The Pittsburgh Steelers will travel to take on the Carolina Panthers in a Sunday afternoon NFL matchup at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte. With that said, it’s a good time to check out our NFL odds series, which includes a Steelers-Panthers prediction and pick, laid out below.
Pittsburgh snapped their two-game winning streak with a loss last week to fall to 5-8, third place in the AFC North. Head coach Mike Tomlin is in danger of his first season under .500, a crazy stat considering he has coached the Steelers for 16 seasons. Injury concerns at quarterback muddy the waters entering this one.
Carolina has gone 5-8 this season, second place in a really bad NFC South. Interim coach Steve Wilks is 4-4 after taking over for fired head coach Matt Rhule, who has landed at Nebraska in the meantime. A softer end to the season leaves the door open for the playoffs, which would be insane to say in September.
Here are the Steelers-Panthers NFL odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
NFL Odds: Steelers-Panthers Odds
Pittsburgh Steelers: +3 (-118)
Carolina Panthers: -3 (-104)
Over: 37.5 (-112)
Under: 37.5 (-108)
Why The Steelers Could Cover The Spread
Kenny Pickett has been limited in practice this week, once again dealing with a concussion issue. Pickett had to leave last week's game with a head injury, being replaced with Mitch Trubisky. If not Pickett, it is likely that Trubisky will start, although Diontae Johnson is calling for Mason Rudolph. Pickett and Trubisky have been the only quarterbacks this season, combining to throw for nine touchdowns and 13 interceptions. Carolina's defense has been better under Wilks. Najee Harris has been a full participant at practice despite a hip issue, leading the team with 704 rushing yards and five touchdowns. Pittsburgh has rushed for 1,469 yards and 11 touchdowns this season. Carolina has allowed 1,674 rushing yards to opponents.
Johnson leads the team with 647 receiving yards but has not crossed the end zone yet. Rookie George Pickens is tied for the team lead with two touchdown catches. Pittsburgh has averaged 17.5 points per game, which is 27th in the league.
Pittsburgh's defense has been solid, ranking 14th by allowing 22.5 points per game to opponents. Alex Highsmith leads the team with 10 sacks, while Pittsburgh has totaled 25. Carolina has allowed 28 sacks. Sam Darnold has yet to turn the ball over in his two starts.
Why The Panthers Could Cover The Spread
As mentioned above, Sam Darnold is back as the starting quarterback and has thrown for two touchdowns without an interception in his two games. Darnold has also rushed for a touchdown this season. D'Onta Foreman leads the team with 637 rushing yards and four touchdowns. Chuba Hubbard has added two rushing touchdowns. Carolina has rushed for 1,624 yards and 13 touchdowns as a team. Pittsburgh has allowed 1,505 rushing yards to their opponents. DJ Moore leads the team with 605 receiving yards and four touchdowns. Tommy Tremble is the only other Panther with multiple touchdown catches. Carolina has averaged 20.0 points per game, which is 24th in the league.
Carolina has allowed 22.3 points per game, which is 13th in the league. Whoever Pittsburgh starts, Carolina needs to take advantage of their propensity for turnovers. The Panthers have intercepted 10 passes, led by three from Jaycee Horn.
Final Steelers-Panthers Prediction & Pick
Uh, yeah, I hope you have a reason not to watch this one. This will be neither high scoring nor entertaining. Both defenses are solid enough to keep this total under.
Final Steelers-Panthers Prediction & Pick: Pittsburgh +3 (-118), under 37.5 (-108)
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