Week 12 NFL Betting Odds: Pittsburgh At Indianapolis

It’s Thanksgiving Day in the US, and that means that we get more football than we can shake a stick at. Instead of a single Thursday game, we have three to look forward to. There are a pair of afternoon games, but the best way to relax after a huge turkey dinner is to tune into the nationally televised Thursday night game that pits the Pittsburgh Steelers against the Indianapolis Colts. This is a huge game for both teams, as a win would help them in both the division and playoff standings. Both teams are coming in with identical 5-5 records, and both are within reach of the top of their respective divisions. Winning the division is the ticket to the postseason, so the stakes are very high indeed for this one. The Steelers got back to winning ways versus the Browns last weekend, while the Colts have now won back to back games to put pressure on the Texans in the AFC South. The bookies have made the Steelers a 9-point road favorite.

In Depth Analysis On The Week 12 NFL Betting Odds: Steelers At Colts

When: Thursday, November 24 at 8:30 PM EST Where: Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis TV: NBC Live Stream: NBC Sports Live NFL Odds: TBA    

Why bet on the Pittsburgh Steelers

There were a lot of people who liked the Steelers to represent the AFC in Super Bowl 51, but a 4-game losing skid made many start to question that idea. Pittsburgh Steelers broke out of their slump in a big way last weekend versus the Browns, and finally put together a total performance where all units shined. The defense managed 9 sacks against the Browns, and they will be going against an Indy offensive line that often has trouble protecting their QB. Getting to the QB will mean taking some of the pressure off the secondary, and it may also mean winning the field position battle. Pittsburgh ae 5-5 ATS this season, but are 1-0 ATS when favored by 7.5 – 10 points.

Why bet on the Indianapolis Colts

QB Andrew Luck got is bell rung badly last weekend, and spent this week in the concussion protocol. The bad news for the Colts is that he has not been cleared to play, which means Scott Tolzien will be the man under center. That news pretty much blows everything out of the water, as we really have no idea what to expect from the backup QB. The one thing that we can expect is that the Steelers will be blitzing him at every opportunity. How the young man handles that heat will go a long way towards deciding how this game goes. The Colts are 5-4-1 ATS this season, and are just 2-3 ATS as the underdog.

Expert Pick and Final Score Prediction

I initially had this one being close, but that all changes with Tolzien in instead of Luck. The Colts have no running game to speak of, which means the ball is going to be in the hands of the back-up. This spells big trouble.

Pittsburgh Steelers 38 Indianapolis Colts 13