Two inconsistent teams meet in this week’s NFL Thursday night affair as the Pittsburgh Steelers (6-5-1) visit the Minnesota Vikings (5-7). The Steelers scored 17 points in the fourth quarter to mount a furious comeback and edge the Baltimore Ravens, 20-19. The Vikings scored a late touchdown to snag the lead against the previously winless Detroit Lions last week, only to watch Jared Goff lead the Lions down the field for a touchdown as time expired.
Let’s take a closer look at this game from a college football betting perspective.
NFL Preview: Pittsburgh Steelers at Minnesota Vikings (Thursday, December 9)
When: Thursday, December 9, 2021, 8:20 pm ET
Where: U.S. Bank Stadium, Minneapolis
TV: FOX / NFL Network
Radio: Westwood One
Live Stream: Amazon Prime Video
NFL Odds: Pittsburgh +3 / O/U 43.5 // Pittsburgh +145 / Minnesota -170
Why should you bet on the Steelers?
In the win over Baltimore, Ben Roethlisberger turned back the clock to go 21 of 31 for 236 yards and two scores. Tailback Najee Harris put up 71 yards on 21 carries, and Diontae Johnson caught eight balls for 105 yards and both of Roethlisberger’s passing touchdowns. During the fourth quarter against Baltimore, the Steelers were able to take advantage of multiple injuries in the Ravens’ secondary; by the end of the game, Baltimore did not have any healthy cornerbacks able to take the field, which led to the decision to go for two after the Ravens’ late touchdown and try to win on the field.
The Steelers’ defense was stout once again and has kept the team competitive all season, permitting just 23.8 points per contest. They did a solid job bottling up the Ravens’ running game and kept steady pressure on Lamar Jackson, who ended up taking seven sacks and throwing an interception on a play where he was running from pass rushers and threw off his back foot. If the Steelers can get similar leverage against the Vikings’ offensive line, they should be able to force Kirk Cousins into enough mistakes to get the win as well.
Why should you put your money on the Vikings?
The Vikings had won two in a row to get back to .500 before dropping their last two, falling to San Francisco and to Detroit. The offense has been decent on the season, putting up 25.7 points per game, and the offense was serviceable again against the Lions. Kirk Cousins was 30 of 40 for 340 yards and two scores, with Justin Jefferson catching 11 of those passes for 182 yards and a score. Tailback Alexander Mattison, starting in place of the injured Dalvin Cook, did well enough, running the ball 22 times for 90 yards and a score.
The Vikings’ defense has permitted 25.4 points per game this season – including over 30 points in each of the last three games – and perhaps the most telling sign of the flaws of this unit was the fact that Detroit was able to zip down the field and score the game-winning touchdown so quickly. Detroit is a run-heavy team that has relied on Jared Goff as a sort of last resort, but he was the hero down the stretch this time, which shows how little pressure the Vikings were able to get on him. The pass defense permits 250.5 yards per game, one of the most porous units in the league. If the Vikings cannot pressure Roethlisberger, he will pick them apart.
Final Score and Betting Prediction
Pittsburgh has to travel on a short week, and a quarterback of Roethlisberger’s age will take more time to recover from the sort of effort he had to put up to lead that comeback against Baltimore. I see Pittsburgh trying to go a little more run-heavy, and that is an area that the Vikings have had more success containing. I see a snoozer of a game offensively, with a final score of Minnesota 16, Pittsburgh 13.
Pittsburgh Steelers at Minnesota Vikings: Bet the Game Today
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