AFC Championship Odds
The New England Patriots and Pittsburgh Steelers look to make another trip to the Super Bowl when the two collide in the AFC Championship tonight at 6:40PM ET.
According to the oddsmakers at BetDSI, the Patriots are favored at home in this game, as New England is getting odds of -6 points against the Steelers. The over/under total for the game is listed at 50.5 points. The spread hasn’t moved much this week, as it opened at New England -6. It dropped to 5.5 points during the week before returning to 6 this weekend. The public is siding with the Patriots, as 56 percent of the wagers on this game are going on New England minus the points. These two met back on Oct. 23 and New England picked up a 27-16 win at Pittsburgh. The Patriots have won three straight in the series, going 2-1 against the spread in those games.
The Patriots enter their sixth straight AFC Championship Game on a 8-game winning streak following a 34-16 win over the Texans last week. The Patriots have gone 7-1 ATS in those 8 games, winning all but two by double figures. The offense is rolling again for the most part, scoring at least 34 in three straight. Tom Brady leads one of the league’s top passing attacks once again. He missed the first four games due to suspension but still threw for 3,554 yards and 28 touchdowns with only 2 interceptions during the regular season. He struggled somewhat last week with 287 passing yards, 2 touchdowns and 2 interceptions, but has a great history against Pittsburgh. He threw for 222 yards and two touchdowns in the Oct. 23 win and he has an impressive 19 touchdowns with 0 interceptions against Mike Tomlin. Brady also has an improved run game this year behind LeGarrette Blount, who rushed for 1,161 yards and 18 touchdowns during the season. New England’s defense is also very good, allowing just 15.4 points and 324 yards per game this season. The unit had 34 sacks and created 23 turnovers during the regular season.
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Pittsburgh is a winner of nine straight entering this game, as the Steelers went to Kansas City last week and picked up an 18-16 win thanks to six field goals. Pittsburgh is also 7-1-1 against the spread during this win streak. The Steelers have a dangerous offense, but their average is just 24.8 points and 373.2 yards per game. Still, it is a unit to be feared because of the Killer B’s. Le’Veon Bell amassed nearly 1,900 yards of total offense this season with nine touchdowns while Antonio Brown caught 106 passes for 1,284 yards and 12 touchdowns. Ben Roethlisberger threw for 3,819 yards and 29 touchdowns, but also was a little turnover prone with 13 interceptions. Pittsburgh’s defense had some poor stretches this season, but is giving up an average of just 19.7 points and 334.1 yards per game. Their pass defense is allowing just 238.9 yards per game as well. The unit had 38 sacks with 23 turnovers this season. One issue for Pittsburgh this week has been a flu bug going around the facility. The team states everyone is now healthy, but it could impact the stamina of some of the players that were infected.