When the Steelers travel to Oakland this week, they’ll be looking to end a two-game losing streak in a game where almost everyone will be picking Pittsburgh to win.
As a matter of fact, in the early odds for Week 14, the Steelers have already opened as a monstrous 11-point favorite over the Raiders. Apparently, oddsmakers have decided not to take into account the fact that the Steelers have been one of the worst teams in the NFL over the past 15 years when it comes to playing on the west coast.
Since 2003, the Steelers have played in the pacific time zone a total of 10 times and they’ve gone just 2-8 straight-up and against the spread (ATS) in those games, according to data from Pro Football Reference.
Playing specifically in Oakland has been an absolute nightmare for the Steelers. Since Ben Roethlisberger took over the starting quarterback job in 2004, the Steelers have played there three times and they’ve lost all three games (2006, 2012, 2013), even though they were favored to win each time. The biggest upset came in 2006 when Pittsburgh lost as a nine-point favorite. For some reason, the Steelers just seem to struggle against the Raiders.
Even when the Raiders were bad, they still managed to beat the Steelers. The two teams have played a total of seven times in Roethlisberger’s career and the Steelers have gone 3-4 straight-up and just 1-7 ATS.
With a game against the Patriots looming in Week 15, Steelers coach Mike Tomlin better make sure his team doesn’t overlook their trip to Oakland or the Raiders just might pull off the upset.
Here are the rest of the early lines for Week 14.
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NFL Week 14 early odds
All lines from Westgate Las Vegas SuperBook, all games on Sunday unless noted. Keep in mind, the point spreads you see below represent the opening odds for Week 14. For the most up-to-date line on each game, you can click here)
Jaguars (4-8) at Titans (6-6), Thursday
TV: 8:20 p.m., NFL Network
Opening line: Titans, -5 points
If there’s one team that has owned the Jags over the past few years, it’s Tennessee. The Titans are 5-1 both straight-up and ATS in their past six games against Jacksonville. The Titans are also 4-1 at home this season, although they have just a 3-2 mark ATS. As for the Jags, they’ve been one of the NFL’s worst road teams this year, going 1-4 straight-up and 1-3-1 ATS. They’re also on a four-game streak of not covering on the road (0-3-1). These two teams played back in Week 3 with the Titans covering as a 10-point underdog in a 9-6 win.
Jets (3-9) at Bills (4-8)
TV: 1 p.m., CBS
Opening line: Bills, -3.5 points
This game hasn’t been much a rivalry over the past few years with the Bills going 7-3 both straight-up and ATS in their past 10 games against the Jets. That total includes a game in Week 10 when the Bills covered as a seven-point underdog in a 41-10 blowout win. The Jets are on one of the ugliest streaks in football. Not only have they lost six in a row, but they’ve gone 1-5 ATS during that stretch. Overall, the Jets are 4-8 ATS on the season, which is tied for the third worst mark in the NFL. As for the Bills, they’ve covered in three straight games.
Panthers (6-6) at Browns (4-7-1)
TV: 1 p.m., Fox
Opening line: Pick’em
If you’ve bet on the Panthers over the past month, you’ve basically just been throwing away your money. Not only has Carolina lost four straight, but they haven’t covered in any of those games. They’re also just 1-5 ATS on the road this year, which is the worst mark in the NFL (1-5 straight-up). One thing the Panthers will have going for them is that they usually dominate AFC teams. They’re 7-1 in their past eight against the AFC and they’ve gone 6-2 ATS in those games. As for the Browns, they’re just 1-11 straight-up in their past 12 games against the NFC. However, that one win did come this year against Atlanta and they’ve gone 3-0 ATS against the NFC South this year.
Falcons (4-8) at Packers (4-7-1)
TV: 1 p.m., Fox
Opening line: Packers, -6 points
Now that Mike McCarthy has been fired, we’ll find out if the all the struggles in Green Bay this season were actually his fault. One thing to keep in mind about the Packers is that Aaron Rodgers is 15-1 in December homes games since 2009 (14-2 ATS). Of course, that one loss came on Sunday to the Cardinals, which proves he’s not exactly invincible on the frozen tundra of Lambeau Feld anymore. As for the Falcons, they’ve lost four straight and haven’t covered in any of those games. They’re also 1-4 ATS on the road this year, which is tied for the second worst mark in the NFL. Even worse is the fact that Atlanta is 3-9 ATS, which is tied for the worst mark in the NFL.
