NFL : Patriots Favored by 6 Over Red-Hot Steelers

The Pittsburgh Steelers have captured the attention of bettors with nine straight wins at 7-1-1 ATS. But they’ll face their toughest challenge of the season this Sunday (6:40 PM ET, CBS) when they visit the New England Patriots in the Conference Championships. The Patriots are 6-point favorites at press time with a total of 51.

New England (15-2 SU, 14-3 ATS) is also on a tear, winning eight in a row at 7-1 ATS and covering some big spreads along the way – none bigger than the 17 points they were laying in last week’s 34-16 Divisional Round victory over the Houston Texans. The Patriots escaped that game mostly intact; WR Malcolm Mitchell remains iffy for this week after sitting against Houston with a knee injury.

The Steelers (13-5 SU, 11-6-1 ATS) didn’t have any new names on their injury list after squeaking past the Kansas City Chiefs 18-16 last week as 1-point road dogs. But their chances for Sunday will improve if TE Ladarius Green makes it out of concussion protocol in time to face New England. The weather forecast calls for overcast skies over Foxborough at kick-off with temperatures in the low 40s.

NFL Odds: AFC Title Up for Grabs in Foxborough

The participants for Super Bowl 51 will be decided this weekend. Who will represent the AFC? The odds say it’ll be the New England Patriots, who are favored by 6 points over the Pittsburgh Steelers this Sunday (6:40 PM ET, CBS) in Foxborough.

There’s also a total of 51 points on the board for Sunday’s contest, even though the weather forecast calls for overcast skies and temperatures hovering around 40 degrees at game time. The Patriots (15-2 SU, 14-3 ATS) and Steelers (13-5 SU, 11-6-1 ATS) each had the under at 10-6 during the regular season.