Sunday’s game against the Raiders was an interesting one for Steelers fans, as they got a glimpse at what life without Ben Roethlisberger would look like.
The veteran quarterback was held out for the majority of the second half with a rib injury, only returning once the Raiders took a 17-14 lead with a little more than five minutes remaining in the fourth quarter.
In heroic fashion, Big Ben led Pittsburgh down the field and threw a touchdown pass to JuJu Smith-Schuster, which accounted for the Steelers’ first points of the second half. Alas, it did not matter, as the Raiders scored another touchdown en route to a 24-21 win.
This past week, the Steelers were listed at -2.5 vs. the Patriots on Westgate’s lookahead lines, but due to the concerns over Roethlisberger’s ribs, sportsbooks haven’t posted the Pittsburgh-New England line on Sunday night with the rest of next week’s slate despite his return late in the game.
NFL Week 15
KC -3.5 vs LAC
Hou -6.5 at NYJ
Den -4 vs Cle
Min -8 vs Mia
Cin -3.5 vs Oak
Bal -7.5 vs TB
Ind -3 vs Dal
Det Pick at Buf
Chi -5.5 vs GB
NYG -3 Ev vs Ten
Jax -7.5 vs Wsh
Atl -7.5 vs Ari
Sea -6 at SF
Pit (NL) vs NE
LAR -7.5 vs Phi
NO -7 at Car— Jeff Sherman (@golfodds) December 10, 2018
Roethlisberger is among the most valuable players in the league to the spread per the oddsmakers. He’s among a handful of “Tier 2” quarterbacks, worth at least five points to the spread, only behind three “Tier 1” quarterbacks — Aaron Rodgers, Tom Brady and Russell Wilson.
In a close game like this in which the Pats would flip from dog to favorite, Roethlisberger’s value will likely be on the higher end. If Pitt had been set to play Jeff Driskel and the Bengals next week at home and were in the -14 range, the drop off may not be as extreme.
>> Sign up for The Action Network’s daily newsletter to get the smartest conversation delivered into your inbox each day.
I would expect the Patriots to be more than three point favorites if Roethlisberger can’t go, especially since his replacement, Joshua Dobbs, went 4-9 for just 24 yards and an interception. It’s possible that the line could even move a couple points higher than that given public expectations.
Stay posted by following @ActionNetworkHQ and @FantasyLabsNFL for the latest injury news.
