The NFL 2022 season will officially end for someone in the final match of a busy day of action on Christmas Eve when the Pittsburgh Steelers play host to the Las Vegas Raiders in a do or die clash in the late game.
Both teams go into the night with 6-8 records and already know that if they are to extend their season they have to win their final three matches and hope that it is enough to snatch a wildcard spot. Even if they do win those games their destiny is out of their hands.
Pittsburgh Steelers
The Pittsburgh Steelers were in a right hole a few weeks ago when they sat with a 2-7 record. To their credit they have won four of their last five to remain relevant in the race for an AFC wildcard spot and although they haven’t always convinced in that run, they have got the results which at this stage of the season is all that matters. If you wanted to be critical you could question what they have beaten in that run but they can only beat what is in front of them.
The big thing for the Steelers in this run is that their defence has stepped up to the plate. Only Cincinnati Bengals have put up more than 17 points on them in this run and that is no surprise with T.J. Watt back doing what he does best. That has taken the pressure off the offense, which has struggled without a recognised quarterback that they can rely on. That would be the concern here but they have momentum behind them.
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Las Vegas Raiders
They are not the only ones with momentum behind them because the Las Vegas Raiders are flying home after a dismal start to the campaign. You would imagine that this run has come too late for them to make anything of their season but it will provide faith in Josh McDaniels as a head coach as halfway through the campaign it looked like it might all be a bit too much for the man in his first season in that position.
The Raiders have won four of their last five matches, which would have been all five but for that incredible last-gasp drive the Los Angeles Rams put together under Baker Mayfield a couple of weeks ago, albeit they did get a huge slice of fortune with that crazy New England play as the clock ran out last week. In the main the offense has worked well enough for the Raiders this season with a good balance in the air and on the ground. The defence, and in particular the pass rush, has really stepped up in recent weeks and they’ll be required to well once again.
Betting
Having already been done up once this week when I didn’t take advantage of the weather forecast, I’m not going to allow lightning to strike twice (although thankfully there is no lightning on the forecast else the game wouldn’t go ahead!). A quick glance at the forecast is for freezing temperatures but perhaps more importantly strong winds which could gust upwards of 20mph so that doesn’t sound like the forecast for a passing game.
That might not be the worst thing in the world for the Las Vegas Raiders because the form of Derek Carr is becoming a bit of a concern. He has had two very ordinary matches in the last two weeks but thankfully for him and the Raiders Josh Jacobs got the job done on the ground last week and I sense he is going to get ridden a lot in this match, particularly as you wouldn’t expect this stuttering Pittsburgh offense to put up the level of points needed to run away from the Raiders. Carr has a passing yards line of 217.5 for this match and with plenty of pressure coming his way and conditions very much against him, unlike last week when he only threw for 231 yards indoors, I think that line might be a little higher than he manages here.
Tips
Back D.Carr – Under 217.5 passing yards for a 3/10 stake at 1.91 with Bet365
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