There is never really an ideal time for a team to lose, but in the case of the teams potentially headed to the playoffs on a hot streak, now is not such a bad time to fall to defeat. The perfect example of that is the New Orleans Saints, a team with was cruising along with a 10-game win streak before falling to the Cowboys last Thursday night. If you are going to play a stinker, do it before the playoffs so that you have time to get back on track before the postseason begins.
That is exactly what the Pittsburgh Steelers will be looking to do this weekend, as they have now dropped back to back games after going on an impressive 6-game winning streak prior to those losses. You certainly need to like their chances against an Oakland Raiders team that appears to be in total disarray at the moment. There is no such thing as an automatic win in this league, though, so expect the Steelers to be made to work to win and cover the 10 ½ point spread. The point total for this one has been set at 51 ½.
After all, this is a team that scored in the single digits in 3 of their last 7 games. They have also managed to cover the spread 3 times in the last 10 games, although they have covered in 2 of the last 3.
Steelers vs Raiders NFL Week 14 Odds & Pick
Ben Roethlisberger talks about the tough Oakland environment, the running game without James Conner and the final games of the regular season. pic.twitter.com/ZSawHfS2PR
— Pittsburgh Steelers (@steelers) 5 de diciembre de 2018
- When: Sunday, December 9 at 4:25 PM EST
- Where: Oakland Coliseum, Oakland
- TV: FOX
- Radio: SiriusXM/NFL
- Live Stream: NFL League Pass
- NFL Week 14 Odds: Pittsburgh Steelers -10.5 (Total 51.5)
Weather Forecast
- Partly Cloudy: 13°C/56°F
- Humidity: 77%
- Precipitation: 8%
- Cloud Cover: 31%
- Wind: 8 mph SW
- Stadium Type: Open
Why bet on the Pittsburgh Steelers?
The Steelers will not be reflecting too much on the past couple of weeks, but they also cannot make the mistake of looking ahead to their battle with the New England Patriots next weekend. This one her has all the makings of a trap game, so look for the Steelers to come out early and set the tone. They are going to need to do it without running back James Conner, who is likely to be out for a few weeks, but the reality is that this team has been chucking the ball all over the field in the past few weeks, which is why they are averaging over 320 YPG through the air and under 100 YPG on the ground, which is definitely not the Steelers brand of football we know. This is always a tough trip for the Steelers, who are just 2-4 SU and ATS in their last 6 visits to Oakland.Team Stats
Offense- Average Score For: 28.83
- Total Yards: 413.75
- Rush Yards: 93.08
- Passing Yards: 320.67
- Average Score Against: 23.50
- Total Yards: 329.17
- Rush Yards: 100.42
- Passing Yards: 228.75
Why bet on the Oakland Raiders?
If the Steelers need any type of warning about this game, they need only look at what the Raiders did last week, taking the Kansas City Chiefs all the way to the wire in a 40-33 loss. That was certainly an unexpected offensive outburst from a team managing a little over 18 PPG this season, and it’s tough to imagine that they might be able to put in a similar performance back to back.
After all, this is a team that scored in the single digits in 3 of their last 7 games. They have also managed to cover the spread 3 times in the last 10 games, although they have covered in 2 of the last 3.
Team Stats
Offense- Average Score For: 18.33
- Total Yards: 346.91
- Rush Yards: 105.33
- Passing Yards: 241.58
- Average Score Against: 30.58
- Total Yards: 396.58
- Rush Yards: 153.25
- Passing Yards: 243.33
Steelers vs Raiders NFL Week 14 Betting Trends
- Pittsburgh is 1-6 ATS in its last 7 games when playing Oakland
- Pittsburgh is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games when playing Oakland
- The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Pittsburgh’s last 5 games on the road
- Oakland is 2-6 ATS in its last 8 games
- Oakland is 1-7 SU in its last 8 games
- The total has gone OVER in 4 of Oakland’s last 6 games
