New England Patriots at Pittsburgh Steelers Pick – Odds and ATS Predictions

A couple division leaders in the AFC face off this week, as the New England Patriots will travel to Heinz Field and take on the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Patriots lead the AFC East with a 9-4 record and will be out for revenge this week after losing to the Miami Dolphins, 34-33, on a 69-yard touchdown pass from Ryan Tannehill to Kenyan Drake as time expired. Fans are calling the play the “Miami Miracle”, as Tannehill hit Kenny Stills on a pass, which then Stills pitched the ball to Devante Parker, who then lateralled it to Drake who weaved through the Patriots entire defense for the game-winning score. The Patriots had put Rob Gronkowski in the secondary as the last line of defense, anticipating a Hail Mary pass. Instead, Gronkowski missed on the tackle as Drake helped the Dolphins upset the Patriots.

Patriots Coming Off Loss

The Patriots weren’t the only team that got upset in Week 14, as the Steelers fell short to the Raiders 24-21. It was a whirlwind of emotions at the end of this game, as Derek Carr led the Raiders offense down the field and threw a 6-yard touchdown pass to Derek Carrier on 4thand goal to put them up by 3 points. The Steelers then had a little over 20 seconds to get into field goal range with just one timeout remaining. Big Ben and company did just that on a quick pass to rookie James Washington, which was then pitched to Juju Smith-Schuster on the hook and ladder play that put them right in range for kicker Chris Boswell. Boswell ended up slipping on the kick attempt, and the Raiders snuck out with a victory. It was a game to forget for the kicker as he missed both of his field goal attempts, which now puts him at 10-of-16 on the season. Boswell has also only converted 44-of-50 extra point attempts, which makes Steelers fans question the decision to sign him to a five-year contract this past offseason.

Steelers Struggling Late in Season

The good news for the Steelers this week, however, is that the fact that the Patriots have performed much worse on the road this season at 3-4. The Steelers are only 3-3 at home this season but are in much need of a win after losing their third straight game. After New England, Pittsburgh will travel to New Orleans and take on the Saints who are very difficult to play at home. The Ravens are right behind the Steelers for the division lead at 7-6 and face Tampa Bay this week, travel to play the Chargers in Week 16 and then end their season home against the Browns.