In a year where things were far from perfect, perhaps it was too much to expect from a football team.
The Pittsburgh Steelers‘ bid for an undefeated season ended after a 23-17 loss to Washington. Early point spreads at Pennsylvania sportsbook apps had Pittsburgh as 10-point favorites, but there was reverse line movement that put the spread at Steelers -6.5 by kickoff.
COVID-19 postponed their Week 12 game against the Baltimore Ravens three times and pushed back the date of the Washington matchup. The Steelers hope this week is as close to “normal” as it can be. They will visit the first-place Buffalo Bills for a Sunday Night Football showdown.
The Steelers (11-1) are between 2- and 2.5-point underdogs against the Bills at sports betting apps in Pennsylvania. The total points line is 48.5. This will be only the second time this season the Steelers are underdogs.
Big spread swing
Betting splits from FanDuel for Steelers vs. Bills as of Sunday morning:
- 67% of the money is on the Bills (-2.5) to cover the spread.
- 57% of the money is on the Steelers on the moneyline (+118).
- 77% of the money is on the over (48.5).
At BetRivers online sportsbook as of Friday:
- 51% of the money is on the Steelers(+2.5) to cover the spread.
- 65% of the money is on the Steelers on the moneyline (+125).
At William Hill online sportsbook, the Steelers originally were listed as 2.5-point road favorites. The line flipped, and now the Bills are -2.5. The 5-point swing is the biggest one thus far for any NFL Week 14 game.
Nick Bogdanovich, director of trading for William Hill US, said:
“I think they’re reacting to the way Josh Allen looked on Monday; he looked so good. Pittsburgh’s beat up a little, but they should get James Conner back. They have to run the ball better. Ben (Roethlisberger) is a little gimpy. I think this move is a big overreaction. I think it may come back the other way at some point. I don’t think it’ll be a big decision for us one way or the other, though.”
71% of the money is on the Bills to cover (-2.5) at William Hill.
Sharps were on to a Washington upset
Betting splits from FanDuel Sportsbook for Washington vs. Pittsburgh as of Monday afternoon:
- 68% of the money was on the Steelers (-6.5) to cover the spread
- 73% of the money was on Pittsburgh (-280) on the moneyline
- 60% of the money was on the OVER (43.5)
At William Hill, the line was all the way down to Pittsburgh -6.
“Guess the professionals think the spot is right for Washington,” said Bogdanovich. “Short week for the Steelers, banged-up Ben [Roethlisberger], Washington playing to keep up with the Giants in the NFC East, two good defenses. I’d say it’s rare, though, for an undefeated team to not be getting much respect in the market against a team with a losing record.”
Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Buffalo Bills odds
Here are the odds at FanDuel Sportsbook as of Wednesday, followed by the latest Steelers game odds.
| Week 14 Odds | Spread | Moneyline | Over/Under |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pittsburgh Steelers | +2.5 (-106) | +124 | O 46.5 (-105) |
| Buffalo Bills | -2.5 (-114) | -146 | U 46.5 (-115) |
Pittsburgh Steelers 2020 odds tracker
The Kansas City Chiefs (+220) remain the Super LV favorites. The loss moved the Steelers Super Bowl odds from +550 to +750.
(Odds via FanDuel Sportsbook)
| Sept. 1, 2020 | Oct. 1 (Week 6) | Oct. 20 (Week 7) | Oct. 27 (Week 8) | Nov. 3 (Week 9) | Nov. 10 (Week 10) | Nov. 17 (Week 11) | Nov. 24 (Week 12) | Dec. 3 (Week 13) | Dec. 8. (Week 14) | Dec. 15 (Week 15) | Dec. 22 (Week 16) | Week 17 | Wild Card (Jan. 5) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Super Bowl | +2500 | +1300 | +1200 | +950 | +600 | +600 | +600 | +550 | +550 | +750 | +1300 | +2000 | +2000 | +2000 |
| AFC Championship | +1300 | +750 | +600 | +470 | +300 | +300 | +250 | +270 | +250 | +370 | +600 | +1000 | +1000 | +1000 |
| AFC North | +340 | +220 | +150 | +120 | -320 | not listed | -800 | -2500 | -2000 | -3000 | -10000 | -340 | n/a | n/a |
Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Buffalo Bills betting preview
Injuries to running back James Conner and center Maurkice Pouncey and short rest finally caught up to the Steelers. They rushed for an anemic 21 yards on 14 carries. It was the franchise’s third-lowest rushing total since 1970.
