The Pittsburgh Steelers and the Indianapolis Colts take center stage on Thursday Night Football for the Thanksgiving Day Holiday. Kickoff in this AFC battle at Lucas Oil Stadium gets underway at 8:30 p.m. (ET) and the game will be broadcast nationally on NBC.
Pittsburgh at Indianapolis Game Overview
It has been a rocky road for the Steelers through their first 10 games this year with an even 5-5 mark both straight-up and against the spread. Fortunately, that is good enough for a share of the lead in the watered-down AFC North this season. Pittsburgh evened its record this past Sunday by beating Cleveland 24-9 as an eight-point road favorite. The total stayed UNDER 44.5 and it has stayed UNDER in five of its last six games.
A healthy Ben Roethlisberger at quarterback is a welcomed sight for Steelers’ fans, but more important in this matchup could be an effective running game led by Le’Veon Bell. He racked up 146 yards and a score on the ground in the win against the Browns on 28 carries. Pittsburgh is still ranked 23rd in the NFL in rushing yards per game (96.2) as opposed to seventh in passing yards (268.2). The big concern for this matchup is a defense that is ranked 26th in the league against the pass.
The Colts took a step in the right direction this past Sunday by upending Tennessee 24-17 as three-point home favorites in a key matchup in the AFC South. They have now won three of their last four games both SU and ATS to improve to 5-5 SU and 5-4-1 ATS. The total stayed UNDER 54 against the Titans after going OVER in five of their previous six games. Indianapolis is 3-2 ATS at home this season and an even 2-2-1 ATS when closing as an underdog.
Andrew Luck and the Colts’ passing game is still the focal point of this offense in light of a rushing attack that is 24th in the NFL in yards per game (95.8). He ended Sunday’s game with 262 passing yards and two touchdown throws, but he also took a hard hit that has him in concussion protocol right now. If he cannot go on Thursday night, look for Scott Tolzien to get the start. Another issue for Indianapolis is a ground game that only managed 76 yards rushing on 28 attempts against the Titans. Defensively, it is 29th in the league in yards allowed (397.6) and 26th in points allowed (27.3).
Pittsburgh at Indianapolis Game Betting Trends
- The Steelers are 1-3-2 ATS in their last six road games and they have just one SU win in their last five games on the road. The total has stayed UNDER in seven of their last eight road games.
- The Colts are 17-8 SU in their last 25 home games and they are 3-2 ATS in five home games this season. The total has gone OVER in seven of 10 games this year.
- Head-to-head in this matchup, Pittsburgh has gone 13-2 SU in the last 15 meetings with a 10-5 record ATS. It is 5-2 SU in its last seven road games against the Colts and the total has stayed UNDER in four of the last five meetings in Indianapolis.
