BetRivers Sportsbook Maryland lists Tennessee as a +3 point underdog, and the 36.5 point total suggests Thursday night is expected to be a close and low-scoring affair.
Please join me as I examine the betting odds and offer the best bet for Thursday Night Football’s Titans vs. Steelers on Thursday, November 2.
Titans vs Steelers Betting Odds Analysis
BetRivers opened this game with Pittsburgh as a -185 favorite. That moneyline number has dropped to -145, which is not a bad price if you want to bet on Pittsburgh. Tennessee lost value as the underdog, but +125 is not a bad price to pay for the Titans’ moneyline wager.
The moneyline may have dropped $40 bucks, but the BetRivers opened Pittsburgh -4.0, which sits at -3.0. Tennessee money and the questionable status of Steelers quarterback Kenny Pickett is the culprit here, but betting on the Steelers is now a better betting option with -3.0 than -4.0.
BetRivers opened the total at Over 37.0 (-106) points, which later moved to Over 36.0 (-114). One point costs an extra eight bucks in juice, and that is a bad thing for those desiring to wager on the Over. The Under is now 36 (-106), and those are better odds.
Titans vs. Steelers Best Bet
This is a tough one because Pittsburgh hasn’t announced the status of Pickett, and reserve QB Mitch Trubisky could make the start. Pickett left last week’s matchup with Jacksonville, and Trubisky threw a pair of interceptions and a TD pass in their 20-10 home loss to the Jags.
Titans rookie quarterback Will Levis looked outstanding against a very good Atlanta defense. The Steelers defense allows a bunch of yardage but the 18th-most points. Levis threw four scoring strikes in his debut last week, and he and wideout DeAndre Hopkins could have big games against a sometimes leaky Pittsburgh secondary.
Tennessee running back Derrick Henry scampered for 101 rushing yards and meets one of the worst rushing defenses in football that allows a pile of yards but less than one rushing TD per game. That works for Tennessee as they can move the ball, and maybe Levis and Hopkins can add to their three-TD partnership.
Pickett, Trubisky, and an offense score a fourth-lowest 16.1 points per game and have exceeded that number in four of their seven contests. Pickett and Trubisky have accounted for six interceptions, and the offensive line doesn’t protect them at all, a big reason why Pittsburgh is 27th in the league in rushing yards allowed.
The Titans’ defense is similar to what the Steelers have. Tennessee is a league-average group in both passing and rushing defense but limits opponents to 20 points per game. They bend but don’t break, much like Pittsburgh.
Finally, Pittsburgh is coming off a tough home loss, and their defense didn’t play as well as they could have. The Steelers are 22-4 during the Mike Tomlin era, and while Levitt looked cool as a cucumber in his home debut, playing on the road in a game Pittsburgh really needs to win might be a giant leap he and the Titans offense isn’t ready to take. Lay the -3.0 (+100) and back Pittsburgh at BetRivers sportsbook.
For more Maryland sports betting picks, follow us here at MD Betting.
