Chargers at Steelers NFL Week 13 Odds & Pick for Sunday Night.

Chargers at Steelers NFL Week 13 Odds & Pick for Sunday Night

Written by on November 29, 2018

Chargers-Steelers originally was set to be played at 1 p.m. ET in Week 13, but it was smartly moved to the prime-time game in place of 49ers-Seahawks. It’s a big game for both in the playoff race, with Pittsburgh just over a 3-point NFL betting favorite.

How to Bet Chargers at Steelers NFL Week 13 Odds & Game Info

  • When: Sunday, 8:20 PM ET
  • Where: Heinz Field, Pittsburgh
  • TV: NBC
  • Radio: SiriusXM/NFL
  • Live Stream: NFL League Pass
  • NFL Week 13 Odds: Pittsburgh Steelers -3.5 (Total 51.5)

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Weather Forecast

  • Partly Cloudy: 9°C/48°F
  • Humidity: 82%
  • Precipitation: 8%
  • Cloud Cover: 54%
  • Wind: 9 mph SW
  • Stadium Type: Open

Series History

Philip Rivers and Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger were selected with fourth and 11th picks, respectively, in the 2004 NFL Draft and meet as starting quarterbacks for the fifth time in their careers with the head-to-head series tied at two wins apiece. They last played in 2015.

Why Bet on LA Chargers?

Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers completed 28 of 29 passes (96.6 percent), including his first 25 pass attempts, for 259 yards with three touchdowns and zero interceptions for a 138.4 passer rating in the Chargers’ 45-10 victory over Arizona. Rivers’ 25 consecutive completions are the most by a quarterback in a single game in NFL history and are tied with Ryan Tannehill (25 consecutive completions from Weeks 6-7 in 2015) for the most consecutive passes completed at any point in league history.

Rivers’ 96.6 completion percentage was the highest by a quarterback in a single game in league annals (minimum 20 attempts), surpassing the previous high of 92.3 percent (24 of 26 passing) set by Hall of Famer Kurt Warner against Jacksonville on September 20, 2009. Since taking over as the team’s starter in 2006, Rivers has guided the Chargers to a 39-19 (.672) record in regular-season games played in December and January. The team went 4-1 last year.

That’s the good news from the Arizona win. The bad is that Pro Bowl running back Melvin Gordon injured his knee and didn’t return. The Chargers have confirmed that Gordon is dealing with an MCL sprain and is week to week. Gordon will miss this week’s game trip to Pittsburgh and almost certainly Week 13 against the Bengals.

Gordon is responsible for 36 percent of his team’s scrimmage touchdowns this season, the fifth-highest percentage in the NFL. Gordon has scored a touchdown in each of the Bolts’ eight wins. only Todd Gurley has more scrimmage TDs than Gordon (37) in the past three years. Gordon’s 1,255 scrimmage yards this season is No. 7 in the league. Austin Ekeler, whose 7.48 yards per touch is tops in the NFL this season, leads a group that will try to pick up the torch in Gordon’s absence.  

Why Bet on Pittsburgh?

Over the past five seasons (2013-17), the Steelers (20-3, .870) own the league’s best record in the final month, which also includes regular-season games played in January. The Carolina Panthers (17-7, .708) have the best mark in the NFC.

The Pittsburgh Steelers, though, are off a 24-17 upset loss in Denver that snapped their six-game winning streak. Shelby Harris intercepted Ben Roethlisberger’s pass to Antonio Brown from the Denver 2 with 1:03 remaining to seal it. “Of all the interceptions I’ve thrown it’s one of the flukiest I’ve been associated with,” Roethlisberger said. “I never thought in a million years a defensive lineman would get blocked off the ball that far, right into an interception.”

Chargers at Steelers should be an offensive battle.

Roethlisberger is a case of a QB unafraid of risk/turnovers while keeping win totals high. Only Blake Bortles has more interceptions than Roethlisberger’s 55 since 2015, but since then only Tom Brady has more wins than Big Ben, 44 to 37.

Wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster had 13 catches for 189 yards, including a 97-yard touchdown catch, last week. Smith-Schuster, who had a 97-yard touchdown reception as a rookie last season, joins Gus Tinsley (two) and Lamar Miller (two) as the only players in NFL history with two scrimmage touchdowns of at least 97 yards in their careers.

Smith-Schuster’s 1,972 career yards are the fourth-most ever for a player in his first 25 NFL games. Smith-Schuster is averaging 3.19 yards of separation per target compared to Antonio Brown’s 2.67. Smith-Schuster is the NFL’s only player with three touchdown plays of at least 75 yards since 2017. On plays 15 yards downfield, Smith-Schuster has 14 catches on 24 targets for 487 yards and three touchdowns, compared to 11 catches on 39 targets for 376 yards and six touchdowns for Brown.

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Chargers at Steelers NFL Week 13 Betting Trends

  • Chargers are 1-4 ATS in their last 5 games following a straight up win of more than 14 points
  • Chargers are 1-5 ATS in their last 6 games in Week 13
  • Steelers are 6-0 ATS in their last 6 games following a straight up loss
  • Steelers are 5-1-1 ATS in their last 7 games overall
  • LA is 7-1 SU in its last 8 games
  • The total has gone UNDER in 4 of LA Chargers’s last 5 games
  • Pittsburgh is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games
  • The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Pittsburgh’s last 6 games

Expert Prediction for Chargers at Steelers

No Gordon, no chance for Bolts. Give the points.