TD.
The run game shined, with Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren producing well over 100 rushing yards combined. But, the Pittsburgh defense had a difficult time slowing down the Cards, who cooked. James Conner killed his old team with two rushing touchdowns. Right now, the Steelers are still in the Wild Card mix. But, these next few weeks will either make or break them. Trubisky must rise to the occasion with Pickett on the shelf. Overall, Pittsburgh is scoring a measly 16 PPG and averaging 310.6 total yards, which ranks 27th in the NFL.
When you look at their defensive numbers, none are all that impressive except for points allowed. Teams are getting downfield, but the Steelers are managing to stop them from scoring points in bunches. That’s obviously key. Mike Tomlin’s squad doesn’t have the most difficult upcoming schedule and should be able to stay in contention. The Colts and Joe Burrow-less Bengals are up next after New England. The Seahawks and Ravens round of the regular season, but hopefully, Pickett is back for those two contests.
Will the Steelers win this one? They should. But, to me, there is only one bet worth putting money on: The under. Expect this to be a boring one with minimal points.
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