It took Pittsburgh the entire 17 weeks of the regular season to lock-down a spot in this year’s Super Bowl Derby, but it is in the field of 12 following this past Sunday’s 28-12 victory against Cleveland as a 13-point road favorite. The Steelers are 4-1 straight-up in their last five games while going 3-1-1 against the spread. The total stayed UNDER in their past two games after going OVER in their previous four outings.
Ben Roethlisberger is in solid form at quarterback after throwing for 349 yards and three scores against Cleveland this past Sunday, but there are some major concerns with a Steelers’ running game that was held to just 30 yards on 19 carries. DeAngelo Williams left that game with an ankle injury and he is day-to-day for Saturday. Pittsburgh also got a big effort from its defense against the Browns, but on the year this unit is ranked 30th in the NFL against the pass and 21st in total yards allowed.
The Bengals laid claim to the AFC North title at 12-4 SU on the year, but a late-season loss to Denver cost them a shot at a first round bye they so desperately wanted. Cincinnati has bowed-out of the playoffs in the Wild Card Round the last four seasons and that is probably one of the biggest reasons they are listed as slight home underdogs in this contest. The Bengals are 5-2 ATS in their last seven games and the total has stayed UNDER or ended as a PUSH in eight of their last 10 outings.
The other big concern for Cincinnati is the playing status of quarterback Andy Dalton after missing the past few games with a hand injury. He will begin throwing this week, but this could be a game-time decision as far as him starting on Saturday. AJ McCarron has taken his place and, in this past Sunday’s 24-16 victory against Baltimore, he completed an efficient 17-of-27 throws for 160 yards and two scores. The Bengals got a huge effort out of their running game with 145 yards on 27 carries. Jeremy Hill is the team’s leading rusher with 794 yards on 223 attempts.
The Steelers are 9-4 ATS in their last 13 playoff games and they are 12-4 ATS in their last 16 games against a team with a SU winning record. The total has gone OVER in their last four playoff games on the road.
The Bengals have failed to cover ATS in their last six Wild Card Round games and they are just 1-10 ATS in their last 11 January games. The total has stayed UNDER in four of their last five AFC North games.
Head-to-head in this divisional showdown, the road team is 19-9-1 ATS in the last 29 meetings and the total has gone OVER in six of the last eight meetings in Cincinnati. The road team won both meetings this season both SU and ATS.
