Houston VS Pittsburgh

Houston is 5-2 ATS in its last 7 games.
The total has gone UNDER in 12 of Houston's last 18 games.
Houston is 9-0 SU in its last 9 games.
Houston is 2-5 ATS in its last 7 games against Pittsburgh.
Pittsburgh is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games.
Pittsburgh is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games.
Pittsburgh is 6-2 ATS in its last 8 games at home.
The total has gone UNDER in 10 of Pittsburgh's last 15 games against an opponent in the American Football Conference conference.

(385) HOUSTON (12-5) at (386) PITTSBURGH (10-7)
* PITTSBURGH is 19-14 SU and 20-12-1 ATS vs. teams with better records since 2013
* PITTSBURGH’s Mike Tomlin is on a 35-28 SU and 41-19-1 ATS run as a single-digit underdog
Trends Match (PLAY): PITTSBURGH (+3 vs HOU)

* HOUSTON’s DeMeco Ryans is on 20-6 Under the total surge vs. teams with a winning record
* HOUSTON’s CJ Stroud is 18-12 Under the total in the last 30 games with his team coming off a win
* PITTSBURGH’s Aaron Rodgers is 14-2 Over the total in January games since 2017
* PITTSBURGH’s Aaron Rodgers is 16-7 Under the total vs. teams with a better record since 2014
* PITTSBURGH is 109-79 Under the total (58%) since 2015
Trends Match: 4 PLAYS UNDER, 1 PLAY OVER in HOU-PIT (o/u at 38.5)

(385) HOUSTON at (386) PITTSBURGH
* Home teams are 5-1 SU and ATS in the last six of the HOU-PIT set
Trend Match (PLAY): PITTSBURGH (+3 vs HOU)

Texans (-3) @ Steelers
Texans (12-5)
Texans are in playoffs for the third year in a row.
Houston has been in playoffs eight times; 6-2 at home, 0-6 on the road.
Texans are 6-2 in their first playoff game of a season, 0-6 in second one.
Stroud is 30-20 as an NFL starter, 2-2 in playoffs.
Ryans is 34-21 in as an NFL head coach, 2-2 in playoffs.

Houston is 1-1 ATS as a road favorite this year.
Houston is 5-0 in games decided by 10+ points, 7-5 in games decided by 8 or less.
Last four games, Texans scored 30.3 ppg.
Last 14 games, Texans are +20 in turnovers.
Over is 3-1 in their last four games.

Steelers (9-6)
Steelers are in playoffs for third year in row, fifth time in last six years.
Pittsburgh lost its last five playoff games; their last playoff win? 2017
Pittsburgh is 9-1 when it allows less than 25 points.
Rodgers is 174-103-1 as an NFL starter, 11-10 in playoff games.
Tomlin is 201-125-2 as a head coach, 8-11 in playoffs.

Steelers are 5-3-1 ATS as an underdog this year.
Steelers are 10-6-1 ATS last 17 games as a home underdog.
Pittsburgh won four of its last five home games SU.
Steelers are 6-3 in games decided by 7 or fewer points.
Under is 6-3 in their last nine games.

Steelers won five of last seven series games.
Texans are 0-3 SU/ATS in last three visits to Pittsburgh.
Last 3+ years NFL-wide, #4-seed is 5-2 SU/6-1 ATS in this round (all underdogs)

NFL wild-card predictions: Sharp money moves line on Steelers-Texans playoff game​
LV REVIEW JOURNAL SUBSCRIPTION

Something has to give in the Pittsburgh Steelers’ wild-card playoff game at home against the Houston Texans on “Monday Night Football.”

The Steelers are riding a 23-game home winning streak on Monday night, but coach Mike Tomlin has lost six straight postseason games.

The Texans are on a nine-game winning streak but searching for their first road win in the playoffs in the franchise’s 24-year history.

Houston is a 3-point favorite and the consensus total is 38, with 38½ available at the South Point, Caesars Sportsbook and STN Sports.

Sharp bettors have backed the Steelers, who were 3½-point underdogs last week.

“Right now, we need Houston. We’ve taken some big bets on Pittsburgh,” Westgate vice president of race and sports John Murray said. “Currently, we’ve taken some real sharp bets on Pittsburgh. But a lot of the sharp money has gone up in smoke this weekend.”

The Steelers won and covered four of their last five games this season, winning the AFC North division title in Week 18 with a 26-24 upset of the Ravens as 4½-point underdogs on “Sunday Night Football.”

“We’ve seen some money on the Steelers. The number has come down from 3 -120 to 3 flat (-110),” Red Rock Resort sportsbook director Chuck Esposito said. “We have a lot of future book liability on the Steelers, too. The Steelers have been at least 3-point home ‘dogs in a primetime game in back to back weeks. The difference is you get (wideout) DK Metcalf back.

“The Texans are a little challenged offensively but by far the best defensive team in the postseason. That’s why you see the lowest total on the board at 38½.”

Best bets​

Professional sports bettors Jeff Whitelaw and Randy McKay made Houston one of their best bets of wild-card weekend.

“Bad matchup for Pittsburgh versus Houston’s No. 1-rated defense,” said McKay (@RR39). “On the other side of the ball, I trust (Texans quarterback C.J.) Stroud and company to have more success against a Pittsburgh defense that has secondary issues to make big plays to win and cover.”

Whitelaw expects the Texans to shut down the Steelers.

“I don’t think Pittsburgh is going to be able to move the ball much on them,” he said. “I think the Texans win this one moderately easily.”

“Dr. Alan” Dumond, who won the Marc Lawrence Playbook Wise Guys contest with a 25-11 record against the spread and took 12th in the Westgate SuperContest, recommends a play on the under, noting that the Texans allow only 17.4 points per game and the Steelers have surrendered only 19 points per game in their past four.

“Despite both sides being involved in high-scoring affairs last week, we expect the defenses to control this game,” he said.

NBA H2H

(533) UTAH at (534) CLEVELAND
* Over the total is 6-1 in the last seven of the Jazz-Cavs non-conference series at Rocket Arena
Trend Match (PLAY OVER): UTA-CLE (o/u at 250.5)

(535) BOSTON at (536) INDIANA
* Over the total is 9-2 in the last 11 matchups between Boston and Indiana
Trend Match (PLAY OVER): BOS-IND (o/u at 226.5)

(537) PHILADELPHIA at (538) TORONTO
* Over the total is 8-1 in the last nine of the 76ers-Raptors divisional rivalry, including an Over last night
Trend Match (PLAY OVER): PHI-TOR (o/u at 221.5)

(539) BROOKLYN at (540) DALLAS
* Road teams are 6-1 ATS in the last seven of the BKN-DAL non-conference set
Trend Match (PLAY): BROOKLYN (+4.5 at DAL)

(541) LA LAKERS at (542) SACRAMENTO
* LA LAKERS have won and covered six straight meetings with divisional foe Sacramento
Trend Match (PLAY): LA LAKERS (-13.5 at SAC)

(543) CHARLOTTE at (544) LA CLIPPERS
* Underdogs are 2-6 SU but 6-2 ATS in the last eight of the CHA-LAC cross-country series
Trend Match (PLAY): CHARLOTTE (+4.5 at LAC)