This Sunday the 14th of Dec. 2014, in Week 15 of the NFL, we have the 8-5 Pittsburgh Steelers (2nd AFC North) playing at the 5-8 Atlanta Falcons (1st NFC South). The game will be played at the Georgia Dome at 1 PM ET, with television coverage on CBS TV. Let’s preview the betting action for the matchup.
The Steelers travel to Georgia after completing a high scoring game and win over the Bengals of Cincinnati, as they face the Atlanta Falcons who struggled in their loss to the Green Bay Packers in their last game, but did have a great 2nd half effort as they came within six points with 2 minutes left in the game.
As fans look for the betting odds on this game, many have not posted their odds until the injury to Falcons receiver Jones is determined, thus the odds will be based on his status. The only place we were able to locate odds, the Steelers were favored at 1-5. Jones in his last two games had 21 receptions for 458 yards.
This game is critical for both teams, as the Falcons push for their division title, and the Steelers need a win, if they want to continue as contender for the AFC North Title or even a Wild Card spot. Presently the Steelers are a ½ game behind the Cincinnati Bengals, the team that they beat in their last game, in NFL week 14.
The Falcons are said to have one of the weakest defensive units this season in their league, and they also rank 24th in league points averaging 26.3 points each game. Then rank 30th in number of 1st downs allowed, while 21st in offensive yards allowed rushing. The Falcons ground game offensively depends on RB Jackson who has rushed for 6 touchdowns on 652 yards rushing, while RB’s Freeman and Rodgers have not been as successful this 2014 season. Presently the Atlanta ranks 23rd in yards rushing and for the season 1,257 yards, and are 14th in the league with 10 touchdowns from rushing.
On the other side of the ball, the Steelers this season have struggled against teams with receivers who are capable of making the big play in the game, thus they are very interested in knowing if Falcons receiver Jones will be playing or not. If not then they must play to defend Falcons Receiver White who is also a weapon for Ryan, as he is a valuable 2nd target, and TE Weems is also not to be overlooked by the Steelers defense.
So wagering fans who bet on NFL at a sportsbook that the Steelers in the NFL Week 15 Power Rankings moved up to the 12th Spot after their last week’s win over Cincinnati, and next week 16 the Steelers play the Kansas City Chiefs now 7-6 (3rd AFC West) on Sunday the 21st of Dec.2014. Also on the 21st the Falcons 5-8 play at the New Orleans Saints now 5-8 (1st NFC South) at 1 PM ET and on Fox TV.