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The Pittsburgh Steelers and Tennessee Titans are two of the five teams in the AFC bunched within one game of each other for the best record in the conference. Pittsburgh is tied with the New England Patriots for the best record at 7-2 and will aim to keep pace with a win over the Titans in Week 11.
Tennessee, which 6-3 on the year, must hit the road for this matchup. The Titans have a negative point-differential on the season despite a solid record, so the oddsmakers are not believing in their ability to come away with the upset in this matchup.
This is a critical game for both teams as they edge toward the playoffs but there is a clear favorite as the showdown edges closer.
Watch this regular season Week 11 matchup live on Thursday, November 16, 2017, at 8:25 p.m. ET at Heinz Field.
Opening NFL Odds at BookMaker.eu
Tennessee Titans +7
Pittsburgh Steelers -7
Over/Under 44
Odds Analysis
The oddsmakers don’t see much chance of an upset in this one. Pittsburgh is a touchdown favorite even though these teams are separated by only one game in the standings. So far, a vast majority of the money is on Tennessee to cover.
The scoring total is low as both defenses are solid and each side is happy to run the ball. The “over” is the more popular choice, as more than 76 percent of the early action believes there will be more points than the oddsmakers have set.
Injury Report
Marcus Mariota -- The Titans’ quarterback injured his left, non-throwing shoulder on Sunday in a win over the Bengals, but never left the game. While Mariota seems to be OK, it is something to keep an eye on. Sometimes injuries are fine on the day of the contest and then can stiffen up. That is a particular concern since this is a short week. If Mariota can’t play, it will have a dramatic impact on the outcome.
Delanie Walker -- The Titans’ tight end is dealing with an ankle injury but played against Cincinnati and hauled in six passes for 63 yards. He is one of Mariota’s most trusted targets and should be good to go for this matchup.
Joe Haden -- The Steelers’ starting cornerback broke his fibula against the Colts and will be out for a significant amount of time. It is a big blow as Pittsburgh’s pass defense has been really impressive all season long. Tennessee will aim to take advantage.
Mike Mitchell -- The Pittsburgh safety hurt his ankle against Indianapolis and had to be carted off the field, which usually isn’t a good sign. He is another key part of the secondary, so the Steelers may be short-handed back there without the two veterans.
Player To Watch
Ben Roethlisberger -- The Steelers quarterback used to be a star but his numbers this year have been disappointing. Roethlisberger has thrown for 2,062 yards with 10 touchdowns and nine interceptions in nine games on the season.
He was 19-of-31 for 236 yards with two touchdowns and an interception against the Colts last time out, which are decent numbers but not especially gaudy. Roethlisberger has some elite weapons around him in star running back Le’Veon Bell and star receive Antonio Brown. JuJu Smith-Schuster has burst onto the scene to add another big-time player to the fold, while Martavis Bryant is also a threat.
Roethlisberger has all the tools he needs but has not been great this year.
Free ATS Pick
Pittsburgh’s defense has led the way this year but has shown some cracks of late. The Titans might not be a team as good as their record would indicate, but neither are the Steelers. In what should be a low-scoring slugfest, this point spread is much too high.
Take the Steelers to win a close one, but Tennessee is the easy call against the spread.
NFL Odds: Steelers 23, Titans 20
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