The New England Patriots vs. Pittsburgh Steelers “Thursday Night Football” betting over/under total is approaching a 30-year low, and the weather isn’t even a factor.
The Patriots vs. Steelers game’s total dropped to 29.5 at ESPN BET earlier in the week before bookmakers settled on a consensus total of 30 as of Thursday morning. Since the Carolina Panthers and Chicago Bears played in a divisional playoff game in 2006 (30), it would be the lowest over/under.
No total has dropped below thirty since December 26, 1993, when three games had sub-30 totals due to very cold weather. With temps in the low 20s and gusts of 23 mph, the Colts vs. Patriots game on Sunday had the lowest total of any game in the ESPN Stats & Information database—28. That game was won 38-0 by the Patriots.
Pittsburgh is predicted to have temperatures in the 40s on Thursday along with low breezes.
Due to Kenny Pickett’s severe ankle injury, the Steelers will play backup quarterback Mitch Trubisky against the stout Patriots defense. New England has scored seven points or less in three consecutive games. The starting quarterback for Sunday’s 6-0 defeat to the Los Angeles Chargers was Bailey Zappe.
At bookmakers, more people were betting on the Patriots-Steelers total than normal, with the majority of bets going under. Several bookmakers had upwards of 80% of the early total bets placed on the under. According to a BetMGM representative, more wagers on the total than on any other market it was providing for the Patriots-Steelers game were placed on Thursday. The point spread usually attracts the greatest wagers.
The over/under for Sunday’s Jacksonville Jaguars vs. Cleveland Browns game, which might feature backup quarterbacks in windy, wet conditions, was 30.5 as of Thursday, which was among the lowest in NFL history.
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