One of the more high-stakes NFL matchups this week will take place in Pittsburgh on Saturday night when the Las Vegas Raiders and Pittsburgh Steelers square off. In this Christmas Eve matchup, both teams enter the week two games back of a playoff spot in the AFC, meaning a win and a loss would significantly impact either side. Here, we break down this contest and make our Raiders vs Steelers predictions in several key betting markets.
Las Vegas Raiders vs. Pittsburgh Steelers Game Info and Analysis
Matchup Info
Las Vegas Raiders Performance Recap and Analysis
Coming into Week 16 on the NFL schedule, the Las Vegas Raiders are looking to follow up on one of the more memorable wins of the 2022 NFL season. They were tied with the New England Patriots going into the final regulation play. Then the Patriots performed a series of laterals that ended with Chandler Jones intercepting a lateral and running it back for the game-winning touchdown with no time on the clock.
This week, the Raiders will need to be better against the run if they want to beat the Pittsburgh Steelers. Las Vegas gave up a whopping 172 yards on the ground to Patriots running back Rhamondre Stevenson last week. If they have a similar performance against Najee Harris and Pittsburgh, they could drop to 6-9 and see their playoff hopes disappear.
Key Injuries
Las Vegas has a couple of injuries in the secondary to keep an eye on heading into this matchup. Cornerback Rock Ya-Sin and safety Duron Harmon are both questionable for this game. With no room for error in the NFL team standings for the Raiders, they can only afford to be with crucial defense members.
Betting Trends to Know
The Raiders are 4-1 against the spread in their last five games coming into Week 16.
Pittsburgh Steelers Performance Recap and Analysis
The Pittsburgh Steelers come into this matchup with the Las Vegas Raiders off of a win, having beaten the Carolina Panthers in Week 15. Najee Harris only had 86 rushing yards in that game, but he got into the end zone and helped the Steelers run a drive that went on for over 12 minutes to start the second half. Here, they look to improve the Pittsburgh Steelers standings as they need to move ahead of six teams to make the postseason.
In this game, the biggest key for the Steelers is taking Davante Adams away from the Raiders. Adams has just 99 yards combined across the last two games against the Raiders. If the Steelers can hold him in check for a third straight outing, they could improve to 7-8 on the year.
Key Injuries
Looking at the NFL injury report on the Steelers side, Diontae Johnson and Najee Harris are both questionable for this game. While no NFL player stats are particularly impressive for the Steelers, given their quarterback situation this year, Johnson and Harris are both elite talents at their positions. Losing one or both could end the Steelers’ playoff hopes once and for all.
Betting Trends to Know
For those betting on NFL point spreads, the Steelers are 4-0 against the spread against teams with losing records.
Las Vegas Raiders vs. Pittsburgh Steelers Odds
The Pittsburgh Steelers are slight favorites coming into this contest. They are 2.5-point favorites over the Raiders, and are at -135 on the moneyline. Meanwhile, the Las Vegas Raiders odds are at +115, while the game’s total is 38.
Las Vegas Raiders vs. Pittsburgh Steelers Betting Picks
Moneyline
The first of our Raiders vs Steelers predictions for this contest is for the Steelers to win this game on the moneyline. While Pittsburgh is not an elite team in the NFL this year, they are good against bad teams. They will continue to be just that here with a win over the Raiders.
Over/Under
As it pertains to the total, the under is our recommendation. Per this year’s NFL team stats, the Steelers rank 27th in the league in scoring. If they win this game, Steel City will be a low-scoring affair.
Spread
The last of our Raiders vs Steelers predictions will be of interest to bettors making NFL picks against the spread. Here, we like the Steelers to cover the spread as a slight favorite. Their running game will be the difference against a Raiders team that has yet to prove itself capable of stopping the run regularly enough.
Las Vegas Raiders vs. Pittsburgh Steelers Score Prediction
We like the Steelers to win a low-scoring game, where we could see both teams struggle to hit the 20-point mark on Saturday night.
NFL Pick: Steelers 17, Raiders 10
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