Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Tennessee Titans Betting Odds, Analysis, NFL Pick

The Tennessee Titans will try to break a three-game losing streak and win for just the second time in nine games when they host the Pittsburgh Steelers on Monday Night Football. The Titans are just 1-6-1 against the spread in dropping seven of their past eight, and they will be facing a Pittsburgh team that will be playing its second straight road game after losing to the New York Jets last week 20-13 as a 4.5-point favorite.

Point spread: Steelers opened as four-point favorites; the total was 46.5 early in the week, according to sportsbooks monitored by Odds Shark. (Line updates and matchup report)

NFL pick, via Odds Shark computer: 24.5-15.0 Steelers

Why the Steelers can cover the spread

The Steelers are a far superior team with much more to play for than Tennessee, and they should have gotten a wake-up call last week in the loss to the Jets that they cannot afford to lose another one like that. Pittsburgh’s passing game—led by quarterback Ben Roethlisberger—is the hottest in the NFL right now, as he has thrown for 1,205 yards and 13 touchdowns in the last three games combined.

The Steelers also have a few young receivers stepping up in addition to top target Antonio Brown, with rookie Martavis Bryant scoring six touchdowns in the past four games. The Titans will not have any answer for Roethlisberger and his receivers in this one.

Why the Titans can cover the spread

Tennessee not having anything to play for makes this an enormous game for the team, especially in one of only two prime-time appearances this season. The Titans are still fine-tuning their offense around a pair of rookies in quarterback Zach Mettenberger and running back Bishop Sankey, both of whom have shown glimpses of why they were highly regarded draft picks last year.

Tennessee head coach Ken Whisenhunt is a smart guy who has not yet figured it out in Nashville, but he has some good players who just need to be given more opportunities to shine. Maybe playing a tough team like Pittsburgh will bring out the best in them and enable them to at least keep it close.

Smart Pick

The Steelers have simply too much to lose by not playing up to their potential in this spot. They really came alive during a three-game home stretch recently, but they need to be able to find a way to win on the road too, especially against teams they are supposed to beat. The Titans are one of those teams, and they have not fared well as home underdogs lately, going 0-6 straight up and 1-5 ATS in their last six games under that scenario.

Tennessee’s lone home victory this season came against the Jacksonville Jaguars, and that was a month ago. The Titans were lucky to win that game 16-14, but they failed to cover the spread as 4.5-point favorites. It will be much more difficult to cover this game as a home dog against an explosive Pittsburgh team. Play the Steelers.

Betting Trends

• The total has gone OVER in 10 of Pittsburgh's last 15 games
• The total has gone OVER in eight of Tennessee's last 12 games when playing Pittsburgh

Note: All spread and odds data powered by Odds Shark - follow us on Twitter for injury updates and line move updates.