The Atlanta Falcons battle the Pittsburgh Steelers this week in a game that will feature the NFL’s top receiver, Julio Jones (1,428 yards, 6 TDs), and second-leading passer, Ben Roethlisberger (4,055 yards, 29 TDs). Atlanta (5-8) has faced their share of disappointment this season, but things have been looking up in recent weeks as they have won three of their last five. The game will begin Sunday at 1:00 p.m. ET and can be seen on CBS.
In last week’s game, Falcons was defeated by Packers 43-37. Jones had an outstanding performance in the loss, recording 11 receptions for 259 yards and one TD. Matt Ryan also had a big game with 375 yards and four TDs through the air. Pittsburgh is looking to repeat last week when they crushed Cincinnati 42-21. Le’Veon Bell had a great game running the ball for the Steelers, carrying it 26 times for 185 yards and two TDs. He added 50 yards and a TD on six catches. Roethlisberger also had a great game with 350 yards and three TDs through the air.
The Over/Under (O/U) for the Falcons-Steelers game this week is set at 51 points and Pittsburgh is a narrow one-point favorite. Heading into Week 15 of league action, the Falcons are 5-8 Straight Up (SU) and 6-7 Against The Spread (ATS). In their five most recent matchups, the Falcons went 3-2 both SU and ATS. A focal point of Atlanta’s offense is the passing game, where they rank fifth in the league with 284.3 passing yards per game. Crossing over to the defensive side of the ball, the Falcons look to have a distinct advantage in certain spots. It is critical for the Steelers to prepare for Atlanta’s big-play defense, which ranks second in the league with 2.3 turnovers per home game. Atlanta usually gets off to a quick start in games, averaging 7.2 points in the first quarter.
On the other side, the Steelers head into Week 15 with records of 6-7 ATS and 8-5 SU. The Steelers went 3-2 SU and 2-3 ATS over the last five games. Odds are Pittsburgh will continue to rely on its passing attack, where its 302.1 passing yards per game ranks second in the league. Over the last five games, the Steelers turned it up on the defensive side of the football, only allowing an average of 98.2 rushing yards per game. The Steelers make it hard on their opponents down the stretch. They average 10.4 points in the final quarter, more than any other team in the league. Pittsburgh doesn’t like to give up the ball. The team has an average time of possession of 33:22 this season, putting them fourth in the league.
Predictions: SU Winner – ATL, ATS Winner – ATL, O/U – Over
Notes
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Pittsburgh’s last 7 games.
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Atlanta’s last 9 games.
Pittsburgh is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games.
Atlanta is 3-7 SU in its last 10 games.
Pittsburgh is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games on the road.
The total has gone OVER in 11 of Atlanta’s last 16 games at home.
Pittsburgh 8-1-1 SU in its last 10 games when playing Atlanta.
Atlanta is 1-8-1 SU in its last 10 games, when playing Pittsburgh.
Pittsburgh is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games when playing Atlanta.
Atlanta is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Pittsburgh.
Pittsburgh is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Atlanta.
Pittsburgh is 6-1 SU when leading at the half this season. Atlanta is 4-3 SU when taking a lead into halftime.
Pittsburgh is 6-1 SU when leading at the start of the fourth quarter this season. Atlanta is 5-3 SU when leading after three quarters.
Pittsburgh is a perfect 5-0 SU in games where it wins the turnover battle, and only 1-3 SU in games where it loses the turnover battle.
Atlanta is 5-3 SU in games where it wins the turnover battle, and winless (0-4 SU) in games where it loses the turnover battle.
The Atlanta passing attack is ranked fifth in the league, while the Pittsburgh pass defense is only ranked 23rd. The Steelers’ passing game is ranked second, compared to the 32nd-ranked pass defense of the Falcons.
Pittsburgh is rated higher in the ground game on both sides of the ball. Its eighth-ranked rushing attack will face the 21st-ranked run defense of Atlanta, while its ninth-ranked run defense will look to contain the 23rd-ranked rushing game of the Falcons.
Pittsburgh has given up 21.4 points per game on the road, which is ranked ninth in the league. Atlanta has put up 30.0 points per contest at home (ranked sixth overall).
Atlanta has allowed 23.5 points per game at home this year, which is ranked only 21st in the league. Pittsburgh has scored 21.7 points per game on the road (ranked 14th overall).
