New York Jets at Pittsburgh Steelers, Heinz Field, Pittsburgh, PA
Sunday, December 19, 2010, 4:15 pm EST, TV: CBS
Opening Line: Steelers -5.5
Current Line: Steelers -5.5
Opening Total: 36
Current Total: 35.5
Money Line: Steelers -240 / Jets +200
The New York Jets (9-4) will look to break a two-game skid and win somewhere they never have before when the visit the Pittsburgh Steelers (10-3) in a key AFC matchup on Sunday. The Jets have never won a game in Pittsburgh and hope former Steelers wide receiver Santonio Holmes will be a difference maker in his return to Heinz Field for the first time since he was traded.
The Steelers (-5.5) dealt Holmes to New York for a fifth-round draft pick after he was handed a four-game suspension for violating the NFL’s substance-abuse policy. He was the MVP of Super Bowl XLIII but fell out of favor with the team, replaced by second-year wide receiver Mike Wallace. Ironically, Pittsburgh quarterback Ben Roethlisberger also missed the first four games of the season for violating the league’s personal conduct policy.
Roethlisberger and Wallace have both struggled lately, failing to connect on a touchdown in the last three games. The Steelers offense overall has scored only one offensive touchdown in the last two games combined. In last week’s 23-7 home win over Cincinnati, Pittsburgh took advantage of three Carson Palmer interceptions, returning two of them for scores.
The Jets have also been anemic offensively, failing to score a touchdown in losing consecutive games for the first time this season. They have been outscored 55-9 in losses to AFC East opponents Miami and New England the last two weeks and will need quarterback Mark Sanchez to play better in cold-weather conditions if they are going to turn things around.
Sanchez has averaged 182 passing yards in the last three games with one touchdown pass and five interceptions during that stretch. Those numbers are obviously not promising as New York tries to win for the first time in eight all-time meetings at Pittsburgh. The Steelers will likely force Sanchez to throw because they own the top-ranked run defense, holding opponents to 60.1 yards per game on the ground. They have been even better during the team’s four-game winning streak, limiting the opposition to only 53 rushing yards per game.
However, Pittsburgh might be without All-Pro safety Troy Polamalu due to a strained Achilles’ tendon. Polamalu has made a serious case to be named Defensive Player of the Year this year and came up with huge plays the last two weeks, forcing a fumble that led to the game-winning score against Baltimore and returning one of two interceptions for a touchdown against Cincinnati.
The Steelers are 3-1 against the spread during their four-game winning streak with the UNDER going 4-0. The UNDER is also 8-1 in their last nine meetings with the Jets, who are 3-1 ATS in the last four games between the teams.
Now that you have read this football betting preview featuring the Steelers & Jets, check out the NFL odds on this and all the games to compare the best lines at multiple sportsbooks.
