Steelers vs. Broncos Pick: Key Insights from the NFL Las Vegas Betting Line for Week 2

Previous Betting News

The Pittsburgh Steelers had one of the better comebacks in franchise history last week in Jacksonville to win their sixth straight game. Could a bit of a letdown be coming against a Denver Broncos team that just upset a very good Chargers side? The Steelers aren’t NFL betting favorites by much.

How to Bet Steelers vs Broncos NFL Week 12 Odds & Game Info

When: Sunday, 4:25 PM ET
Where: Broncos Stadium at Mile High
TV: CBS
Radio: SiriusXM/NFL
Live Stream: NFL League Pass
NFL Week 12 Spread: Pittsburgh Steelers -3 (Total 47)

Last Meeting

The Broncos lead the all-time series 19-11-1 including playoffs.

The last meeting was in the divisional playoffs in Denver following the 2015 season. The Broncos won 23-16. Peyton Manning was still the Denver QB then and he led a late game-winning drive. With Denver down 13-12 with less than 10 minutes left, cornerback Bradley Roby punched the ball from Fitzgerald Toussaint’s arms and teammate DeMarcus Ware recovered at the Denver 35-yard line. Manning would then lead the TD drive to put his team up 20-13 with three minutes left. Ben Roethlisberger completed 24 of 37 passes for 339 yards despite playing with a sore right shoulder and missing his top receiver in Antonio Brown (concussion).

Why Bet on Pittsburgh?

The Steelers rallied from down 16-0 late in the third quarter last week to win 20-16 in Jacksonville. Pittsburgh failed to score in the first half for the first time in more than two years. Ben Roethlisberger overcame three interceptions leading touchdown drives on the Steelers’ last two possessions, and Pittsburgh escaped with its sixth straight victory. Roethlisberger completed 27-of-47 passes for 314 yards with two touchdowns. Things got off to a disastrous start as Roethlisberger had just 53 passing yards at the half with two interceptions.

Antonio Brown caught 5-of-13 targets for 117 yards and a touchdown. Brown was erased by Jalen Ramsey through nearly three quarters with just one catch, then his entire day changed on one play. On a play in which Roethlisberger extended the play in the pocket, Brown found a hole in zone coverage upfield and raced 78 yards to the end zone. It was the eighth consecutive game in which Brown has caught a touchdown pass, the longest streak since Wes Welker over the 2012-2013 seasons.

With a touchdown reception on Sunday, Brown would tie Hall of Famer Lance Alworth (nine consecutive games in 1963) and A.J. Green (nine consecutive games in 2012) for the third-longest streak of games with a touchdown catch within a single season in NFL history.

Pittsburgh could again be without starting defensive lineman Stephon Tuitt as he said strength in his elbow is still an issue. Tuitt missed Week 11 after suffering his elbow injury Week 10, and he’s still feeling some of the effects. Tuitt is Pro Football Focus’ No. 9 ranked interior defensive lineman against the run.

Why Bet on Denver?

The Broncos stunned the Chargers 23-22 in Los Angeles last week. Brandon McManus kicked a last-second 34-yard field goal to snap the Chargers’ six-game winning streak. Denver got the ball at its own 8 with 1:51 remaining, and Case Keenum orchestrated a seven-play, 76-yard drive. Keenum, who was 19 of 32 for 205 yards, completed five passes for 86 yards during the drive, including a 30-yarder to Courtland Sutton to the Denver 16. Keenum then spiked the ball and McManus’ kick split the uprights.

Phillip Lindsay had 79 yards and two touchdowns on 11 carries while nabbing four catches for 27 yards. The rookie flashed his signature speed with a 41-yard touchdown burst during the second quarter. Royce Freeman delivered 23 yards and a touchdown on seven carries.

Von Miller was named AFC Defensive Player of the Week for Week 11. Miller became the fifth-fastest player to reach 100 career sacks last week against the Chargers, taking down Philip Rivers once and also picking off a third-quarter pass to set up a Royce Freeman touchdown a couple plays later. Miller has 10 sacks on the year, joining Reggie White and DeMarcus Ware as the only three players to reach double-digits seven times in their first eight seasons.

Rookie Bradley Chubb finished with seven tackles, a sack, two tackles for losses and two quarterback hits. Chubb is threatening the rookie record for sacks — 14.5, set by Jevon Kearse in 1999 — as Chubb now has nine sacks in 10 games, including 7.5 in the past five games.

Denver has a two-point plan for containing Ben Roethlisberger, per coach Vance Joseph: Contain him in the pocket to minimize broken plays, and tackle his arms. “If you don’t tackle the arms, he’s getting the ball off,” Joseph said. “I’ve seen guys on his legs and he’s throwing the ball 50 yards in the air. The key is to have a great rush plan, and once we get there, to tackle his arms where he can’t throw the football.”

Latest Steelers vs Broncos NFL Week 12 Betting Trends

Expert Prediction

Buy this number up to 3.5 and take Denver.

