NFL Week 12 Preview: Pittsburgh Steelers (-10 ½) @ Kansas City Chiefs

Sports Betting Overview

It is correct to have the Steelers be favorites in this game because, logic would suggest, that the Steelers will win this game and by a significant margin. But the Kansas City Chiefs are so hard to figure out this season that almost anything could happen in this game. With quarterback Matt Cassel injured, the Chiefs have turned to the tuft of hair known as Tyler Palko to try and win games. But Palko is not playing the role of able backup. He is unpredictable, undisciplined and makes really bad decisions in the face of just the slightest pressure. In the week 11 loss to the New England Patriots, Palko throw three interceptions without countering with a single touchdown pass. Will we see rookie Ricky Stanzi this week? Considering how bad Palko is playing and the luck that other 2011 rookie quarterbacks have had, we just may see the rookie in week 12.

The price per head sports fans in Pittsburgh have seen the Steelers develop from an unpredictable bunch on offense to a potent offensive unit. Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger keeps making up the offense as he goes along, but his adlib solutions are extremely effective. The Pittsburgh running game is helping to spread out the opposing defense and Big Ben is showing the arm strength that everyone was expecting to see. The bookie software is still unsure about the Pittsburgh defense. It looks like the Steelers are having a tough time adjusting to the new rules regarding hitting, but it is making progress.

Kansas City Chiefs

The Chiefs have become a shell of what it was last season. Running back Thomas Jones has shown that he cannot carry the running game without the injured Jamaal Charles. What was one the most potent running game in football has been completely neutralized. A bodog review of the Chiefs’ 2011 season shows that, without the dominating running game, the Chiefs are not contenders. When you strip away the running game you see that the Chiefs have not made many substantial changes to the rest of the team, and that is causing problems.

Pittsburgh Steelers

The NFL schedule has never been something that has bothered the Pittsburgh Steelers. But the NFL rules committee looked like it had short-circuited a great Pittsburgh defense. But the Pittsburgh defense has rebounded to become the second-best unit in the league. Pittsburgh has a lot of work to do as two losses to Baltimore this season means that the Steelers do not own the tie-breaker over the Ravens as the Steelers did last year. The Steelers need to win the division straight-up, and that won’t be easy.

The Bottom Line

The Steelers will be able to do whatever it wants against this Kansas City Chiefs team. The Chiefs don’t have the defense to stop the adlibbing Ben Roethlisberger, and the Chiefs offense lost all of its punch with the injuries to Jamaal Charles and Matt Cassel. The Steelers should not look past this game, but it is a game that Pittsburgh should definitely win.

Pick: Pittsburgh Steelers