Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Tennessee Titans: Week 6 NFL Betting Odds Preview, Pick

Betting on the Tennessee Titans after watching them get pounded by Minnesota seems like a crazy thing to do.

But knowing the Pittsburgh Steelers come in with a depleted roster and are playing on short week gives Titans bettors some motivation to back their team on the Week 6 odds menu.

The line opened with Pittsburgh favored by 5.5 points and the spread has held steady, with sportsbooks seemingly uncomfortable with the Titans or the Steelers. Pittsburgh comes in having covered the spread in just two of its past 12 road games.

Tennessee, meanwhile, hopes Chris Johnson reverts back to his Week 4 form after generating an anemic 24 yards on 15 carries. And the Titans know they have a history of defeating the Steelers at home. In 10 recent meetings here in Tennessee, the Titans are 8-2 SU.

Tennessee set a new NFL mark by becoming the first team to give up at least 30 points in its first five games of the season.

"It's hardly the type of stat that makes bettors reach for their wallets, except those who want to bet against the team," said Jack Randall, a football analyst at OddsShark.com.

Troy Polamalu won't play, after re-injuring his calf against the Eagles. Pittsburgh won 16-14, failed to cover the 2.5-point spread and stayed close in the AFC North.

In fact, Pittsburgh has failed to cover five straight games overall, while the Titans own a 1-8 ATS mark in their last nine games.

The lone trend favoring Tennessee here is the home underdog angle. In 14 games in this situation dating to 2006, the Titans are 10-4 ATS. But overall in their past six as an underdog, they are just 1-5 ATS. 

Steelers vs Titans Pick

This is one of those games where the home team has motivation and the visitors are banged up and coming off a lucky win. On a short week, we take the points and bet on Tennessee at +5.5. (courtesy of PickShark.com)