AFC Championship Game Odds: Patriots Sizeable Favorites Vs. Steelers
The New England Patriots can clinch their third Super Bowl berth in six years with a win Sunday when they host the Pittsburgh Steelers in the AFC Championship Game as steady six-point betting favorites at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com.
New England faces a familiar foe in Sunday afternoon?s Steelers vs. Patriots betting matchup at Gillette Stadium, as the teams have clashed in two previous conference championships. The Patriots emerged victorious on both occasions, posting a 24-17 win as eight-point road underdogs in 2002, and followed three years later with a lopsided 41-27 win as two-point road favorites.
The Patriots went on to win Super Bowl titles following each of those victories in Pittsburgh, capping a stretch of three championships in four years. However, they have struggled at times during their current run of five straight AFC Championship Game appearances, picking up just two straight-up wins and covering just once in the contests.
Riding an eight-game SU win streak, the Patriots have emerged as a reliable bet as big favorites, going 7-2 ATS in their last nine games when favored by at least 7 1/2 points. But New England has struggled in recent postseason matchups when favored by fewer than seven points, going 1-3 SU and ATS over its past four, according to the OddsShark NFL Database.
The Steelers enter Sunday?s contest as SU winners in nine straight, 7-1-1 ATS, including last week?s 18-16 win over the Kansas City Chiefs as 2 1/2-point road underdogs to extend their current perfect run on the road to 5-0 SU and ATS.
Pittsburgh has produced a checkered record of late as betting underdogs, going 2-4 SU and 2-3-1 ATS in its past six overall, including a 27-16 loss to New England as seven-point home underdogs earlier this season.
The Steelers also have struggled to produce points in their past three games when pegged as underdogs, averaging fewer than 17 points per game, and have seen the point total go under in nine of their past 11.
That could spell trouble against the Patriots? defense, which surrendered just 15.6 points per game during the regular season and a mere 11.5 points per game over their past six games.
Pittsburgh also has struggled historically against the Patriots, dating back to before their clash in the 2002 AFC Championship Game. The Steelers are just 3-10 SU in their past 13 games against the Pats, and have tallied just three ATS wins in their past 14 meetings.
Thumbnail photo via Charles LeClaire/USA TODAY Sports Images