The Steelers led 14-0, but Washington, led by Comeback Player of the Year candidate Alex Smith, clawed back. It was a rare occurrence at Heinz Field, since the Steelers were 78-1-1 at home with 14+ leads. Montez Sweat batted Ben Roethlisberger’s pass late in the fourth quarter, resulting in an interception by Jon Bostic. It sealed Washington’s comeback 23-17 win. It was Washington’s first win against the Steelers since November 1991. Despite the loss, the Steelers remain the top seed in the AFC, since their lone defeat was to an out-of-conference opponent.
Josh Allen turned in a prime-time performance on Monday Night Football to power the Buffalo Bills to a 34-24 win over the San Francisco 49ers. Allen completed 32 of 40 passes for 375 yards and four TDs. The Bills (9-4) have won five of their last six games and are in first place in the AFC East.
Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Buffalo Bills betting stats and info from DraftKings
- The Steelers are 8-4 ATS; the Bills are 7-5.
- Five of the Steelers’ 12 games have gone OVER. Buffalo’s O/U record is 9-3.
- The Steelers’ win probability is 45%.
Week 14 promos at PA sportsbook apps
- Beat the Spread Bonus: $1 bonus for every point your team beats the spread by.
- Pigskin Parlay: Instant 50% cash boost when creating an eight-team parlay.
DraftKings:
- New user deposit bonus: Get a 20% bonus, up to $1,000.
FanDuel:
- $1,000 bonus bet for new users: New users at FanDuel can get up to a $1,000 bonus bet. Register, make a deposit, and place a wager on the FanDuel sportsbook app. Then, if the first wager loses, FanDuel will refund losses in the form of a bonus bet up to $1,000.
BetRivers Bonus NFL Profit Boost every week:
- Log in to BetRivers online sportsbook every Sunday and get a 50% profit boost (max $50 bet).
- $500 bonus bet: Place your first bet, and if it loses, the Fox Bet sportsbook app will match it as a bonus bet up to $500.
- $1 bet pays $50: New users only. $1 bet pays $50 in bonus bets if the Steelers score.
Steelers vs. Bills Week 14 bet boosts
FanDuel
(Max bet $50)
- JuJu Smith-Schuster or Chase Claypool to score the first touchdown boosted from (+550) to +750
- Steelers to cover (+1.5) boosted from (+100) to +110
- Josh Allen to throw two+ TDs and Bills to win boosted from (+176) to +210
DraftKings
- Ben Roethlisberger and Josh Allen to throw for over 3.5 combined TD passes boosted from (-110) to +115
- Stefon Diggs to score the first TD boosted from (+950) to +1100
Fox Bet
- Josh Allen two or more passing TDs and Bills to win boosted from (+162) to +200
- Roethlisberger two or more passing TDs and Steelers to win boosted from (+175) to +200
- Ebron, Smith, Schuster, and Di. Johnson to combine for 200 or more receiving yards boosted from (+125) to +200
- Roethlisberger 275+ pass yards and Chase Claypool 75+ receiving yards boosted from (+225) to +300
- Devin Singeltary and James Conner both to score touchdowns boosted from (+550) to +650
- Final score: Bills 25, Steelers 23 boosted from (+8000) to +10000
Bet Rivers
- Ben Roethlisberger and Josh Allen each to record two or more total touchdowns (yes) +100
- Steelers +2.5 and over 47.5 total game points (yes) +245
Complete Week 14 NFL odds at PA sportsbooks
Lead image: AP Photo/Keith Srakocic
