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We're in the thick of the NFL playoff hunt and every game is crucial for teams hoping to punch their ticket to the postseason.
As always, we've got two opening NFL line picks to make now before the lines move—one spread bet and one total bet for this week.
You can see all of our current and historical NFL picks in our Best NFL Bets & Picks Guide. You can also compare NFL lines and odds by sportsbooks here.
New England Patriots @ Pittsburgh Steelers UNDER 30.5 – Thursday, 8:15 pm ET
It’s hard to see where points will come from in this. The Patriots are averaging just 290.4 yards per game and a league-worst 12.3 points per game. The have scored just 13 points combined in their last 3 weeks and look completely out of sync on offense.
The good news for the Patriots is their defense has been keeping them in games. They have allowed just 26 points in their last 3 games and will now get to face a Steelers team being led by backup QB Mitch Trubisky following an injury last week to starter Kenny Pickett. The Patriots are 8th in the league in yards allowed, giving up just 310.5 per game.
The Steelers are not much better offensively than the Patriots. The Steelers are averaging just 16.0 points and 294.9 yards per game.
They have scored just 36 points in their last 3 games and much like New England they have been relying on their defense to keep them in games. They have given up just 47 points in their last 3 games.
These teams don’t meet frequently, but the games they have played have gone under in 4 straight meetings.
The trends also support the under. 8 of the last 10 Patriots games have gone under and 9 of the last 10 Steelers games have gone under. Even with a low total, the under looks like the right side here, play this game UNDER 30.5 on Thursday night.
New Orleans Saints -5.5 vs Carolina Panthers – Sunday, 1 pm ET
The Panthers come into this game at just 1-11 following another loss last week on the road at Tampa Bay. This will be the third-consecutive road game for Carolina. They are 0-7 on the road, with only 2 losses coming by less than 7 points and those were against teams that are not very good in Chicago and Tampa.
QB Bryce Young has continued to struggle. He has thrown just 2 touchdowns compared to 5 interceptions in his last 5 games and the coaching change did not bring about any improvement last week when he completed under 50% of his passes.
Even if Saints QB Derek Carr is unable to go because he cannot clear concussion protocol or because of a rib injury, the Saints have a very capable backup QB in Jameis Winston.
Last week, the Saints fell behind 21-0 but fought back before falling 33-28 to the Lions.
Carolina has one of the worst offenses in the league, scoring just 15.9 points and putting up only 267.3 yards per game. On the other hand, the Saints are averaging over 348 yards and 21.4 points per game.
The Saints are the better all-around team. Getting them under a touchdown at home is a good number. Grab the Saints -5.5 on Sunday afternoon.
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