Week 14 of the NFL season gets kicked off with a Thursday Night Football matchup featuring the Pittsburgh Steelers at Minnesota Vikings. In this article, I will identify the three most profitable bets from the Steelers-Vikings contest.
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This is an extremely important game for both teams, just as is the rest of their respective schedules. The Steelers are 6-6, looking to sneak into the playoffs as a Wild Card while the Vikings are 5-7-1 and just looking to not make their season statistically over. Both teams have some of the best wide receivers in the game, featuring Diontae Johnson of the Steelers and Justin Jefferson of the Vikings.
Without further ado, let’s dive into my top NFL picks for Thursday night.
Steelers at Vikings – Thursday Night Football Picks
| Steelers | Vikings | |
| ML | +145 | -176 |
| Spread | +3.5 (-110) | -3.5 (-110) |
| Totals | O43.5 (-110) | U43.5 (-110) |
Vikings (-3)
The Vikings are coming off a loss on Sunday which gave the Detroit Lions their first win of the season. Of course, the loss came on the very last play of the game, and these contests involving Minnesota are usually pretty close. In fact, all but one of its games this season have been decided by eight points or fewer.
After the loss to the Lions, it’s easy to want and fade the Vikings in this spot. However, when you have an embarrassing moment like that, sometimes the best thing to do is get right back out on the field. It’s also worth noting that everyone could jump on the Steelers after they finally got a win against the divisional-rival Baltimore Ravens on Sunday.
Over 43.5 Points (-110)
I really cannot believe that the total is this low down at 43.5, even when it initially opened at 46.5. In reality, an aging Ben Roethlisberger only had a few days to prepare for this game, and that could potentially be a cog in the engine for the Steelers. However, I believe they’ll overcome and put up enough points against a Vikings defense that has struggled plenty.
Minnesota will likely be without RB Dalvin Cook and WR Adam Thielen, but that’s ok. The Vikings have plenty of depth on their roster, and guys like RB Alexander Mattison and WR KJ Osborn have shown they are more than capable of filling in a few times. I also would not be surprised to see the Pittsburgh defense get a defensive special teams TD and/or make a big play to put the offense in prime scoring position.
Justin Jefferson – Over 89.5 Receiving Yards (-115)
As previously mentioned, Thielen is not expected to play on Thursday night, and that would open the door for another large target share for one of the NFL’s best receivers. Jefferson went wild on the Lions’ secondary last week for 11 catches on 14 targets for 182 yards and a touchdown. The former LSU standout is in a groove right now, with at least eight catches, nine targets and 143 yards in three of his last four games – the one misnomer saw Jefferson go for four catches on nine targets for 83 yards. Not too shabby, kid.
