Steelers Chiefs Betting: Steelers Try To Avoid Slipping Against Undermanned Chiefs
The Kansas City Chiefs stumbled out of the gate in the 2011 NFL season. Then they rebounded to make a bid for the AFC West lead. Now, they’ve tumbled again… and Pittsburgh awaits.
Pittsburgh Steelers @ Kansas City Chiefs - Sunday, November 27
Sports betting line: Pittsburgh -10.5
Why Pittsburgh Will Win
The college football betting experts who will spend this Saturday following the Missouri-Kansas game at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City will be able to stick around the very next day and watch a professional football game in the very same ballpark. One of the most striking features of this Sunday soiree between the Steelers and the Chiefs is that the difference between the two quarterbacks will be as substantial as one can possibly imagine.
One of the biggest reasons why Pittsburgh has been installed as a double-digit favorite on the road is that Kansas City will be going into battle without starting quarterback Matt Cassel, felled for the year with an injury. The first game of the Tyler Palko experiment at quarterback unfolded last Monday against the New England Patriots, and after three interceptions and nothing more than a lousy field goal during the competitive portions of that blowout loss, it became clear that Palko is not ready for the NFL. Palko came out of the University of Pittsburgh, interestingly enough, so he’ll be motivated to play the Steelers this Sunday. However, motivation can only take a player – and a team – so far. Palko is undersized for the quarterback position. He doesn’t have a first-rate gun for an arm, and he’s woefully inexperienced despite the fact that he graduated from Pitt six years ago. Perhaps a defense with a poor secondary and a penchant for allowing lots of third-down conversions – the Tennessee Titans come to mind – would give Palko a chance to be successful, but Pittsburgh’s defense is one of the worst defenses a newbie quarterback can ever hope to face in his second career NFL start and his first career start at home. Pittsburgh should mash Palko in this contest. The fact that the Steelers have Ben Roethlisberger under center should also help them, to put it mildly. Roethlisberger is the opposite of Palko: He’s tall and can survey the field. He is an accomplished player who has proven himself time and again in the NFL. He has the rocket arm, and moreover, he can scramble, unlike the comparatively slow Palko.
Why Kansas City Will Win
When you do your homework and assess your sports bet on this game, there is only one angle to take if you’re about to tab Kansas City: The Chiefs will be desperate. Kansas City shrugged off an 0-3 start to win four straight games and thrust itself into the AFC West race. Then the Chiefs fell off the planet with equal abruptness, losing ugly games at home against Denver and Miami. Perhaps, now that they’ve been counted out, the Chiefs will once again rally and reverse their fortunes. Strange things can and do happen in the NFL.
Who Will Win
It’s not going to be a Tyler Palko miracle this week. The Chiefs are running up against reality… and a veteran Pittsburgh team that’s not about to squander this very favorable set of circumstances. Take the Steelers by all means in this game.
NFL Football Betting Pick: Pittsburgh
