Five teams are knotted up at 6-5 in the AFC heading into Week 13. The Indianapolis Colts are still in a good spot to win the AFC South this year, and they've won three games in a row to continue to fend off an equally hot Houston team. That said, there's a real opportunity to take a big jump towards having a shot at a Wild Card slot as well if they can beat the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday Night Football.
There will be NFL odds at BookMaker.eu as soon as the health of Ben Roethlisberger is determined in this game.
ODDS ANALYSIS
Big Ben says that he's out of concussion protocol. The Steelers beg to differ with him. That said, it's only Tuesday night, and we'd like to think if Roethlisberger is back at practice on Thursday, he should be alright for a Sunday night game.
There's just too much risk for the oddsmakers to hang a line on this one, though. The difference between Roethlisberger and Landry Jones starting is probably at least four or five points. The projected opening number of this game was Pittsburgh -7, though obviously that could change in a hurry.
WHEN THE INDIANAPOLIS COLTS HAVE THE BALL
Matt Hasselbeck hasn't had the prettiest stats in the world since taking over for an injured Andrew Luck, but the bottom line is that he's 4-0.
There's a huge concern about this team becoming one-dimensional, though. Indianapolis hasn't gotten away from the run at all, but the effectiveness of it is certainly questionable at best. Over the course of these three games against the Broncos, Falcons and Buccaneers, the Colts have averaged 31 carries per game but just 73.7 yards, nowhere near even three yards per carry.
That's something live bettors really need to follow. When the Steelers know the pass is coming, they pin their ears back. Their secondary isn't great, and that's why you see things like Russell Wilson throwing five touchdown passes against them, but Hasselbeck can't move around like Wilson can. If Frank Gore can't get at least something going to keep the men in black and gold honest, it could be a long day for the Indy offense.
WHEN THE PITTSBURGH STEELERS HAVE THE BALL
Roethlisberger proved a lot to us last week, even in defeat against Seattle. It was the first time this year that he really effectively used someone else in the passing game aside from Antonio Brown, as Markus Wheaton absolutely went off with the coverage shaded the way of No. 84 time and time again.
What we don't like though, is that the Steelers sort of got away from what made them the Steelers for all those years. They aren't even really trying to get the ball in the hands of DeAngelo Williams. He only ran the ball eight times for 29 yards on a day where Roethlisberger threw the ball 55 times.
Balance is going to be the key in live betting in this game. Sure, the Steelers can score points through the air, even if it's Jones under center instead of Roethlisberger. However, it'll help out Pittsburgh as a whole if it doesn't have to play defense for seemingly the entire second half as was the case last week against the Seahawks. Slowing things down and eating some clock with the ground game could go a long way towards keeping these pass rushers fresh against what has the potential to be a really poor offense.
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Mobile betting lines are updated by the minute, so click here to start gambling on thrilling live action at BookMaker Sportsbook! The Week 13 matchup between the Indianapolis Colts and Pittsburgh Steelers will take place Sunday, December 6, 2015, at 1:00 p.m. ET at Heinz Field. The game will be televised on NBC.
