The New England Patriots are 10-3 straight up and 9-3-1 against the spread in their last 13 games against the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Patriots can punch a ticket to Super Bowl LI with another win over the Steelers this Sunday night.
Steelers vs. Patriots odds, 2017 AFC Championship: New England home favorite
The New England Patriots will be looking to continue their positive betting trends against the Pittsburgh Steelers and at home when the teams meet in the AFC title game.
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New England is a 5.5-point home favorite in the AFC Championship at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com. In their last 11 home games, the Patriots are 9-2 both SU and ATS.
Tom Brady and the Patriots played an uncharacteristically bad game last Saturday, but it didn’t matter much against the punchless Houston Texans offense. New England came away with a 34-16 win, covering the massive 16.5-point spread even without its best effort.
Facing a much more capable offense this week, New England can’t afford another dud like it had on Saturday; but the Patriots rarely play poorly twice in a row under Bill Belichick.
With the win over Houston, New England improved to 8-0 SU and 7-1 ATS over its last eight games, per the OddsShark NFL Database. The Patriots have covered the spread in each of their last six games.
Betting Line / Total: New England -5.5 / 50.5 Points
Trend: The Steelers are 3-10-1 ATS in their last 14 games against the Patriots.
Trend: The Patriots are 9-2 ATS in their last 11 games at home.
Pittsburgh wasn’t at its best last week on offense, either, failing to register a single touchdown against the Kansas City Chiefs. But with six field goals and an outstanding performance by the defense, the Steelers earned an 18-16 win as 2.5-point road underdogs in Kansas City.
Le’Veon Bell continued his torrential pace with 170 rushing yards on 30 carries and will likely be the key to any potential Pittsburgh upset this weekend. The Steelers are 11-6 SU and 12-4-1 ATS in their last 17 games as an underdog of six points or less.
Sunday’s total is set at 50.5 points. The UNDER is 6-0 in New England’s last six AFC Championship appearances.
The Patriots and Steelers both lost on Nov. 13. Since then, they’ve combined for a 17-0 SU and 14-2-1 ATS record. These two teams are clearly the best in the AFC, but only one can advance to the Super Bowl.
New England is 19-3 SU and 13-8-1 ATS in its last 22 playoff games at home, and a win on Sunday would send Tom Brady to his seventh career Super Bowl.
Pittsburgh Steelers at New England Patriots
When: Sunday, Jan. 22, 6:40 p.m. ET
Where: Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, Mass.
