Contributors: Corey Eckenroth/Jeff Hartman/Dave Schofield

* DraftKings Sportsbook & Casino for all lines and odds. Odds are subject to change at any time

It’s been almost a week and a half since the Steelers 29-10 loss at the hands of Kansas City on Christmas Day.

What was once a promising end to the season with a comfy lead for the Division Crown has now disappeared, and the Steelers are now looking UP at the Division-leading Ravens. The Steelers will actually now need HELP to win the Division, and asking if Little Brother Cleveland is going to be up to the task is a LOT.

Yes, Little Brother Cleveland DID beat Big(ger) Brother Baltimore, but that seemed like forever ago, when the Ravens were struggling on the back end of their Defense. That isn’t the case these days.

The Steelers are now backed into a corner trying to mount any type of defense or offense after taking some major power shots in the weeks prior from some major Super Bowl contenders.They are looking to try and get the Offense right against a Cincy Defense that HASN’T gotten any better over the season. In fact, playing Cincinnati might just be the antidote the Steelers need to get some concepts hammered out in time for then playoffs.

If you’ve been a Steelers fan for a while, this story feels all too familiar though.

Pittsburgh has its back to the wall regarding the momentum for their season, and because of where they are at in the schedule right before the playoffs, have absolutely NO room for error.

A loss drops the Steelers into the 6th Seed where they would face the 3 Seed Ravens on the road in the 1st Round.

Thankfully, Mike Tomlin seems to relish these types of games, and these are the types of games where he has cultivated his reputation as a master motivator.

A win vs CIN puts them into the 5 Seed vs the 4th Seed Texans, and there are definitely other intriguing matchups up and down the Playoff schedule in THAT hypothetical scenario. (*Note, I give the Broncos the W vs a KC team resting everyone in Wk 18, otherwise it might be the Dolphins at #7).

Not only do I think the Steelers would be favored in that matchup vs the Texans, but the other matchups such as Chargers v Ravens, and Broncos v Bills, have possible upset written all over them.The Chargers defense is one of the League’s best, and the last game back in November saw these two teams battle for 3.5 quarters before the Ravens finally pulled away at the end. The Playoff game between ‘Big’ and ‘Little’ Wang Harbs could look different.

Same with the Broncos v Bills. The Denver defense is one of the League’s best, and now Bo Nix has shown that he is starting to understand the game at the NFL level under Coach Sean Payton.

Or perhaps the Dolphins have what it takes to knock off their Division rival? That one seems less likely than the Broncos winning vs the Bills.

Well, with all this in mind, let’s check out what happened for Week 17 before getting to the Bengals this week!

Review

Corey – I thought that the Steelers would have put up a bigger fight in this game, but it was dismal and dismaying right from the jump. The Kansas City Chiefs thoroughly whipped the Steelers in every aspect, and the game was worse than the score indicated. The Chiefs may not have scored 30+ points in a game this season, but they darn sure SHOULD have against a very porous Steelers defense. Christmas lumps of crap coal ALL UP in my stockings… Bah hum bug!!!

• Najee Harris ANYTIME TD Scorer (+140) (Miss)
• George Pickens Anytime TD Scorer (+170) (Miss)
• Calvin Austin III +50 Receiving Yards (+370) (Miss)

Jeff – Last week my parlay missed for the Steelers game vs. the Chiefs, but what else is new? There was a time when I felt like as the season progressed I was getting better at picking my spots, but that has not been the case. My parlay struggles continue…

Here was my parlay from last week:

3 Leg Parlay

• Calvin Austin III Receiving Yards: 40+ (+190) MISS (31 yards)
• Jaylen Warren Receiving Yards: 40+ (320) HIT (41 yards)
• Pat Freiermuth Receiving Yards: 25+ (-160) HIT (60 yards)

Another parlay ruined, and this one by just nine more receiving yards by Calvin Austin III. I thought the Steelers would try their best to use George Pickens as a decoy, which would open up Austin for some big plays. That didn’t happen, and another parlay ruined. Again, not the best look on my part. With that said, time to move on.

Dave – I said before before the game, I hate betting on a short week as anything can happen. Now you will see why…

• Jaylen Warren Receiving yards: 25+ (+130) HIT
• Calvin Austin receptions O/U: OVER 2.5 (+110) HIT
• Russell Wilson passing touchdowns: 2+ (+110)  MISS

While two out of three isn’t bad, it helps nothing in a parlay. I should have known better to go that route with passing touchdowns against such a good defense.

This Week’s Picks

Corey – The Cincinnati Bengals have nothing to play for, except to play spoiler to their hated rivals. With a win, the Bengals can put the square peg in the Steelers round hole, so to speak, regarding the Steelers playoff seeding. The issue is that neither of these teams are playing decent defense right now, outside of the pressure they can create. That’s where the Steelers have more horses in the stable currently, and where this game will be won. If Chase Brown is out, then this game is squarely on the shoulders of Joe Burrow, who has shown that while capable of leading the team to a victory, is prone to game clinching mistakes.

Look for the Steelers to set the tone for the playoffs with their playcalling. I fully expect to see a HEAVY dose of not only Najee Harris, in what COULD be his last home game at Acrisure, but Jaylen Warren as well.

I also want to see the Wizard of Boz make NFL history. With 4 field goals, he would tie David Akers for most FG in a season in NFL history. Sure, that means a lot of stalls in the Red Zone for the offense, but it WOULD be cool to see him get the record.

• Jaylen Warren Receiving Yards: 25+ (+110)
• Najee Harris Rushing Yards: 60+ (+180)
• Chris Boswell OVER: 1.5 Field Goals (-145)

Total Odds: +750

$10 Bet: Wins $85.00

Jeff – This week’s parlay…which I am taking a unique approach to in this game. I said the same thing last week, and we know how that played out. That’s fine with me, sometimes you just need to take a risk or two.

3 Leg Parlay

• Russell Wilson Passing Yards: 250+ (+120)
• Calvin Austin III Receiving Yards: 50+ (+250)
• George Pickens Receiving Yards: 70+ (+105)

+750 Odds

$10 bet = $85.00

In case you couldn’t tell, I think the Steelers will be moving the ball through the air, and spreading the ball around in a big way. If I missed this parlay because the Steelers ran the ball down the Bengals’ throats, I’d be more than happy taking that ‘L’; however, I think they’ll air it out and will get more than Pickens involved, not that he won’t have a big game. At this point, I’ll just keep throwing stuff against the wall in hopes something will finally stick.

Dave – Bets this week really come down to if you believe the Steelers will play better offensively than the last three games. I’m betting they will.

• Jaylen Warren Receiving Yards: 25+ (+110)
• George Pickens Receiving Yards: 70+ (+105)
• PIT Team Total Points: Over 26.5 (+150) 

Total Odds: +750

Winning Bet of $10 = $85.00

The Jaylen Warren over 25+ receiving yards has been a great one to use, so much so I should have been betting that individually each week for a while. The odds aren’t as good this time, but they are still plus. Like Jeff, I’m banking on George Pickens having a big night which will lead to more points for the Steelers.

Are you buying our picks? What kind of parlay did YOU build this week? Let us know below and make sure to check out all of our other great content over at Steel Curtain Network and Fans First Sports Network, and make sure to check out the full lineup of all our great podcasts wherever you get your Pods!

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