NFL Week 15 Titans at Steelers Betting Preview
Pittsburgh In a Must Win at Home
Pittsburgh is bringing up the rear in the AFC North, but still just one game back in the loss column from Baltimore in that jumbled division. That makes the week 15 Titans at Steelers betting matchup very crucial for Mike Tomlin’s team and one of the reasons they are a -1 point favorite on Sunday at Heinz Field.
Make no mistake Tennessee needs the victory in this matchup as well for a couple of different reasons. The Colts put the pressure on the Titans in the AFC South with a win over the Patriots on Saturday night, but Tennessee (9-4) wants the victory to keep up with the 10-4 Chiefs (who won Thursday night) for the top spot in the AFC, which would get a first round bye and home field advantage. Expect the best from both squads in this matchup.
Titans Still With Something to Prove
Tennessee built up some nice padding in the division with a six game win streak, the last three even coming after Derrick Henry was lost for the foreseeable future with a foot injury. Since then though, the Titans haven’t looked that great, with a 22-13 loss to Houston as -10.5 favorites and falling 36-13 in New England. Even last Sunday’s 20-0 win against Jacksonville wasn’t that impressive because Jacksonville is so bad.
Even with the Titans looking mediocre offensively the last couple weeks, there’s still optimism on that side of the ball in the week15 Titans at Steelers betting matchup. That’s because Pittsburgh has allowed 36+ points in three of their last four games. That being said, Tennessee also still only had 263 total yards against Jacksonville last week.
Even if the Titans struggle offensively, Tennessee’s defense has momentum after pitching the shutout last week against Jacksonville. Tennessee intercepted rookie QB Trevor Lawrence four times and held the Jaguars to 8 yards rushing, 192 yards total. Granted, the Steelers are a much bigger challenge.
All About the Defense for Pittsburgh
The Steelers are a sieve on defense lately, the main culprit behind losses to the Chargers (41-37), Bengals (41-10), and Minnesota (36-28) over the past month. The good news, if there is any, is that all three of those losses were on the road and Pittsburgh beat Baltimore 20-19 as +4 point underdogs in their last game at Heinz Field.
More good news for Pittsburgh is that Henry is out, because if he was in the lineup this game would be an absolute nightmare. In their last three losses the Steelers have allowed 159 rush yards to the Chargers, 198 on the ground to Cincinnati, and a whopping 242 yards rushing last time out vs. Minnesota.
The Steelers do have some extra rest after their previous game was last Thursday. Ben Roethlisberger also looked sharp going 28/40 for 308 yards and 3 TDs (1 INT). Roethlisberger has multiple TDs in four of the past five games, but the Steelers are still just 2-3 over that span.
Week 15 Titans at Steelers Betting Pick
Pittsburgh is 4-2 at home this season, but the Titans have also gone 4-2 away from Music City. The line has moved all the way from a Steelers +2.5 open, with 56% of the public liking Tennessee. Both teams have been underwhelming over the past month, but you have to think with a couple extra days to prepare Tomlin gets his defense to be at least functional.
Steelers 28 – Titans 24
Free Pick: Steelers -1
