The Steelers can take sole possession of first place in the AFC North with a win over the Giants on “Monday Night Football.”
Pittsburgh is a consensus 6-point home favorite over New York to improve to 6-2, which would give the Steelers a one-game lead over the Ravens (5-3), who lost to the Browns on Sunday.
Bettors are backing the Steelers (5-2, 5-2 against the spread), who crushed the Jets 37-15 at home last week in Russell Wilson’s first start at quarterback and whipped the Raiders 32-13 two weeks ago.
New York (2-5, 3-4 ATS) was blown out 28-3 by the Eagles last week.
“There’s no question, as beat up as the Giants are, we’re going to be Giants fans in this game,” Red Rock Resort sportsbook director Chuck Esposito said. “You’re talking about a Steelers team that played so well in that win last week in prime time against the Jets. This will be Russell Wilson’s second start, and they’re definitely active in the trade market looking for another receiver.
“A win here puts them at 6-2, and after the Ravens loss, they’ll be sitting on top of the AFC North by themselves with a win here. We’ll clearly be Giants fans.”
The consensus total is 36½, with Circa Sports and the Westgate SuperBook at 36. The Giants are 6-1 to the under this season and on a 16-6 under run overall. The Steelers are 4-3 to the under this season.
New York is +220 on the money line.
Underdogs are 8-7 ATS in Week 8 with five outright wins. Overs are 11-4.
Best bet
Systemplays.com handicapper Doug Fitz, who leads the Review-Journal NFL Challenge with a 26-13 ATS record (66.7 percent), recommends a play on the Giants.
“This is a good situational spot for the Giants,” he said. “They come off a lopsided divisional loss, while the Steelers pulled off an impressive home ’dog win. Very often, NFL teams regress after a huge win and vice versa after a bad loss. I expect the Giants to play to a close game, and the number is too high.”
Contact reporter Todd Dewey at [email protected]. Follow @tdewey33 on X.
