Advertisement

NFL betting: Bettors like the Steelers as an underdog on Thursday night

Pete Truszkowski
·3 min read
3

The first two weeks of Thursday Night Football featured Josh Allen, Matthew Stafford, Justin Herbert and Patrick Mahomes. This week, the NFL gifts us Mitchell Trubisky and Jacoby Brissett. While it's far from a marquee matchup, it's a divisional battle between two teams that dislike each other. And of course, it's a standalone game in primetime with a point spread. That's really all that matters.

Bettors like Pittsburgh

If you blow a 13-point lead in less than two minutes to the New York Jets, bettors are going to have a hard time backing you with their hard-earned money just a few days later. That seems to be the case on Thursday.

Currently at BetMGM, 66% of bets and 64% of the money is backing Pittsburgh to cover as a 4-point road underdog in Cleveland against the Browns. The Browns were 4.5-point favorites on Thursday morning, but the line has moved in favor of the Steelers as the day has progressed.

Bettors don't just like Pittsburgh to cover the spread, they like them to win the game outright. Over 74% of bets are backing Pittsburgh on the moneyline as a +165 underdog.

Both teams are coming off a loss as the Steelers fell to the Patriots at home while the Browns had an epic meltdown against the Jets. Last season, the Steelers won both meetings between the two teams.

PITTSBURGH, PA - SEPTEMBER 18: Pittsburgh Steelers running back Najee Harris (22) runs with the ball in the fourth quarter during the game between the New England Patriots and the Pittsburgh Steelers at Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh, PA on September 19, 2022. (Photo by Shelley Lipton/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Total moving down

When looking at the quarterback matchup, it feels like points might be at a premium on Thursday night. Bettors seem to agree with that premise. Currently, 54% of the money is on the game to go under 38.5 points. The total has moved down throughout the week after opening at 40.5 points on Sunday night.

Unders have been money so far this season, as 21 of 32 games have gone under the total. That has been especially true in prime time, as 6 of 7 prime-time games have gone under the total. It's rare that the majority of the betting action is on the under as the public prefers to root for points and excitement. However, Thursday is a rare exception.

With Jacoby Brissett at quarterback, it's surprising to see that Cleveland is just one of four teams in the league that has had both of its games go over the total. Washington, Detroit and Atlanta are the other three teams. Both Steelers games have gone under the total.

Popular props

The most popular prop at BetMGM ahead of kickoff features Nick Chubb scoring the first touchdown of the game. Chubb scored three touchdowns in Week 2, including the first touchdown of the game. Chubb getting the first score of the game pays out at +400.

Bettors also like Chubb to go over 84.5 rushing yards. That's the third-most popular prop bet at BetMGM. He's gone over this number in both games so far this season. However, Chubb has gone under this number in three straight games against Pittsburgh.

The second-most popular bet is Najee Harris to score a touchdown at anytime in the game at +110. Harris scored in Week 1 but was held out of the end zone last weekend. In his rookie season, Najee scored in both games against the Browns. He had 279 rushing yards and 47 receiving yards in the two games.