NFL Odds: Patriots Narrow Road Favorites Vs. Steelers In Week 15

The New England Patriots can take a huge step toward clinching their 10th straight AFC East title with a win Sunday when they visit the Pittsburgh Steelers as narrow 2-point favorites on the Week 15 NFL odds at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com.

New England blew a golden opportunity to lock up the divisional crown and a playoff berth in last weekend’s stunning 34-33 loss in Miami that reduced the team’s lead over the Dolphins in the standings to just two games going into Sunday afternoon’s Patriots vs. Steelers betting matchup at Heinz Field.

Last weekend’s loss to the Dolphins as 9-point chalk extends New England’s struggles on the road this season. The Patriots now have fallen to defeat in two of their past three dates away from Gillette Stadium and sport a middling 3-4 straight-up road record, with all four defeats coming while pegged as betting favorites.

The Patriots also sport a shaky track record when set as road favorites by three or fewer points, going 3-5 SU and against the spread in their past eight while being held to 20 or fewer points on five occasions during that stretch. In addition, New England is just 2-2 SU and ATS in its past four visits to Pittsburgh as narrow favorites, eking out a 27-24 win as 2.5-point chalk in its last visit to Steel City in December of last year.

New England’s middling road play has started to have an impact on the team’s position on the Super Bowl odds, where the team has slipped to +700 after being pegged at +550 prior to its defeat by the Dolphins. The Patriots also sit second to the Kansas City Chiefs as a +240 wager to repeat as AFC champions.

But before the Patriots can think about a return trip to the Super Bowl, they have plenty of work to do to nail down a playoff berth. New England currently holds down the second seed in the AFC, edging out the 9-4 Houston Texans on the strength of tiebreakers, but sit just 1.5 games up on the Steelers for fourth place overall in the conference standings.

The Steelers will have a lot to prove in Sunday’s contest after dropping a 24-21 decision to the woeful Oakland Raiders as 10-point road favorites last weekend to extend their current SU losing slide to three games. Pittsburgh also owns an ordinary 3-3 SU record on home turf this season, and has struggled in recent home dates with New England, going 2-7 SU and ATS in their past nine matchups.