Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger is expected to return to action on Sunday when the Pittsburgh Steelers play host to the undefeated Cincinnati Bengals as 1.5-point betting underdogs at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com.
Big Ben has been sidelined for a month since suffering a knee injury in the Steelers’ 12-6 win in Week 3 over the Rams in St. Louis, with veteran Michael Vick and third-year pivot Landry Jones leading the club to a pair of straight-up wins in his absence.
Pittsburgh is coming off a disappointing 23-13 road loss to the Kansas City Chiefs as 3-point underdogs, their first against the spread defeat of the season, and enters Sunday’s Bengals vs. Steelers betting matchup at Heinz Field averaging just 20.5 points per game over their last four, and have seen the point total play UNDER in 10 of their past 12 contests.
They meet a rested Bengals squad that is coming off a bye week after opening the season with six SU wins, 5-0-1 ATS, and seven SU wins in their last nine road contests.
However, Cincinnati has lost three straight to Pittsburgh, and are just 4-13 SU and ATS in their last 17 meetings with their AFC North divisional rivals.
The Chiefs, meanwhile, travel to London, where they will meet the Detroit Lions on Sunday morning as 5-point betting favorites in the final NFL International Series game of the season.
Kansas City ended a five-game SU and ATS losing skid with their victory over the Steelers, and have held opponents to just 15.7 points per game over their last three.
The Lions made offensive coaching changes this week after falling to 1-6 with a 28-19 loss to the surging Minnesota Vikings. Detroit is now a dismal 1-9 SU in their last 10 games according to the OddsShark NFL Database, and have disappointed bettors with their current 5-13 ATS run.
The 4-2 Vikings will be looking to solidify their place in the NFC Wild Card hunt with a third straight victory when they visit the Chicago Bears in a contest pegged as a pick’em at the sportsbooks.
Minnesota is a middling 3-2 in their last five against the Bears, who are 2-1 SU and undefeated against the spread since opening with three consecutive losses.
In other NFL Week 8 betting action, the Green Bay Packers visit the undefeated Denver Broncos as 2.5-point chalk, while the struggling Baltimore Ravens take on the San Diego Chargers as 3-point favorites, and the Seattle Seahawks battle the Dallas Cowboys as 5.5-point road favorites.