The Saints (-6) are ready to welcome the Pittsburgh Steelers to the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. The opening kickoff for this critical matchup is set for 4:25 p.m. ET and fans can catch it live by tuning in to CBS.
Betting Preview: New Orleans Saints vs. Pittsburgh Steelers
In this Sunday matchup, New Orleans is getting picked as the favorite and the team’s currently giving up 6 points. The Steelers are also receiving +190 moneyline odds while the Saints are -230. If one team finds paydirt early it’ll generate a solid in-game betting scenario. Oddsmakers have placed the over/under (O/U) at 57.5 points.
The early action has been slanting toward the Steelers, as the opening line was -7. The total hasn’t changed after it was set initially at 57.5.
The Steelers have lost 2.6 units so far and are 7-6-1 against the spread (ATS). The team has posted an O/U record of 7-7.
The Saints have been a nice surprise for moneyline bettors this season, gaining 4.0 units. They’re 10-3 ATS and own an O/U record of 5-8.
The Steelers are 8-5-1 straight up (SU) in 2018 while the Saints are 12-2 SU.
The Steelers just recorded a 17-10 victory over New England in Week 15. Ben Roethlisberger completed 22 passes for 235 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions. Jaylen Samuels (142 rushing yards on 19 attempts) led the ground attack while Antonio Brown (four receptions, 49 yards, one TD) and JuJu Smith-Schuster (four catches, 40 yards) shared the receiving duties in the win.
New Orleans just got a 12-9 win over Carolina in Week 15. The let the Panthers put up 181 passing yards and 98 rushing yards. Christian McCaffrey had a good showing in the loss, recording 53 rushing yards on 15 attempts, along with 67 yards on eight catches for Carolina. For New Orleans, Drew Brees completed 23-of-35 passes for 203 yards and one interception. Alvin Kamara really did it all in the win. Along with 67 yards on 14 rush attempts (and one TD), Kamara also reeled in seven catches for 36 yards.
Pittsburgh’s run the ball on 34.1 percent of its offensive possessions this year while New Orleans has an overall rush percentage of 48.2 percent. The Steelers have produced 93.9 rush yards per game and have 16 scores on the ground this year. The Saints are averaging 127.4 rushing yards per game and have 22 total rush TDs.
The Steelers offense has logged 321.9 yards/game in the air overall and has 31 passing TDs so far. The Saints have produced 266.4 pass yards per game and also have 31 total pass scores.
Defensively, Pittsburgh appears to have the upper hand when it comes to limiting the pass. The team has allowed opponents to rush for an average of 96.9 yards and pass for 258.8 yards per game. The New Orleans D has allowed 283.9 yards per game to opposing passers and 79.1 yards per game on the ground. Both teams allow similar adjusted net yards per pass attempt (ANY/A) to opponents, as the Steelers have given up an ANY/A of 6.42 to opposing QBs, while the Saints are yielding an ANY/A of 6.76.
Offensively, Roethlisberger has already amassed 4,180 passing yards this season. He’s completed 363-of-551 attempts with 28 scores through the air and 15 interceptions. He’s got a 6.89 adjusted net yards per pass attempt, including 7.33 over the last two outings.
Drew Brees has completed 313-of-419 passes for 3,465 yards, 30 TDs and four INTs for New Orleans. His ANY/A sits at 8.73 for the season and 4.62 over his last two outings.
Pittsburgh Steelers vs. New Orleans Saints Free NFL Pick
SU Winner: Saints, ATS Winner: Steelers, O/U: Under
Team Betting Trends
- The Steelers offense has recorded 12 pass plays of 40+ yards, while the Saints have accounted for four such plays.
- The Pittsburgh defense has allowed six pass plays of 40 or more yards, while New Orleans has given up 12 such plays.
- The Pittsburgh offense has created 10 rushing plays of 20 or more yards, while New Orleans has created six such runs.
- The Steelers defense has allowed eight rushing plays of 20 yards or more, while the Saints have given up six such runs.
- The Pittsburgh D has 46 sacks on the year while New Orleans has 45.
- Pittsburgh has produced 4.3 yards per carry across its past three contests and 4.5 over its last two.
- New Orleans has averaged 4.0 yards per carry over its last three outings and 4.1 over its past two.
- New Orleans has won 13 of its last 14 games SU, with a -3-point loss to Dallas on November 29th accounting for the one slip-up over that span.
