Both teams were supposed to play on Thanksgiving Day then have an equal amount of rest for this matchup. Instead the Washington Football Team easily defeated Dallas while the Pittsburgh Steelers had their game with Baltimore delayed three times before ultimately playing on Wednesday. Now the Steelers have just four days of prep before having to face Washington on a Monday afternoon. Pittsburgh should win as it is the better team, but it won’t be easy. Football Team vs. Steelers Betting Odds Washington has looked like a completely new team with Alex Smith at the helm even if the offense hasn’t scored more under Smith. The Football Team has won consecutive games heading into this matchup, but is heavily reliant on Antonio Gibson on the ground for yards. Washington has won three of their last five games, Washington has rushed for at least 160 yards in all three wins and just 126 combined yards in the two losses. Smith has thrown for just 166 and 149 yards, respectively, the last two weeks compared to 325 and 390 the previous two weeks – both losses. Gibson will find it diffiuclt to run against this Pittsburgh defense, but it’s the best chance Washington has at defeating the Steelers. The Football Team is also buoyed by a surprisingly strong defense that seventh in points allowed and fourth in yards allowed this season. However, four of the six teams that have put up 300 yards of offense and four of the five to score 30 points against Washington are the four teams it has played with winning records. Pittsburgh’s biggest weakness on offense has been the lack of a running game, and it has put a lot of pressure on Ben Roethlisberger and the passing game. It hasn’t hurt the Steelers so far, but they will need to be more balanced or the offense will continue to have issues. Roethlisberger has picked on teams with weak secondaries, but good passing defenses have caused some issues for the Steelers offense. Washington actually ranks second in passing defense, so it could present some issues for Pittsburgh. The saving grace has been a dominant defense that hasn’t allowed more than 220 yards of total offense in consecutive weeks. The Steelers also added to their league-leading takeaway total with two against Baltimore, including a vital pick-six for the first points of the game after Roethlisberger threw an interception on fourth and goal from the one. I was honestly surprised to see the over/under on this game set at 42 by the NFL betting sites in New Jersey. Not only have both defenses played well this season, both offenses have taken their share of lumps, too. The Steelers have scored 28 or fewer points in five of their last six games and haven’t allowed more than 24 in their last seven. Washington had scored more than 25 points just twice all season before last week when Dallas gifted the Football Team two touchdowns. However, the defense has allowed 23 points or fewer in five of its last six games. Given how quick the turnaround is for Pittsburgh, I don’t imagine them having a strong game offensively. The same can be said for the run-based Football Team’s offense, so I’ll hammer the under 42 total points at -110 odds. Steelers to win The Steelers are eight-point favorites at the New Jersey online sports betting sites, but that seems a bit high. Pittsburgh is coming off a physical and taxing week with a game constantly being delayed while Washington hasn’t played since Thanksgiving Day. The short turnaround time for Pittsburgh is also a factor, and the Steelers have not been playing very good football recently. The Steelers have been especially shaky against teams they should dominate, so betting on an eight-point win is a bit too far. I’ll bet the Steelers to win by less than 13 points at +140 odds.
