The Buffalo Bills will try to clinch just their second playoff berth this century when they take on the surging Pittsburgh Steelers in a Sunday Night Football matchup with significant postseason implications at Heinz Field. The Bills (9-4) last made the playoffs in the 2017 season. That was their first appearance since the 1999 season. This year, Buffalo still has an outside chance of catching New England for the AFC East title. Meanwhile, the Steelers (8-5) are looking to go 8-1 in their last nine games. They currently occupy the No. 2 wild card spot in the AFC and are 5-0 against the spread in their last five games. Kickoff is set for 8:20 p.m. ET. Pittsburgh is a one-point favorite in the latest Steelers vs. Bills odds, while the over-under for total points scored is 37. Before making any Bills vs. Steelers picks of your own, be sure to check out the Sunday Night Football predictions from the SportsLine Projection Model.
The model, which simulates every NFL game 10,000 times, is up over $7,000 for $100 players on its top-rated NFL picks since its inception four years ago. It has nailed its recent top-rated NFL picks, entering Week 15 of the 2019 NFL schedule on a strong 33-21 run that dates back to last season. It's also on an incredible 95-64 roll on top-rated NFL picks that dates back to the 2017 season.
The model ranked in the Top 10 on NFLPickWatch the past three years on straight-up NFL picks and beat more than 96 percent of CBS Sports office pool players last season. Anyone who has followed it is way up.
Now, it has analyzed Steelers vs. Bills on Sunday Night Football. We can tell you the model is leaning under the total, and it has also generated a strong against the spread pick that hits in almost 60 percent of simulations. You can head to SportsLine to see it. Now, here are the NFL lines and trends for Steelers vs. Bills:
- Steelers vs. Bills spread: Pittsburgh -1
- Steelers vs. Bills over-under: 37
- Steelers vs. Bills money line: Pittsburgh -133, Buffalo +112
- Steelers: WR James Washington has 11 catches of 20 yards or more.
- Bills: RB Devin Singletary has rushed for at least 75 yards each time he has at least 15 carries.
The model knows that Pittsburgh has been elite at generating turnovers. The Steelers have forced an NFL-best 33 takeaways (18 interceptions, 15 fumbles) this season. In last week's 23-17 win at Arizona, Pittsburgh forced three turnovers.
In addition, the model has taken into account that safety Minkah Fitzpatrick has transformed Pittsburgh's defense. Since he joined the team before Week 3, Pittsburgh ranks second in the league in scoring defense (16.5 points per game) and fourth in total defense (311.7 yards per game). He alone has five interceptions and three fumble recoveries since being acquired from Miami.
Pittsburgh will also feed off the home crowd, but that doesn't mean it will cover the Steelers vs. Bills spread on Sunday Night Football.
The Bills are 3-0-1 against the spread in their last four games after allowing less than 150 yards passing in their previous game. The Ravens had 139 in a 24-17 victory against Buffalo last week, and Buffalo's defense is among the league's best. The Bills allow just 16.3 points per game and 191.5 yards through the air. The defense gets after opposing quarterbacks, with four players up front posting at least four sacks, led by Jordan Phillips with 7.5 and Shaq Lawson with 5.5.
Allen runs the offense by getting it into the hands of the playmakers and not making mistakes. He has thrown for 2,737 yards and 17 touchdowns with only eight interceptions. The Bills also rank fifth in the NFL with 135.3 rushing yards per game. Rookie running back Devin Singletary has taken over as the primary back and averages 5.6 yards per carry, while Frank Gore has rushed for 558 yards in his 15th NFL season. John Brown is the top receiver with 64 receptions for 908 yards and five touchdowns.
So who wins Bills vs. Steelers on Sunday Night Football? And which side of the spread can you bank on in almost 60 percent of simulations? Visit SportsLine right now to find out which side of the Bills vs. Steelers spread you should be all over on Sunday, all from the model on a 95-64 roll on NFL picks.