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A last-second loss to the New England Patriots last time out dropped the Pittsburgh Steelers to the No. 2 seed in the AFC, but a strong finish will still earn them a first-round bye. That is important for their goal of reaching the Super Bowl and another victory in Week 16 over the Houston Texans is essential.
Pittsburgh must hit the road in this one and is missing a key weapon on offense, but should still be favored to take care of business against a struggling Houston squad. The Texans have had offensive issues ever since Deshaun Watson went down and will try to scrape together enough points to keep this one competitive.
This contest in Week 16 of the regular season will go down Monday, December 25, 2017, at 4:30 p.m. ET at NRG Stadium.
Opening NFL Odds at BookMaker.eu
Pittsburgh Steelers -9
Houston Texans +9
Over/Under 44
Odds Analysis
The Steelers are almost double-digit favorites on the road, which gives bettors an idea of how lopsided the oddsmakers believe the talent differential is in this game. The majority of the= action has been on Pittsburgh, as more than 60 percent of the money is backing the Steelers.
The scoring total is middle of the road for an NFL game. The “over” is the more popular choice, with about 62 percent of the action expecting more points than projected.
The Texans are +334 underdogs to pull off the upset on the moneyline. The Steelers are the -425 favorites to win this game straight up.
Injury Report
Antonio Brown — The Steelers’ star receiver suffered a lower-leg contusion against the Patriots and is not going to play in this game. That is a significant loss for Pittsburgh as Brown has 101 catches for 1,533 yards and nine touchdowns on the season. He is even getting some Most Valuable Player chatter, which is a rarity for a wide receiver. Brown should be back for the playoffs but the Steelers may miss him in this one.
Tom Savage — The Houston backup quarterback suffered a concussion two weeks ago and the team believes his season is over. Savage was already in the lineup because starter Deshaun Watson tore his ACL early and was lost for the season.
Joe Haden — The Pittsburgh cornerback has been out for several weeks with an upper leg injury but is supposed to be back for this game. That’s important as the Texans boast one of the elite players in the NFL in DeAndre Hopkins.
Braxton Miller — The Texans’ second-year wideout suffered a concussion a couple weeks ago but is hoping to play in this one. Hopkins is a great weapon but the rest of the Houston receiving corps has been banged up. The Texans would like to have Miller to give quarterback T.J. Yates as many options as possible.
Player To Watch
Yates — The Texans are now on their third quarterback, which is not a good situation against an elite foe. Yates was 12-of-31 for 128 yards with a touchdown and an interception last time out in an embarrassing 45-7 loss to the Jaguars.
Pittsburgh’s defense isn’t quite as good as Jacksonville’s but it is no slouch. Yates will need to be much better to give his team a chance at remaining close in this matchup. The Texans found a star in Watson and were scoring a bunch of points early in the year but the offense has devolved with Savage and not Yates at the helm.
Free ATS Pick
This is a big spread for a road team to be favored by, but it makes sense. The Steelers may not have Brown but Ben Roethlisberger, Le’Veon Bell and JuJu Smith-Schuster will give the offense plenty of life.
Take the Steelers to both win this game and cover the spread against the hapless Texans.
NFL Odds: Steelers 27, Texans 17
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