This is officially the worst New England Patriots season since 2000, which is when Bill Belichick was appointed the head coach. Twenty-three years ago, the Pats finished the season 5-11, while in 2023, they’re currently 2-10, meaning that things could get even worse.
They surely want to prevent that from happening, but for that, they need to start winning again. The bad news is that they’re taking on motivated Steelers in Week 13. The good news is that the Steelers are banged up ahead of the TNF game, so the Pats might stand a chance.
New England Patriots vs. Pittsburgh Steelers Week 14 TNF Odds
| Moneyline | Odds |
|---|---|
| New England Patriots +6 | -110 |
| Pittsburgh Steelers -6 | -110 |
| Moneyline | Odds |
|---|---|
| New England Patriots | +205 |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | -250 |
| Moneyline | Odds |
|---|---|
| Over 31.5 | -110 |
| Under 31.5 | -110 |
*Odds taken from FanDuel Sportsbook on Monday, December 4.
When, Where, and How to Watch?
- Place: Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- Date: Thursday, December 7, 2023
- Time: 8:15 p.m. ET
- How to Watch: Amazon
Pittsburgh Steelers Without QB Kenny Pickett in Week 14 TNF Game
The Steelers are 7-5 in the 2023 NFL, which puts them in third place in the AFC North with two wins fewer than table leaders, the Baltimore Ravens. Everyone expected them to stay just one win behind the Ravens, but the Steelers ended up losing by 10-point underdogs, the Arizona Cardinals last weekend.
It was a strange game which was interrupted several times due to heavy rain. More importantly, the game saw Pittsburgh’s quarterback Kenny Pickett injure his ankle, which is why he’ll have to sit out the TNF game.
Even with Pickett on the field, the Steelers weren’t scoring a lot – they’re the fifth-worst offense in the 2023 NFL with 16.0 points per game. Is it fair to assume their scoring average is going to drop even further now that the backup QB Mitch Trubisky is going to get the lead role?
New England Patriots Want to Salvage the 2023 Season
The Patriots are 2-10 right now and are winless since October. The reason behind all this is that their offense has been horrendous in 2023. They’re the team with the lowest points average in the league, scoring just 12.3 points per game.
The worst thing is that their average in their last three games is 4.3 PPG, with zero points scored in their most recent game. It happened against the Los Angeles Chargers, who aren’t famous for having a particularly strong defense.
In fact, the Chargers are better known for their lethal offense, which is why it’s kind of surprising that the Pats defense managed to hold them to just two field goals. Knowing this, they should be able to hold Trubisky & Co. to a low number of points on Thursday night.
New England Patriots vs. Pittsburgh Steelers Prediction
Both teams are great defensively, but bad offensively. The latter part of that sentence is particularly true for the Patriots, who we think stand no chance of scoring more than their season average against the NFL’s sixth-best defense.
Picks: Pittsburgh Steelers (-250) & under 31.5 points (-110)