Cincinnati Bengals vs Pittsburgh Steelers Prediction, 1/4/2025 NFL Picks, Best Bets & Odds Week 18

Game: Cincinnati Bengals at Pittsburgh Steelers

Date: Saturday, January 4, 2025

Location: Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh, PA

TV: ESPN

Odds-Point Spread: Steelers (+2.5)

Total-Over-Under: 48.5

The Cincinnati Bengals (8-8) are traveling to Acrisure Stadium on Saturday where they will try to defeat the Pittsburgh Steelers (10-6). Pittsburgh opens this game as 2.5-point underdogs from Vegas oddsmakers. The over-under is set at 48.5.

The Cincinnati Bengals come into this game with a record of 8-8 for this season. In their last game, the Bengals took on the Denver Broncos and took home the win by a score of 24-6. Joe Burrow went 39-49 with 412 yds passing and 3 TDs. He had a QB rating of 122.1 and finished the game without throwing a pick. Chase Brown led the offense in rushing for the Bengals with 20 carries for 67 yards (3.4 yards per attempt). Tee Higgins held an average of 11.9 yds per reception by recording 131 yards on 11 catches. The Cincinnati Bengals rushed the ball a total of 28 times and recorded 115 yards, earning them an average of 4.1 yards per tote. For the game, they had 77 plays for 499 yds. Cincinnati conceded 20 completions on 34 tries for 125 yds, and a completion percentage of 58.8%. When it came to the battle of the line of scrimmage, the Bengals conceded 148 yds on 24 attempts, which averages out to 6.2 yds per run allowed.

In terms of scoring points, the Cincinnati Bengals are averaging 28.3 points per outing. As a team they maintain an average of 94.1 yards on the ground which is 29th in the NFL. The Bengals currently have 5,900 yards in total for the season. Cincinnati has recorded 238 1st downs as an offense, and they have been called for 95 infractions for 755 yds. They have given the ball to the opposition 20 times (8 picks and 12 fumbles). When it comes to getting the ball in the endzone, Cincinnati has amassed 42 touchdowns through the air and 11 rushing touchdowns.

In terms of passing yardage, the Bengals have conceded 3,680 yards which puts them in 25th in the NFL. They have conceded 230.0 yards per game via the pass in addition to conceding a completion percentage of 65.5%. They have granted 29 touchdowns via the pass in addition to 19 touchdowns pounding the rock. Overall, they have yielded 358.0 yards per contest putting them at 27th in football. Opposing teams are running for an average of 4.5 yards per rushing attempt and 128.0 yards on the ground per game for the season. The Bengals are ranked 29th in the NFL in terms of team defense, allowing 26.1 points per game. For the year, they have conceded 2,048 yards via the ground game in 16 contests.

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The Steelers come into this matchup with a record of 10-6 for this season. In their last contest, the Steelers walked away with a loss by a score of 34-17 against the Kansas City Chiefs. Russell Wilson walked away from the game with 205 yards on 23-37 passing while his quarterback rating was 65.7. He tossed 1 pick and his avg yards per attempt was 5.5 yards. Najee Harris carried the ball 13 times for 74 yds, finishing the game with 5.7 yards per carry for Pittsburgh. Pat Freiermuth was one of the featured targets for the Steelers, bringing in 7 throws for 60 yards (8.6 yds per catch). Pittsburgh rushed for 6.5 yards per attempt, finishing the game with 202 yds on 31 attempts. The Steelers finished the game with a total of 364 yards on 68 plays (5.4 yds per play). The Steelers secondary gave up a completion rate of 65.2%, surrendering 198 yards on 15 for 23 through the air. Pittsburgh allowed 38 rushing attempts for 220 yards (5.8 yds per carry).

The Pittsburgh Steelers average 327.3 yards-game which has them sitting 16th out of all teams in the NFL. They maintain an average of 130.8 yards per game via the ground game and have rushed for 2,092 yards in total. The Pittsburgh offense has 803 penalty yards on 99 infractions, which ranks them 20th in the NFL in terms of giving up free yards. For the season thus far, the Steelers currently have a total of 3,145 yards through the air as well as holding an average of 196.6 passing yards per outing, ranking them 25th in the league. When it comes to their scoring prowess, the Steelers rank 13th out of all teams in the NFL averaging 22.7 points per outing.

The Steelers are allowing 20.5 PPG, ranking them 8th of all teams in the NFL. They have allowed 22 touchdowns through the air as well as 226.9 yards per outing, which has them in 23rd in football. Pittsburgh has yielded a total of 1,610 yards via the ground game (100.6 yards per contest) in addition to 14 touchdowns rushing for the season. The Steelers defense has participated in 963 plays, which ranks them 8th in the league. Their defense has tallied 31 takeaways (15 fumbles and 16 picks) on the year.

Who will win tonight's Bengals-Steelers NFL game against the spread?

Guy's Pick: Take the Steelers +2.5

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