Ravens (7-5) at Chiefs (10-2)
TV: 1 p.m., CBS
Opening line: Chiefs, -8.5 points
Although the Chiefs have been the best AFC team at covering the spread this year (8-3-1), they’re 0-1 ATS without Kareem Hunt. They’re also just 1-3-1 ATS in their past five games. As for the Ravens, they’ve won three in a row since Lamar Jackson took over as starting quarterback (2-1 ATS). One thing we don’t know is who will be the Ravens starter in Kansas City. Ravens coach John Harbaugh could decide to give the starting job back to Joe Flacco. This game will mark the fifth time that the Ravens have been an underdog of a touchdown or more under Harbaugh. In the prior four games, the Ravens went 0-4 straight-up and 1-3 ATS.
Patriots (9-3) at Dolphins (6-6)
TV: 1 p.m., CBS
Opening line: Patriots, -8.5 points
If there’s one time you might want to consider betting against the Patriots, it’s when they play in Miami. Over the past five years, the Patriots are just 1-4 both straight-up and ATS when they play in South Florida. That being said, the Patriots have covered in five of their past six games played this season. The Patriots are also 8-2 both straight-up and ATS in the past 10 games where they were favored by a touchdown or more. As for the Dolphins, they’ve been a pretty safe bet at home, going 5-1 ATS this season, which is tied for the best mark in the NFL.
Saints (10-2) at Buccaneers (5-7)
TV: 1 p.m., Fox
Opening line: Saints, -9.5 points
In their past 13 regular season games dating back to last season, the Saints have only lost three times and two of those have come against the Buccaneers. The Bucs have won two in a row against the Saints, including a stunner back in Week 1 when the Bucs covered as a 10-point underdog with a 48-40 win in New Orleans. However, Ryan Fitzpatrick was the Bucs starter in this game and this time around, they’ll have Jameis Winston. Winston has started the past two games and the Bucs have gone 2-0 both straight-up and ATS in those games. As for the Saints, they’re 9-1 both straight-up and ATS in their past 10 games.
Giants (4-8) at Redskins (6-5)
TV: 1 p.m., Fox
Opening line: Redskins, -2.5 points
Since the beginning of November, the Giants have been on a roll, going 3-1 straight-up, and more importantly, 3-0-1 ATS. On the Redskins’ end, they’re 7-4 ATS this year, which is tied for the fifth-best mark in the NFL (That number could go down if they don’t cover on Monday against the Eagles). These two teams played back in Week 8 with the Redskins covering as a one-point favorite in a 20-13 win.
Colts (6-6) at Texans (9-3)
TV: 1 p.m., CBS
Opening line: Texans, -4.5 points
With a nine-game winning streak, the Texans are currently the NFL’s hottest team. Of course, just because the Texans are on a roll doesn’t mean they’re a lock to cover. For one, they’re just 6-3 ATS during their winning streak. Also, things could get dicey against the Colts because this series is about as even as it gets. The past nine games in this series have been decided by an average of 5.6 points per game with the Colts going 5-4 straight-up (5-3-1 ATS). That includes a game in Week 4 when the Texans covered as a one-point favorite in a 37-34 overtime win. One thing to keep in mind this week is that Andrew Luck is on a four-game losing streak against the Texans. Although Indy won both games with Houston last year, Luck wasn’t the starting quarterback in either game. In four consecutive losses with Luck, the Colts have gone 0-3-1 ATS.
Bengals (5-7) at Chargers (9-3)
TV: 4:05 p.m., CBS
Opening line: Chargers, -14.5 points
With the Bengals in a rut, a trip to the pacific time zone might be exactly what they need to fix things. Since Marvin Lewis was hired in 2003, not only have the Bengals have gone 8-2-1 ATS on the west coast, but they’ve also won five straight games dating back to 2011. Of course, the Bengals are probably the last team you want to bet on right now and that’s mainly because they’re 1-6 both straight-up and ATS in their past seven games. As for the Chargers, this will mark just the seventh time in Philip Rivers‘ career that they’ve been favored by 14 or more points. In the six previous games, the Chargers have gone 6-0 straight-up, but just 1-5 ATS. However, that one cover did come earlier this season when the Chargers beat the Cardinals 45-10 as a 14-point favorite. On the season, the Chargers have won eight of their past nine and covered in six of their past eight.
