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The Pittsburgh Steelers refuse to be written off. Despite some stinkers this year and Ben Roethlisberger’s slide into game-manager status, the Steelers kept their playoff hopes alive last week with an upset win over the Baltimore Ravens. This week, they’ll try to win their second in a row on the road against the Minnesota Vikings for a Thursday night matchup.
Minnesota experienced the opposite last week, watching their playoff chase fade down the stretch with a loss to the Detroit Lions, the first team in nearly a year to do that. It was Minnesota’s second loss in a row. The Vikings are the favorites in this one, favored by a field goal, but if both of these teams continue on their current trajectory, it’s looking good for the underdogs.
Here, we’ll take a look at our picks for best bets for the Steelers-Vikings matchup in Week 14 of the NFL season. Odds come via DraftKings Sportsbook.
Steelers vs. Vikings Week 14 odds
Spread: Vikings -3
Point total: 43.5
Moneyline: Steelers +140, Vikings -160
Our picks for Steelers vs. Vikings
Pick against the spread: Steelers +3
It’s hard not to base this pick simply on the fact that the Vikings lost to the Lions last week, but there’s more. The Vikings have failed to cover in nine of their last 10 games as favorites.
Over/under: Over 43.5
The Vikings’ record at home isn’t very good—only one out of four games at US Bank Stadium have hit the over. However, the Vikings are scoring an average of more than 25 points per game. More importantly, their defense isn’t stopping anyone, not Jared Goff and certainly not a noodle-armed Ben Roethlisberger.
Preferred player prop: Diontae Johnson anytime touchdown +120
Johnson found the end zone twice in Pittsburgh’s upset over the Ravens last week, the second game in his last three that’s he scored. He’s a good bet to do it again this week. In fact, he’s scored at least one touchdown in five of the Steelers’ last seven games as underdogs.
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