LA Chargers (8-3) at Pittsburgh (7-3-1)
When: Sunday, December 2nd 2018
Where: Heinz Field,
Pittsburgh, PA
Time: 8:20 ET | TV: NBC
Opening Odds: Pittsburgh -4/52.5
Its a good thing the NFL put in a rule to allow them to make changes to the NBC Sunday Night Football schedule or we would be seeing the lowly San Francisco 49ers taking on the Seattle Seahawks tonight. Instead, we will get a key AFC matchup between the Los Angeles Chargers and Pittsburgh Steelers featuring two of the 2004 NFL Draft quarterback class. Philip Rivers has been one of the best regular season QBs in NFL history, but has yet to taste a Super Bowl appearance while Pittsburgh’s Ben Roethlisberger has won the big game twice. The Chargers are only one game behind Kansas City for the best record in the AFC, and the Chiefs just lost their running back Kareem Hunt for the rest of the season due to a suspension that we won’t get into in this article. L.A. had little trouble last week in thumping the visiting Arizona Cardinals but likely have lost star running back Melvin Gordon for at least a little while as he left the game with a knee injury. The good news is that it’s not thought to be an ACL tear. Gordon had rushed for two scores before going down and has 13 total touchdowns on the season. Rivers was in total control versus Arizona, completing his first 25 passes, which tied the NFL record overall and were the most ever to start a game. Rivers’ 96.8 percent overall accuracy (28-for-29) also was a record. The Steelers answered a lucky Week 11 win in Jacksonville with a loss in Denver last week to snap their six-game winning streak. Roethlisberger’s 2-yard pass into the Denver end zone was picked off by Broncos nose tackle Shelby Harris with 1:30 left to seal the 24-17 final. Big Ben threw for 462 yards but was picked off twice and the Steelers turned it over four times. Pittsburgh has covered eight of the past 11 in this series and lead 23-9 overall.
Rivers has thrown at least two touchdown passes in all 11 games this season while passing for 3,119 yards and 26 scores against just six interceptions. Backup running back Austin Ekeler (409 yards, 5.8 average) will get the call in place of Gordon and hopes to have a better performance than his previous start this season when he ran for just 42 yards on 12 carries against Tennessee. Standout defensive end Joey Bosa recorded two sacks last week against the Cardinals, proving he is fully recovered from the foot injury that caused him to miss the first nine games. The Chargers are just 1-14 in the regular season in Pittsburgh but also won there in the 1994 AFC Championship Game to reach their lone Super Bowl.
Roethlisberger’s season-best 462 yards last week against Denver gives him 3,664 yards for the season to go along with 24 touchdowns against 12 interceptions. Superstar wide receiver Antonio Brown (71 receptions, 874 yards) is tied for the NFL lead with 11 touchdown catches but currently trails teammate JuJu Smith-Schuster (77 for 1,055) for the Pittsburgh lead in receptions and yardage. Smith-Schuster had a 97-yard TD catch last week which is the longest play from scrimmage in the league this year, while Brown’s streak of eight straight games with a TD catch ended. Linebacker T.J. Watt (10 sacks) has recorded three sacks in two different games this season to lead a Pittsburgh unit that has improved vastly since the beginning of the season.
Big Ben doesn’t lose back-to-back games very often and has been in a zone all season with Brown and Smith-Schuster. Rivers won’t have the same kind of success against the Steelers defense as he had versus Arizona last week. Pittsburgh will force Rivers to make some mistakes here on the road and the Chargers defense won’t be able to slow down Roethlisberger.
Pick: Steelers -3
Betting Trends:
- Chargers are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 road games.
- Chargers are 5-2 ATS in their last 7 games overall.
- Chargers are 3-7 ATS in their last 10 games after allowing less than 15 points in their previous game.
- Chargers are 8-20-1 ATS in their last 29 games after scoring more than 30 points in their previous game.
- Chargers are 4-10 ATS in their last 14 games after accumulating more than 350 total yards in their previous game.
- Chargers are 2-6 ATS in their last 8 games following a ATS win.
- Chargers are 2-7 ATS in their last 9 games in December.
- Chargers are 1-4 ATS in their last 5 games following a straight up win of more than 14 points.
- Chargers are 1-5 ATS in their last 6 games in Week 13.
- Chargers are 1-5 ATS in their last 6 games after allowing less than 150 yards passing in their previous game.
- Chargers are 1-6 ATS in their last 7 games after allowing less than 250 total yards in their previous game.
- Steelers are 6-0 ATS in their last 6 games following a straight up loss.
- Steelers are 5-1-1 ATS in their last 7 games overall.
- Steelers are 4-1-1 ATS in their last 6 games after accumulating more than 250 yards passing in their previous game.
- Steelers are 9-3 ATS in their last 12 games in Week 13.
- Steelers are 3-1-1 ATS in their last 5 vs. AFC.
- Steelers are 3-1-1 ATS in their last 5 games on grass.
- Steelers are 3-7 ATS in their last 10 home games.
- Steelers are 2-5 ATS in their last 7 games after accumulating less than 90 yards rushing in their previous game.
- Steelers are 1-4 ATS in their last 5 games after accumulating more than 350 total yards in their previous game.
- Steelers are 1-4 ATS in their last 5 home games vs. a team with a winning road record.
- Steelers are 1-5 ATS in their last 6 games in December.
- Under is 4-0 in Chargers last 4 games after accumulating more than 150 yards rushing in their previous game.
- Under is 4-1 in Chargers last 5 games overall.
- Under is 4-1 in Chargers last 5 vs. AFC.
- Under is 4-1-1 in Chargers last 6 games in Week 13.
- Under is 7-2-1 in Chargers last 10 games after allowing less than 15 points in their previous game.
- Under is 7-2 in Chargers last 9 games following a straight up win of more than 14 points.
- Under is 21-6-1 in Chargers last 28 games in December.
- Under is 10-3-1 in Chargers last 14 games after accumulating more than 350 total yards in their previous game.
- Under is 6-2 in Chargers last 8 games after allowing less than 90 yards rushing in their previous game.
- Under is 8-3 in Chargers last 11 road games.
- Over is 10-4 in Chargers last 14 games after allowing less than 150 yards passing in their previous game.
- Under is 20-8 in Chargers last 28 games after scoring more than 30 points in their previous game.
- Under is 5-2 in Chargers last 7 vs. a team with a winning record.
- Under is 9-4-1 in Chargers last 14 games following a ATS win.
- Under is 35-16-1 in Chargers last 52 games following a straight up win.
- Over is 4-0 in Steelers last 4 games following a ATS loss.
- Over is 6-1 in Steelers last 7 home games.
- Over is 5-1 in Steelers last 6 games after accumulating more than 350 total yards in their previous game.
- Under is 5-1 in Steelers last 6 vs. AFC.
- Over is 5-1 in Steelers last 6 games in Week 13.
- Over is 12-4 in Steelers last 16 games on grass.
- Over is 4-1 in the last 5 meetings in Pittsburgh.
- Chargers are 2-5 ATS in their last 7 meetings in Pittsburgh.
- Chargers are 3-8 ATS in their last 11 meetings.
