Colts vs Steelers Odds, Lines, and Spread
- The Indianapolis Colts are 1.5-point road favorites over the Pittsburgh Steelers in Sunday’s NFL game
- Saturday/Sunday betting record: 10-3; +6.03 units
- Pittsburgh has lost three in a row after opening the season 11-0
The 2020 NFL regular season appears to be closing exactly how the 2018 campaign ended for both the Indianapolis Colts and Pittsburgh Steelers.
After an 11-0 start, the Steelers have lost three in a row and are in jeopardy of losing their grip on the AFC North title. The 10-4 Colts, meanwhile, are charging to the finish line. They’ve won five of six.
Two years ago, Pittsburgh was 7-2-1 and atop the AFC North. Then the Steelers finished 2-4 and missed the playoffs.
The 2018 Colts opened 1-5. They then rallied to finish 10-6 and earn an AFC Wild Card spot in the postseason.
Indianapolis comes to Pittsbugh for a Week 16 matchup as 1.5-point road underdogs. The Colts are an impressive 5-1 against the spread this season as an away favorite.
Indy opened as the 1.5-point chalk. It’s the first time all season that Pittsburgh hasn’t been favored at home.
Colts vs Steelers Odds
| Team | Moneyline | Spread | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Indianapolis Colts | -118 | -1.5 (-110) | O 44 (-112) |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | +104 | +1.5 (-110) | U 44 (-109) |
Odds taken Dec. 26th at DraftKings
Kickoff Sunday is at 1pm EST at Heinz Field. The forecast is calling for clouds, 7 mph wind and a temperature of 37 degrees.
The Defenses Never Rest
Two of the NFL’s elite defensive squads will flex their muscles in this game. Indianapolis is among the NFL’s most opportunistic defensive units.
The Colts share the NFL lead in takeaways with a +12 rating. Indy is 8-0 this season when winning the turnover battle. The Colts show 11 takeaways in their last five games and a +7 rating over the last three contests.
THE DEFENSE DID IT AGAIN!!!
📺 CBS pic.twitter.com/pU0F7WVOow
— Indianapolis Colts (@Colts) December 20, 2020
Pittsburgh was also a dominant turnover creation squad to start the season. However, like so many aspects of the Steelers’ game, that’s dried up of late. They show a -4 takeaway ratio during their three-game losing skid.
The Big Ben Short
Opposing defenses have come to decipher that when Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger looks to go long, he’s coming up short.
In Monday’s loss to Cincinnati, Big Ben was just 1-for-14 on pass attempts longer than 10 yards. Roethlisberger’s overall completion percentage in the loss (52.6%) was his worst total in a game since midway through the 2016 season.
Ben Roethlisberger only had one pass during the Bengals game that traveled for more than 10 yards. It was his 23 yard touchdown with Diontae Johnson. #Steelers pic.twitter.com/B1ghSIS6du
— That Blitz Guy (@ThatBlitzGuy) December 26, 2020
Realizing that he no longer has the deep ball in his arsenal, opposing defenses are bringing their linebackers up closer to the line of scrimmage and shutting down Pittsburgh’s run game.
The Steelers have fielded a 100-yard rusher just once over their past nine games.
Injury Report
The Steelers will get running back James Conner (quadricep) back in the lineup, which should give the run game a boost. Kicker Chris Boswell injured his groin in practice and is listed as questionable.
Merry Christmas Steelers fans: James Conner (quad) is good to go for Sunday’s game against the Colts, as is TE Eric Ebron, OL Kevin Dotson and DE Stephon Tuitt
Marcus Allen, Ola Adeniyi, Chris Boswell and Anthony McFarland are questionable. pic.twitter.com/xfRwC5lnuR
— Brooke Pryor (@bepryor) December 25, 2020
For the Colts, left tackle Anthony Castonzo (ankle) is listed as a questionable starter.
Trend Spotting
Pittsburgh has not been kind to the Colts over the years. The Steelers have won six straight over Indy since 2008.
That 24-20 victory in 2008 was the first posted by the Colts in the Steel City since 1968, when they were still the Baltimore Colts. Pittsburgh is 15-1 straight up in its last 16 home games against the Colts. Indy is also 1-5 ATS in its last six games against Pittsburgh.
Jonathan Taylor in 2020:
🔹 Wks 1-10: 62.4 rush grade (43rd)
🔹 Wks 11-14: 90.0 rush grade (1st) pic.twitter.com/jlbVCasuqG— PFF (@PFF) December 15, 2020
Over his past three games, Colts QB Philip Rivers is averaging 252.3 yards per game, with six touchdown passes and no interceptions. Indianapolis RB Jonathan Taylor has rushed for 108 yards per game over that three-game stretch.
Roethlisberger has passed for less than 200 yards in each of Pittsburgh’s last two games. Pittsburgh’s defense leads the NFL in sacks (47) and interceptions (17).
Pick: Indianapolis Colts -1.5 (-110), 1 unit.
An industry veteran, Bob literally taught the course on the history of sports at Elder College. He has worked as a Sports Columnist for Postmedia, appeared as a guest on several radio stations, was the Vice President of the Society For International Hockey Research in Ontario, and written 25 books.
