Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Minnesota Vikings Predictions, Odds, Picks

VegasInsider Staff Sports Betting Expert

5 minute read

Dec. 9, 2021

Michael Crosson
VI Betting Expert
VegasInsider.com

The 14th week of regular-season NFL action will kick things off on Thursday night with a compelling non-conference bout between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Minnesota Vikings. Coverage begins from U.S. Bank Stadium at 8:00 p.m. ET on FOX.

Score Prediction

Steelers 24, Vikings 20

Best Bets

Steelers +3 (+100) at WynnBet

Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Minnesota Vikings Predictions

After winning the AFC North with a record of 12-4 last year, Pittsburgh stumbled out to a surprisingly slow start to the new season, as the Steelers kicked things off with a lackluster 1-3 skid – with all three of those losses coming by nine points or more.

The Steelers have played solid football since starting 1-3 though, considering Pittsburgh enters Thursday’s contest following wins in six of the last eight games – which includes impressive upset victories over the Broncos, Browns, and Ravens.

On the other hand, Minnesota also sputtered out to a slow start to the season, as the Vikings kicked things off with tight losses in three of their first four games – with Minnesota’s first three defeats coming by a narrow margin of 3.7 PPG.

The Vikings have played relatively pedestrian football since their 1-3 start though, considering Minnesota enters Thursday’s contest riding an even 4-4 run – which includes head-scratching losses to the Niners and Lions.

I’ll take the points with the Steelers here, as aside from their tie against the Lions, the Steelers have played solid football since Week 4 (4-2-1) – while Kirk Cousins is notorious for his struggles in primetime.

Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Minnesota Vikings Betting Odds

More Odds | Futures Odds

The Vikings enter Thursday’s contest as a field-goal favorite over the visiting Steelers – marking the fourth straight game Pittsburgh has been an underdog in.

The total for Thursday’s matchup is stationed just south of OU 44 at most shops, which marks the lowest over-under set for a Vikings’ game this year.

Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Minnesota Vikings Betting Resources

• Matchup: AFC North vs. NFC North
• Date: Thursday, December 9, 2021
• Venue: U.S. Bank Stadium
• Location: Minneapolis, Minnesota
• TV-Time: FOX/NFLN - 8:20 p.m. ET

• Weather Report
• Injury Report
• Super Bowl 56 Betting

Pittsburgh Steelers Betting Analysis

Straight Up - SU, Against the Spread - ATS, Over-Under (O/U)

• SU: 6-5-1
• ATS: 5-7
• O/U: 4-8
• ATS - Home: 2-5
• ATS - Away: 3-2

Many bettors immediately wrote off the Steelers after stumbling out to a disappointing 1-3 start, but it appears the Steelers weren’t quite done yet, as Pittsburgh enters Week 14 sitting well within striking distance in the AFC North with a record of 6-5-1.

The key to Pittsburgh’s success must be its defense though, considering the Steelers have surrendered 20 PTS or less in five of their six victories this year.

Minnesota Vikings Betting Analysis

Straight Up - SU, Against the Spread - ATS, Over-Under (O/U)

• SU: 5-7
• ATS: 6-6
• O/U: 7-5
• ATS - Home: 3-3
• ATS - Away: 3-3

After posting an underwhelming 1-3 start to the season, the Vikings somewhat escaped the league’s radar for a few weeks, as Minnesota entered its next two matchups generously favored over bottom-tier opponents in the Lions and Panthers in Weeks 5 and 6.

With Week 14 now on the horizon though, the oddsmakers are finally starting to figure out Minnesota, considering the Vikings enter Sunday’s contest riding a back-and-forth 4-4 run – while getting accurately tagged as underdogs in four of those affairs.

(AP) The total has gone under in four of the last five matchups between the Steelers and Vikings.

Inside the Stats - Pittsburgh Steelers

• Record: 6-5-1
• Division Standing: 3rd - AFC North
• Points Scored: 244
• Points Allowed: 286
• PS/G: 20.3 (21st)
• PA/G: 23.8 (23rd)

Inside the Stats - Minnesota Vikings

• Record: 5-7
• Division Standing: 2nd - AFC North
• Points Scored: 308
• Points Allowed: 305
• PS/G: 25.7 (11th)
• PA/G: 25.4 (25th)

Key Players to Watch

• PIT: Ben Roethlisberger - QB (64.8% CMP, 2,758 YDS, 16 TD, 6 INT)
• PIT: Najee Harris - RB (217 CAR, 779 YDS, 5 TD)
• MIN: Kirk Cousins - QB (68.4% CMP, 3,353 YDS, 25 TD, 3 INT)
• MIN: Justin Jefferson - WR (78 REC, 1,209 YDS, 7 TD)

Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Minnesota Vikings Betting Conclusion

After losing back-to-back matchups to the Niners and Lions, the Vikings enter Thursday night’s contest as a field-goal favorite over the visiting Steelers – marking the fourth straight matchup Pittsburgh has been an underdog in.

I’ll take the points with Pittsburgh here, as the Vikings’ defense has looked awful the last two weeks, surrendering 31.5 PPG on 397.5 YPG across a pair of losses to Detroit and San Francisco – which is unaffordable against solid defensive squads like the Steelers.

Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Minnesota Vikings Betting Trends

• The Steelers are 4-1 SU in their last four matchups against the Vikings.
• The total has gone OVER in four of the last five Vikings games.
• The Steelers are 2-4 SU in their last four road games.
• The total has gone UNDER in four of the last five matchups between Pittsburgh and Minnesota.

Where to place a bet this NFL Season?

• Use our exclusive BetMGM Bonus Code VIBONUS1500 to unlock BetMGM’s welcome offer for new sportsbook users!
• Compare the latest NFL Odds from the best sportsbooks before placing a bet on this week's games.
• Check out the North Carolina Sportsbooks just before they launch legal online sports betting.

VegasInsider Staff

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