Our Las Vegas Raiders vs. Pittsburgh Steelers prediction takes a look at a Week 16 matchup that features two teams that are holding onto hope they’ll work their way into the playoff picture.
Let’s dive into the current NFL betting odds and key storylines to watch and make a prediction for the game. Note that all odds are from DraftKings Sportsbook as of Tuesday, Dec. 20.
Raiders vs. Steelers Odds
- Spread
Steelers -3 - Moneyline
Steelers -145, Raiders +125 - Over/Under
39 points
Raiders vs. Steelers Prediction
The Las Vegas Raiders are coming off one of the wildest endings to a game in NFL history. Despite being in a tie game in the final seconds of regulation, Jakobi Meyers of the New England Patriots tossed a lateral intended for Mac Jones only to give the ball right to Chandler Jones of the Raiders.
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If you paid attention to the NFL at all last week, you know how the rest of that play went, and the Raiders playoff hopes remained alive thanks to that inexplainable turnover. Las Vegas now holds a 6-8 record, and they find themselves just two games back from the final wildcard spot in the AFC.
It still remains a long shot that the Raiders work their way into the postseason. They would need to win all of their final three games, and several of the other teams in contention would need to lose multiple games. But it’s still possible.
That makes this game against Pittsburgh a must-win matchup that will determine whether the Raiders are playing for anything over the final two weeks of the season.
The key to winning this matchup for Las Vegas is to find success in their passing game against a Steelers defense that’s allowing the ninth most passing yards per contest (238.8). With Darren Waller and Hunter Renfrow getting back to full strength, Las Vegas has the playmakers to take advantage of a plus matchup.
It all comes down to Derek Carr and the offense being able to get the ball into their hands and convert.
With regards to Pittsburgh, they were able to secure a victory over the Carolina Panthers last week and move to 6-8 on the year. They still sit at the bottom of the AFC North, but they remain alive in the playoff hunt and are just two games back from the final wildcard spot.
Just like Las Vegas, they will need to win every one of their final three games in order to have a chance to make it to the postseason, but it still remains a possibility at this moment.
The Steelers were able to do enough last week to secure the victory. Mitchell Trubisky was accurate — he went 17/22 passing in Week 15 — and he took care of the football. Both Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren were able to find the end zone and make an impact on the ground, while Diontae Johnson put up a season-high yardage total of 98.
Will that be enough offensive production to keep their playoff hopes alive this week against the Raiders? Las Vegas is allowing the ninth most points per game this season, and it’s a favorable matchup for Pittsburgh both through the air and on the ground. But the Steelers might not have enough firepower on offense to take advantage.
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Kenny Pickett’s status leading up to this matchup will be crucial to monitor. If Pickett can make it back for Week 16, Pittsburgh has a chance of moving to 7-8 on the season and keeping themselves in the postseason conversation. If Trubisky or Mason Rudolph is the starting QB for the Steelers, it might not be enough to secure the victory. As of Tuesday afternoon, Pickett is on track to return from concussion protocol.
Raiders vs. Steelers Prediction
Raiders 21, Steelers 18