Previous Betting News

The Pittsburgh Steelers stumble into Mile High stadium depleted and destroyed. We’ve recently learned that Antonio Brown isn’t going to play, Deangelo Williams is very doubtful, and Ben Roethlisberger is still feeling “iffy” with his shoulder injury. Against one of the top defenses in the league, this is the last thing you want to hear. Without Roethlisberger, we know the Steelers stand no chance. With him, their hopes are bleak. After this injury news has been released the money line has been shifting in favor of the Broncos all week long. Originally it started at around -250, and is now up to -340 after this turn of events. This game will air at 4:40 EST on CBS.

Why Bet on the Denver Broncos at -340:

The odds have rapidly changed on MyBookie.ag, and the odds for the Broncos are likely to only get heavier as they’ve shifted rapidly in their favor since being originally released. If you want a “safe” bet, and don’t want to go with the Cardinals against the Packers, this is your best choice. As far as money lines are concerned, sure, the payout for this bet is pretty low, but the odds of the Broncos actually losing is quite low as well. The bets are flooding in in favor of the Broncos, and if you want to hop on, be sure to bet as soon as possible because they’re trending strongly in the Broncos favor. By the end of the week I wouldn’t be surprised if these odds sat at -400.

The Broncos being a safe bet aside, you probably want some reason to pick them. As mentioned earlier, the Steelers are absolutely depleted. They have nothing left in the tank. They’ve already lost Le’Veon Bell for the season, their backup running back, Deangelo Williams is also suffering an injury and may not play on Sunday. Top that off by their star WR Antonio Brown suffering a concussion (now determined as OUT) for Sunday’s game, and they look like they’re going to be as bad as they’ve been all season long. Peyton Manning is also back, and has a few weeks of rest under his belt as he hopes to find gaping holes in the Steeler’s secondary like many teams have done already this year.

Why Bet on the Pittsburgh Steelers at +280:

If you’re going to bet on the Steelers, you’ll need some faith and a bit of luck. The one weak point the Broncos have had has been their offense. There’s a reason Peyton Manning was taken out of the offense for a few weeks. They have looked terrible, and if their defense doesn’t show up, the Steelers may have a shot here. Even with Brown out, they still have a great wideout in Martavious Bryant who’s capable of posting a huge game against Talib. If you want one more reason to pick the Steelers, it’s going to be a fairly cold game at Mile High Stadium on Sunday, and we all know how well Peyton Manning does in the cold..

Expert Pick and Final Score Projection:

I can’t see the Broncos losing this one. There’s simply too much going against the Steelers. A fully healthy Broncos team (for the most part), should have no trouble decimating the lowly Steelers.

Final Score Projection:

Broncos 24 Steelers 10

Previous Betting News

The last time the Pittsburgh Steelers made the trip to Denver for a playoff game, they left with broken hearts after a devastating loss that saw Tim Tebow toss a TD bomb for the win in OT. The Steelers will be looking to right that wrong at Sports Authority Field at Mile High on Sunday, January 17. The Kick-off for this one is set for 4:40 PM EST on CBS. Denver is a 7-point home favorite this weekend, according to the latest NFL odds posted by MyBookie.ag online sportsbook.

How to bet on the Broncos vs. Steelers

The odds for this one have the Broncos as seven point home favorite, and they will remain that way until we get a better idea of how Pittsburgh will deal with the long list of injuries affecting its players. So make regular stops here at MyBookie for all the latest odds and lines on this game, as well as all the other Divisional Games.

Why bet on the Denver Broncos

If the old adage about defenses winning championships is to be believed, then you have to take a serious look at the Denver Broncos. A team led by Peyton Manning is one that you would expect to be all about the offense, but it is the defense that has shone this season. They have bailed out Manning and backup QB Brock Osweiler on more than one occasion, as both men have struggled to get the offense going on a regular basis. Mile High has always been a tough place to go and get a win, and that trend has held true this season, with the Broncos going 6-2 on home field. It is impossible not to like their chances versus a Steelers team whose potent offense is going to be crippled by a number of key losses.

Why bet on the Pittsburgh Steelers

The injury list of the Pittsburgh Steelers reads like an All-Star line-up, with the likes of Ben Roethlisberger, Antonio Brown, and LeVeon Bell all likely to miss the game this coming weekend. Big Ben is the only one of that group who might have a legitimate shot at playing, but with a messed up throwing shoulder, how effective can he be? It’s a good question, but one that Ben will be determined to answer in a positive fashion. There is no tougher QB in this league, and he has played through pain all season long.

The Steelers have an amazing receiving corp, and with his throwing possibly limited, you can bet Heath Miller will see a lot of action, which is not a negative at all. The defense has been much maligned at times, but has stepped up in a huge way when called upon. They were incredible in the Wild Card game in Cincinnati, with Ryan Shazier seemingly in on every tackle. A similar performance against the Broncos could give the Steelers a shot.

Expert Pick and Final Score Prediction

If the Steelers were at full strength, I think they would be marching on to the AFC Conference Final. The injuries they have are just too big to overcome, and you have to like Denver to take advantage of that on home field.

Pittsburgh Steelers 13 Denver Broncos 21