Broncos (6-6) at 49ers (2-10)
TV: 4:05 p.m., CBS
Opening line: Broncos, -6 points
The Broncos have quietly become one of the safest bets in football. Even though they’re just 4-3 straight-up in their past seven games, they’re 6-1 ATS. On the other hand, anyone betting the 49ers has basically been throwing their money away over the past few weeks. Since Week 7, the Niners have gone 1-5 both ATS and straight-up. The 49ers are also just 3-9 ATS on the season, which is tied for the worst mark in the NFL. That being said, two of those covers have actually come against AFC West teams: The 49ers are 2-1 ATS against AFC West this year, but just 1-8 against everyone else (The Broncos are 2-0-1 ATS against the NFC West).
Eagles (5-6) at Cowboys (7-5)
TV: 4:25 p.m., Fox
Opening line: Cowboys, -4 points
Believe it or not, but the Dallas Cowboys now have the longest winning streak in the NFC at four games. Oh, and they’ve covered the spread in all four of those games. The Cowboys have also won two straight against the Eagles and covered in both of those games. As for Philly, they’re just 3-8 ATS this year and if they don’t cover on Monday against the Redskins, they’ll drop to 3-9, which would be tied for the worst mark in the NFL. Dallas and Philly played back in Week 10 with the Cowboys covering as a 7.5-point underdog in a 27-20 win. The Cowboys haven’t lost since.
Steelers (7-4-1) at Raiders (2-10)
TV: 4:25 p.m., Fox
Opening line: Steelers, -11 points
Not only do the Steelers struggle on the west coast, but they also struggle when they’re a double-digit favorite on the road. In Ben Roethlisberger’s career, the Steelers have been favored by 10 or more points a total of 10 times on the road and they’ve gone an ugly 1-9 ATS in those games (7-3 straight-up). As for the Raiders, they’re 0-10 straight-up in the past 10 games where they’ve been an underdog of 10 or more points (5-5 ATS). On the season, the Raiders are just 4-8 ATS, which is tied for the third worst mark in the NFL.
Lions (4-8) at Cardinals (3-9)
TV: 4:25 p.m., Fox
Opening line: Lions, -1.5 points
The Lions season has slowly started to fall apart. Over the past six weeks, Detroit has gone 1-5 both straight-up and ATS. They’re also just 1-4 straight-up in road games this year, which doesn’t bode well for their trip to Arizona. Also not helping things is the fact that the Lions are 0-5 both straight-up and ATS in their past five trips to Arizona. Of course, the Cardinals have struggled at home this year, so they might not be the safest bet: They’re just 1-5 straight-up in Phoenix. However, the Cards are 3-2 ATS in their past five games, which includes Sunday’s 20-17 win over Green Bay, when they covered as a 14-point underdog.
Rams (11-1) at Bears (8-4)
TV: 8:20 p.m., NBC
Opening line: Rams, -4 points
For just the second time this season, the Bears are a home underdog. The last time it happened, the Bears lost 38-31 to the Patriots in a game where they were a one-point underdog. Although they didn’t cover in that game, they’ve covered in almost every other home game recently. Since the beginning of the 2017 season, the Bears are 10-3-1 ATS at home (8-6 straight-up). The Bears are 5-1 ATS at home this season, which is tied for the best mark in the NFL. The Bears have also covered in their past four primetime games dating back to last season. As for the Rams, they’re undefeated (4-0) in night games under Sean McVay, although they’re just 1-2-1 ATS in those wins. The Rams have been Vegas darlings all season and that’s because Vegas seems to win every time they play. Although L.A. is 11-1 straight-up, they’re just 5-6-1 ATS, including a mark of 2-6-1 over their past nine games. One thing to keep an eye on in this game is the Bears’ quarterback situation. Mitchell Trubisky is expected to return after missing the past two games with a shoulder injury, but if he can’t go, Chase Daniel will likely start for a third straight week.
Vikings (6-5-1) at Seahawks (7-5)
TV: Monday, 8:15 p.m., ESPN
Opening line: Seahawks, -3 points
There are a lot of reasons to like the Seahawks in this game, starting with the fact that they’re nearly unbeatable at home in primetime. Since Pete Carroll took over as coach in 2010, the Seahawks have played 17 home primetime games and they’ve gone 15-2 straight-up and 13-3-1 ATS. The Seahawks are also 6-1-1 ATS in their past eight games. Not to mention, Russell Wilson is 3-0 both straight-up and ATS in three career regular season games against the Vikings. As for the Vikings, they’ve played in two primetime road games this season and they’ve gone 0-2 both straight-up and ATS. The Vikings are also 1-4 straight-up this season in games where they’re an underdog (2-3 ATS).