NFL football betting - Steelers vs Titans odds
Posted on 12/15/2008 4:38:50 PM
By Stan Simmons
Sportsbook odds: battle for AFC supremacy
- WHO: Pittsburgh Steelers vs Tennessee Titans (-1)
- WHAT: NFL Football Betting
- WHEN: Sunday, December 14 at 4:15 p.m. ET
- WHERE: LP Field in Nashville, Tennessee
- KEY STATS: Steelers are 5-2 against the spread in seven road games this season; Titans are 10-2 against the spread as a home favorite this season
- PICK: Steelers
Steelers vs Titans betting presents an exciting matchup for those who bet online. A few weeks ago it looked like it would be a foregone conclusion that the Tennessee Titans would be the top seed in the AFC and that nobody would get in their way for home-field advantage in the NFL playoffs.
But the Pittsburgh Steelers have made an impressive run of late, winning five consecutive games to throw their name into the hat along with the other premier teams in the AFC. Online sports betting handicappers watched the Steelers start the season 6-3 and then avoid any losses since.
The Steelers have wins over the Chargers, Patriots, Cowboys and Ravens during their five-game winning streak, but online betting sharps should remember that three of those wins have come by a combined 12 points.
The Steelers have been cutting it close, but so have the Titans, who have now lost two of their last four games after starting the season 10-0. More importantly, the way the Titans have been playing of late has planted the seeds of concern.
The Titans have played only four teams with a winning record this season and have won three of those contests. But it’s hard to put much credibility into those three wins as the Titans defeated the Vikings, Ravens and Colts before all of those teams got rolling. As a result, Tennessee is getting just a one-point edge in the Steelers vs Titans line.
Those who bet online have been waiting for the other shoe to drop for the Titans, and it appears their decline has slowly begun. Sportsbook odds list them as a one-point favorite over the Pittsburgh Steelers but this is clearly a matchup of two teams heading in opposite directions.
The Titans have slowed down significantly, as has their potent running game. Stellar rookie running back Chris Johnson, who has had an outstanding rookie season, has just 183 yards on 54 carries in his last four games (3.4 yards per carry average) after you discount his two matchups against the lowly Detroit Lions and Cleveland Browns. Backfield mate LenDale White has just 91 yards on 33 carries (2.8 yards per carry) in that span. If that doesn’t change, Tennessee won’t have a chance on the Steelers vs Titans spread.
Online sports betting handicappers know the Steelers have the NFL’s second-best rushing defense. The Titans have really struggled in games when they can’t run the ball and that figures to be a consistent problem the rest of the way.
Both teams have steady defenses, but the Titans unit will be shorthanded without defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth, who is expected to miss the game. Look for the Steelers to take advantage and win their second consecutive road game and win the top seed in the AFC.
STAN’S PICK: In a battle of two good defenses, bet on the team with the better quarterback. Bet the Pittsburgh Steelers and Ben Roethlisberger to cover in this game.
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Stan Simmons first tasted football through the college game, but his football handicapping has strictly focused on the professional sport. Not many people devote as much time to the NFL as Simmons. For six days a week he works, labors and handicaps the sport, and on the seventh he rests as the games play out. Thoughts or questions? Email Comments@BetOnline.com.
