History—both recent and past—give the New England Patriots an edge against the Pittsburgh Steelers at home in the AFC Championship Game. This is a team that’s beaten the Steelers in the postseason in season’s past and triumphed over Pittsburgh in the Steel City earlier this year. That, however, was in the midst of a rough patch for the team in Yellow and Black. Can the surging Steelers get revenge when it matters most and can they do it in enemy territory?
Don't miss the AFC Championship Game from Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, MA at 6:40 p.m. ET on Sunday, January 22, 2017. Catch every moment of the game live on CBS.
NFL Playoff Odds at BookMaker.eu
Steelers +6
Patriots -6
Over/Under 50.5
Odds Analysis
There’s no surprise New England is favored at home. This team is a dynasty and they’ve now won eight straight games and covered the spread in six in a row as they continue to dominate.
Of course, Pittsburgh now has nine straight wins both SU and ATS after snapping in Week 10.
The Patriots get the upper hand thanks to the duo of Bill Belichick and Tom Brady though the running game has been very good, too. LeGarrette Blount gets to take on the load on the ground against his former team. He helped the team tally 34-points against a good Houston defense.
New England has shown the ability to put points on the board even when the offense is halted thanks to special teams, defensive prowess and a very versatile offense. The Steelers, on the other hand, beat the Chiefs in Kansas City and they were able to move the ball pretty effectively, but couldn’t manage to reach the end zone.
Team and Coaching Playoff History
This will make the sixth straight season that the Patriots have at least made it to the AFC Championship Game and the eighth straight postseason appearance for the team from New England.
The Bill Belichick-Tom Brady era in New England has spanned 16 seasons and has featured 11 title games—three of those were against the Steelers, all ending in New England victory, though just two were with Ben Roethlisberger under center and only one with Mike Tomlin on the sideline. During the era, the Patriots have ended up winning four Super Bowls and making it to two others.
The Patriots’ recent run of success is well documented and their consistency is unparalleled.
That said, the Steelers are no strangers to postseason play. They’ve tallied six Super Bowl titles in franchise history and have won two conference titles since Tomlin took over the helm in the 2007 season, winning one.
Recent Games of Note
Week 7 of the 2016 season pinned the Steelers and Patriots against each other and New England waltzed away with a rather easy 27-16 win at Heinz Field.
Of course, Brady had a good game throwing for 222 yards and a pair of touchdowns while Blount did well against his former team, scoring a pair of touchdowns himself while rushing for 127 yards on 24 carries.
While this is helpful in evaluating this postseason matchup there was one big advantage that New England had that they’re missing in the Championship bout: a healthy Rob Gronkowksi. The Patriots’ tight end is out for the year, but he led the team in receiving yards with 93 in Week 7 while also scoring a touchdown, though it was Julian Edelman that was Brady’s favorite target with 10 targets and nine receptions. He is healthy and figures to be a huge part of the New England offensive game plan on Sunday.
While the Patriots are weaker than they were in Week 7 based on Gronk’s injury, the Steelers are a better team.
They played that game without Roethlisberger under center. Instead, Landry Jones was under center.
In the game, Landry leaned heavily on Le’Veon Bell who had a lackluster performance running the ball, but got his yards in the short passing game with 10 receptions. In the end, both he and Antonio Brown played big roles, but with Roethlisberger under center, both could be better utilized on Sunday.
That said, Roethlisberger and the Killer-Bs were handled against KC. The Chiefs did allow Bell to rush for 170 yards and Brown did catch six balls for 108 yards, but neither could find the end zone. It was the first time the Steelers scored fewer than 24 dating back to Week 9’s loss against Baltimore.
BookMaker offers play-by-play betting odds for live sporting events every day! The user-friendly wagering interface on your smartphone provides an easy way to place bets on the go. Mobile betting lines are updated by the minute, so click here to start gambling on thrilling live action at BookMaker Sportsbook!
