The Only Reason To Watch Patriots Vs. Steelers: Sports Betting

Here was the conversation in my house not even 15 minutes ago:

Me (loudly): Aww, what the hell! This is just awful!

My wife (concerned): What happened?

Me: The Patriots are playing the Steelers on Thursday Night Football. And, it will be... just awful.

Wife (with a blank stare): You have issues.

Yes, my friends, I do. But, gambling solves all of my issues and I'm ready to solve the problem of another crappy game on Thursday Night Football with some sports betting. Sure, I don't have to watch it. I don't have to play the game. I don't even need to write about it. However, as I've said before sports betting adds a bit of intrigue to the mix in this game between the Patriots and Steelers.

The Patriots have now scored 13 points in their past three games. To be extra clear - not 13 points per game. They have scored a total of 13 points over three games. That's an average of 4.3 points per game, which would be great if they played hockey, and even solid if they played baseball. Unfortunately for them, they play football where possessions result in 3s or 7s most of the time. The good news is their defense is keeping games close and making it so the Patriots aren't completely embarrassed. They've only allowed 26 points total in the past three games. Giving up double the points you score isn't ideal, and they've lost all three games. They've lost five straight games and are just 2-10 for the season. Last week, the Patriots couldn't score on the Chargers - a team that has allowed three different teams to score 30+ points on them and opponents an average of 21.5 points per game this season. I assume Bailey Zappe will be out there again, but he is not doing much since taking over for Mac Jones. The Steelers are a tough team to play anywhere, but in Pittsburgh, they are even more difficult. I don't have much hope that Zappe will suddenly figure this out. It wouldn't surprise me if they go to Malik Cunningham at some point in the game.

PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA - SEPTEMBER 18: Mitch Trubisky #10 of the Pittsburgh Steelers warms up before a game against the New England Patriots at Acrisure Stadium on September 18, 2022 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Joe Sargent/Getty Images)

The Steelers are also now on a different quarterback because Kenny Pickett is out indefinitely with an ankle issue. So, they have Mitch Trubisky, a quarterback with experience, but certainly not anything impressive on his resume. This will be his fourth game action of the season and he has under a 60% completion percentage and has tossed two touchdowns and two interceptions this year. The Patriots defense isn't allowing much of anything to opponents. They only allowed two field goals to the Chargers and the offensive comparison between the two teams is like going from a Corvette (Chargers) to a Prius (Patriots). The Steelers have a lot of injuries on their side right now and that makes me a bit concerned for this game. I assume that Najee Harris will play but he is also questionable. The Steelers defense has also been hurt by injuries as they've lost two linebackers for the season and potentially won't have a third for this game.

After my conversation with my wife, I immediately went to check the line to see just how low the total is on this game. It is 30 and that is still too high. The Patriots will probably move the ball slightly better. And, I do think Cunningham gets some action in this game. The Steelers will also take some risks with Trubisky. The thing is the defenses still will be better and the quarterbacks are all likely to throw an interception - Zappe, Cunningham, whoever. Maybe that results in a pick-six, but I don't think the offenses are putting up a combination of four touchdowns, and I think that's enough of a reason to deal with the under.

For more sports betting information and plays, follow David on Twitter: @futureprez2024