Steelers vs. Lions Pick
Can the Pittsburgh Steelers keep their hot streak going when they hit the road tonight to face the Detroit Lions at 8:30PM ET?
According to oddsmakers at Bovada.lv, Pittsburgh is favored on the road, as the Steelers are getting odds of -3 points against the Steelers. The over/under total for the contest has been set at 44.5 points. Pittsburgh has won four straight meetings in this series, but the Lions are 5-2 against the spread in the last seven against Pittsburgh. The public betting in this one has Pittsburgh getting 52 percent of the wagers at home. Tonight’s game takes place from Ford Field in Detroit, Michigan and the game will air live on NBC.
The Steelers are coming off a 29-14 win over the Bengals last week to improve to 5-2 on the season. The Steelers are 4-3 against the spread on the season and 2-2 ATS on the road. Pittsburgh is led by its defense, which is allowing 16.6 points and 284 yards per contest. The Steelers pass defense is holding opponents to just 172.3 yards per game while racking up a total of 24 sacks. On offense, Pittsburgh is putting up 21 points and 369.3 yards per game. Ben Roethlisberger has thrown for 1,745 yards and nine touchdowns, but also has eight interceptions. Le’Veon Bell has 684 rushing yards with four scores while Antonio Brown has 52 catches for 765 yards and three touchdowns.
The Lions are coming off a bye week, but they lost their last two games prior to that. Detroit is now 3-3 on the season and they are 3-3 against the spread, going just 1-2 ATS at home. The Lions are averaging 26.8 points per game right now, but only putting up 322 yards per game. Matthew Stafford has thrown for 1,428 yards and 12 touchdowns, but he has been sacked 23 times this year. Stafford’s line continues to be banged up as tackles Greg Robinson and Rick Wagner are both dealing with ankle injuries. Robinson is out while Wagner is questionable. Leading receiver Golden Tate is also battling a shoulder injury that could keep him from playing tonight. Defensively, Detroit is allowing 24.8 points and 354.5 yards per game.
I know the public has concerns about Pittsburgh on the road, which is fair. However, the Lions are a mess on the offensive line and that isn’t going to bode well against a Pittsburgh defense with 24 sacks. The Steelers should be able to apply pressure all game on Stafford, which should lead to turnovers and short fields for the Steelers offense. Detroit has looked awful in recent week s and I don’t think that will change against a solid team like Pittsburgh.
NFL WEEK 8 PREDICTION: PITTSBURGH STEELERS -3