The Thursday Night Football game between the New England Patriots and Pittsburgh Steelers doesn’t have the makings of a spectacle, unless you love great defensive football and bad offenses,
Oddsmakers might never see more under bets than they’ll see when two of the lowest-scoring offenses in the NFL go head-to-head on Thursday.
The Patriots are as bad as advertised regardless of who is under center at quarterback, and the Steelers are coming off their most embarrassing loss of the season.
Will this be the game where the sinking finally happens for coach Mike Tomlin and his Steelers team? This week, we’re taking a look at our four favorite bets heading into this primetime matchup.
All odds are courtesy of BetMGM.
Ezekiel Elliott rushes for over 61.5 yards (-110)
Don’t sleep on Ezekiel Elliott in this matchup. The veteran running back has looked strong when given an opportunity behind the Patriots’ banged-up offensive line.
There’s been no question that Rhamondre Stevenson was the lead back given the snap distribution, but there have been times when Elliott has looked more efficient, especially earlier in the season.
This is a favorable matchup for the former two-time NFL leading rusher against a Steelers defense that hasn’t done as well when opponents run the ball at them. They are ranked in the bottom-half of the league in stopping the run, and they’re coming off a game where they gave up 150 rushing yards and two touchdowns to the Cardinals.
Under 29.5 points (+100)
Who likes easy money?
It doesn’t get any easier than taking the under for two of the NFL’s worst scoring offenses. The Patriots are currently ranked dead last in the league in points with an average of 12.3 points per game, while the Steelers are 28th with 16.0 points on average.
There’s no need in worrying about the Patriots spoiling this bet with their pitiful offense. They won’t have their top running back, Rhamondre Stevenson, and best receiver, Demario Douglas, in this game, and they’re only averaging 4.3 points in their last three outings.
Meanwhile, the Steelers will have to contend with a tough Patriots defense that hasn’t allowed more than 10 points in their last three straight games.
DeVante Parker over 38.5 receiving yards
There is a connection brewing between Bailey Zappe and DeVante Parker whenever the two are on the field together. The backup quarterback’s ability to get the most out of the struggling receiver was one of the biggest takeaways from the game against the Chargers.
For better or worse, Zappe will let the ball rip in an effort to get Parker involved in this game. The two linked up for an average of 16 yards per reception against the Chargers. So two or three receptions could put them over the 38.5 receiving yards needed for this bet to hit.
Once the run game gets going, look for Zappe to hit Parker on a few play-action throws downfield.
No touchdowns (+1000)
The goal here is to take some risks and potentially win money on a good wager. If not, then what’s the point in betting?
These are two of the worst offensive teams in football, and they will both be led by backup quarterbacks in this matchup. Patriots quarterback Bailey Zappe had the worst QBR in the league in Week 13 against a bad Los Angeles Chargers defense, while Mitchell Trubisky is a turnover-machine waiting to happen for the Steelers.
Throw in the fact that this game is on a short week and it’s clear why you should consider taking this bet. It has all of the makings of a field goal-kicking snooze-fest.
