The Pittsburgh Steelers are stumbling their way through the hardest part of the schedule on a two-game losing streak with the defending Super Bowl champions up next on a short week. Vegas Oddsmakers think the Steelers are due to recreate their 2023 three-game losing streak in December against the Kansas City Chiefs this week. They are opening the week as consensus two-point underdogs, according to VSiN.
Caesars Sportsbook and DraftKings Sportsbook both have the Steelers as 2.5-point underdogs, while FanDuel has them as 1.5-point underdogs. The common thread is that the Steelers are expected to lose at home in all three instances.
It’s a bit surprising that the Steelers aren’t wider underdogs. The last two weeks have both been blowout losses to playoff teams. The Steelers’ previous 4-0 record against teams with winning records is rapidly crashing back down to average. The Philadelphia Eagles beat the Steelers 27-13, ending the game with the ball near the goal line for another score, and the Baltimore Ravens won 34-17.
A recent rash of injuries for the Steelers got worse with Joey Porter Jr. exiting the game today with what Mike Tomlin described as a knee injury. Donte Jackson and DeShon Elliott also missed, and there’s no guarantee that they will be able to return on a short week with the Christmas day game on Wednesday. The Steelers were also without DL Larry Ogunjobi, QB Justin Fields, and WR George Pickens in Week 16.
The Chiefs have some injuries of their own to monitor. When paired with the short week and the brutal three-game stretch in an 11-day span, that could help explain the tight spread from oddsmakers. DT Chris Jones and OT Jawaan Taylor both exited today’s game. With the short week, their statuses will be worth monitoring. Patrick Mahomes isn’t at 100 percent either, but he proved to be fine in the Chiefs’ Week 16 win.
The Steelers are playing to try to salvage their AFC North divisional crown, while the Chiefs are playing to try to lock up the AFC’s No. 1 seed and a first-round bye.
