Top offshore sportsbooks list the Chiefs as double-digit home faves against the Steelers in playoff rematch. The Kansas City Chiefs (12-5 SU, 8-9 ATS) host the Pittsburgh Steelers (9-7-1, 8-9) on Sunday in the third AFC wild-card game as double-digit home favorites at the best online sportsbooks. The line is almost identical to their Week 16 encounter, where the two-time defending AFC champs won 36-10 as 10-point home chalk.
The spread and total have both decreased slightly from the opening numbers at top offshore sportsbooks. The latter saw a bigger drop to 46.5 in early betting. This is the postseason, so that bettors can expect defenses to play a bigger role. Especially as far as Pittsburgh is concerned. This might be Ben Roethlisberger’s last game ever, but he will rely heavily on his defensive teammates to prolong his storied career.
Steelers vs. Chiefs NFL Wild Card Playoffs Odds by MyBookie.ag
Team | SP/RL | TOTAL | ML | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Steelers | +12½ ( -110 ) | 46 ( -110 ) | +525 | |
Chiefs | -12½ ( -110 ) | 46 ( -110 ) | -750 | |
Betting Pittsburgh Steelers
The Steelers are a different team with sacks artiste T.J. Watt on the gridiron. They proved that again last Sunday in a 16-13 OT win against the Baltimore Ravens. Watt tied Michael Strahan’s NFL single-season sacks record.
He brought his total to 22.5. Also he made it five in the last two games. He will be the most important player on the field other than Patrick Mahomes. The KC QB was barely pressured in the previous game with Pitt.
Pittsburgh has held opponents under 20 points in each of its past four wins. The team went a perfect 4-0 ATS in those games. The UNDER cashed each time. That will be the goal if they are hoping for an upset.
Playing solid defense will be crucial to staying competitive in this one. Roethlisberger has to avoid turning the ball over against a motivated opposing defense. If this game is low-scoring, the Yellow and black Attack will at least have a good chance to cover the spread at the top offshore sportsbooks.
Betting Kansas City Chiefs
The Chiefs wanted the top seed in the conference and additional rest with the bye week. Instead they get to play a Steelers team they owned in the most recent encounter. Perhaps that will help them find their way defensively. They surrendered 58 points and failed to cover their last two games.
Kansas City came from behind to beat the Denver Broncos 28-24 last Saturday. They fell short of covering as an 11.5-point road fave. The Chiefs were in position to win the No. 1 seed with a Tennessee Titans loss on Sunday. Alas, that did not happen.
Now they will aim to bounce back and see if they can win what could be a low-scoring game that could end a 5-0 OVER run in their last five.
In spite of some recent issues, this Kansas City team has nonetheless won nine of 10 and covered six of eight. The AFC West champions have advanced to the Super Bowl the last two years too. They have that experience from which to draw. Having said that, a quick start and an early lead will be critical.
Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Kansas City Chiefs Playoffs Pick
Let’s take a chance on Pittsburgh here. The last time these teams played it was all KC. The Chiefs went finished the first half with a 23-0 lead and ended up winning 36-10. Pittsburgh had three turnovers and averaged 4.3 yards per play as opposed to KC’s 5.7 yards.
However, the Steelers have remained competitive in their last six outings. Pittsburgh may not have a realistic chance of winning, but they can certainly cover this generous line.