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Week 10 of the NFL season kicks off with an interconference showdown between the Carolina Panthers and Pittsburgh Steelers on Thursday 11/18/18 at Heinz Field.
The Panthers defeated the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last Sunday 42-28 to win their third game in a row and improve to 6-2 on the season. The Steelers meanwhile beat the Baltimore Raven 23-17 on the road for their fourth consecutive victory. With the win, Pittsburgh is now 5-2-1 this year.
Three In A Row
The streaking Panthers made it three in a row last weekend after defeating the Bucs in Carolina. The Panthers built a 35-7 first half lead but allowed the Buccaneers to come to within 35-28 before Curtis Samuel caught a touchdown pass to give Carolina the insurance score.
Cam Newton completed 76% of his passes for 247 yards with two touchdowns and zero interceptions to lead Carolina against Tampa Bay. For the season, Newton has gone 177-263 for a total of 1,893 yards with 15 touchdowns and 4 interceptions and is having a nice bounce back season. Newton has been listed as “limited” in practices the last three weeks to avoid aggravating his shoulder problems. He is expected to be limited again this week in preparation for the Steelers game.
Carolina Panthers vs Pittsburgh Steelers 11/8/18
Moneyline Odds: Panthers +175, Steelers -205
Odds from Sportsbetting.ag as of 11/6/18
Solidifying Their Conference Lead
Despite playing without Le’Veon Bell this season, the Steelers’ offense has barely taken a hit. The team ranks 7th in the NFL in points scored at 28.4 points per game. James Conner has stepped up in Bell’s absence, rushing for a total of 706 yards with 9 rushing touchdowns, Meanwhile Ben Roethlisberger has been steady behind center, throwing for a total of 2,546 yards with 16 scores and just 7 pickoffs.
Who Wins?
The Steelers have won five in a row over the Panthers and their head to head record since 1996 is 5-1 in their favor. Pittsburgh is also 5-1 SU in their last six games played overall and 18-7 SU in their last 25 games played at home. Carolina is 5-1 SU in their last six games overall but are only 1-5 SU in their last 6 games played on the road. Against the Steelers, the Panthers are 0-5 SU in their last five games played.
Make not mistake, Carolina is playing well this season and is likely headed to the playoffs like the Steelers. But the Panthers can’t play the way they did against The Buccaneers the last time out where they squandered a lead and let their opponent back in the game. Not against the Steelers, not especially in front of a hostile Pittsburgh faithful. The Steelers have won four in a row including two straight at Heinz Field. The Panthers are 1-2 on the road this season. This is going to be a good game between two good teams. In which case, I’m siding with the home team here.
We’re picking the Pittsburgh Steelers to beat the Carolina Panthers on 11/8/18. Prediction: Steelers -205
Other Bets To Make
The Panthers are 4-2 ATS in their last 6 games played but 2-4 ATS in their last 6 games on the road. On the other hand, the Steelers are 5-1 ATS in their last six games overall but only 2-7 ATS in their last nine games played at their home field. Head to head, the Steelers are 5-0 ATS against the Panthers in their last five games played.
Carolina Panthers vs Pittsburgh Steelers 11/8/18
Spread Odds: Panthers +4 (-115), Steelers -4 (-105)
Odds from Sportsbetting.ag as of 11/6/18
The recent meetings between these teams have not been close. The Steelers have beaten the Panthers by an average margin of 25.33 points in their last three meetings with no winning margin fewer than 18 points. However, when you take a look at these two teams this year, they are pretty much even. The Steelers rank 9th in scoring at 28.4 points per game while the Panthers are tied for 11th at 27.5 points per game. Defensively, Carolina is tied for 12th allowing 22.5 points per game while Pittsburgh ranks 15th giving up 23.5 points per outing. I’m expecting a close game but with the Steelers covering well in their last 6 games and against the Panthers in previous games. Pittsburgh has won by at least seven points in their current four game win streak. I’m still going with the home team to cover the spread here.
Prediction Steelers -4
The over is 5-2 in the last seven games played by the Panthers and the over is also 7-3 in the last ten games if the Steelers. The total has also gone over in 5 out of the last 6 home games of the Steelers. The over is also 4-1 in the last five games between the Panthers and Steelers.
Carolina Panthers vs Pittsburgh Steelers 11/8/18
Over/Under Odds: Over 51 -117, Under 51 -103
Odds from Sportsbetting.ag as of 11/6/18
Both teams have a combined scoring average of 55.90 points this season but these teams both being in the Top 15 in points allowed yielding no more than 23.5 points per game, there has to be a little concern about going over here. But Carolina has been averaging over 30 points in their last three games and Pittsburgh has hit at least 28 in three of their last 4 games. I trust the trends here.
Prediction: Over 51
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