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- Spread was Patriots -2.5 on the road after this one opened as a PICK'EM
- In the last 24 seasons the Patriots or Steelers have played in the AFC Championship game
- Patriots now sit at 9-4, same record as the Texans in the AFC with little breathing room for #2 spot
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The following article is courtesy of our friends at YouWager.
Two of the top teams in the AFC square off in a potential playoff preview Sunday afternoon at Heinz Field as the New England Patriots travel to take on the Pittsburgh Steelers. Both teams come in to this one on the heels of disappointing losses, the Steelers because they lost to the lowly Raiders and the Patriots because they lost on a last-second hook and ladder play against the Miami Dolphins. Both teams will be looking to get back on track Sunday and get things right for a playoff run. In the last 24 seasons, one of these two teams has played in the AFC Championship Game. The Patriots were a slim -1 point favorites with the line having moved to -3 at YouWager.
Patriots Looking to Keep Home Field
The Patriots had a chance to extend their lead for a first round playoff bye last week until the Dolphins pulled off a miraculous last second comeback to win. Now the Patriots sit at 9-4, the same as the Houston Texans and have very little breathing room to keep their hold of the #2 spot in the AFC. New England has owned the Steelers as of late, winning the last three contests by a combined 33 points and defeating the Steelers five straight times. Tom Brady is historically excellent coming off of losses and there is no reason to believe this will be any different. An interesting number from this season is that the Patriots are just 3-4 on the road this season and a loss in this one will ensure a losing record on the road for the first time since 2009.
Steelers in a Big Spot
Pittsburgh went into Oakland last week and laid an absolute dud. The loss to the Raiders makes it a possibility that the Steelers could miss the playoffs, though they do currently hold a lead in the AFC North over the Baltimore Ravens. A loss to New England would put the Steelers at 7-6-1 and possibly behind Baltimore, Indianapolis, Miami, and Tennessee in the playoff pecking order. In other words, this is not a home game the Steelers can afford to lose. Given their recent history against New England, this will be no small task. The loss of James Conner to injury earlier in the season has really made the Steelers go away from their power rushing game and they have become awfully one dimensional. It will be imperative for either Jaylen Samuels or Steven Ridley to balance the offense out if they want to stand any chance at knocking off New England.
Did you know? The betting public was backing New England at a 60% clip at -3
Pick and Prediction
The Pittsburgh Steelers have now lost three in a row. Five weeks ago, they looked like world beaters against the Carolina Panthers, but now they do not seem to have it figured out on either side of the ball. While the Patriots did not play well against the Dolphins, their loss was largely a fluke. They seem to have it more together right now than the Steelers. The Patriots curse continues in the Steel City. Take the Patriots to win and cover 24-20.
