Steelers odds vs. Bills change drastically in just one day

The Steelers opened as narrow favorites over the Buffalo Bills, but here’s why the odds have shifted drastically in just one day.

Not even a day ago at this time, I wrote an article on Pittsburgh’s opening odds heading into their Week 14 matchup against the Buffalo Bills. While the Steelers are coming off their first loss of the season, oddsmakers originally had them listed at 2.5-point favorites in their road primetime matchup this week, courtesy of The Action Network. However, in the blink of an eye, those odds took a complete 180-degree turn.

As of Thursday afternoon, the Bills are now 2.0-point favorites over the Steelers, according to DraftKings Sportsbook – a 4.5-point swing. This is remarkable that the lines have shifted so fast; however, I’m not surprised to see Buffalo favored in this contest.

Steelers don’t deserve to be favored

A few weeks ago, I would have thought for certain that Pittsburgh would at least finish as narrow favorites against the Bills on the road. But after the trainwreck of offensive performances we have seen lately from the Steelers, this comes as no surprise. Randy Fichtner’s offense has only scored 14.5 points per game over their last two contests despite playing the Washington Football Team and a decimated Ravens squad that was without a third of their normal roster.

During this drought, Ben Roethlisberger has struggled to connect with his play-makers down the field, and drops have been huge issues for these receivers (primarily with Diontae Johnson and Eric Ebron). What’s even worse is that Pittsburgh’s rushing attack currently doesn’t exist and they managed just 21 yards on 14 attempts on the ground in their most recent contest (1.5 yards per carry).

Couple this with the fact that they are heading to Buffalo to face a talented Bills team in a primetime matchup, and it’s hard to find a reason to pick the Steelers.

Josh Allen has been terrific for his team this year, as the Bills are currently 8th in points per game and 10th in offensive yards, according to Team Rankings. Allen has averaged a thoroughly impressive 8.0 yards per attempt this season to go with his 26 touchdowns and 8 interceptions, and he has a shot to finish second in the league in passing yards behind the great Patrick Mahomes. As a result, he has emerged as a longshot candidate for league MVP this year.

While Pittsburgh’s defense may be able to do enough to contain Allen and a talented Bills offense in Week 14, the defense is never what is in question. Pittsburgh must be much better offensively, and it needs to start now. Despite Buffalo’s impressive offense, their defense has been vulnerable this year, and they rank in the bottom half of the league in both yards and points allowed per contest. Ben Roethlisberger and company must find a way to put points on the board and take some of the pressure off their defense in this one.

This is certainly an interesting matchup between two of the best teams in the AFC, but the Bills have been hotter than the Steelers as of late. Let’s hope Pittsburgh rebounds with a huge offensive performance in Week 14.