Steelers open as 1.5-point underdogs against Indianapolis Colts

Betters are not overly convinced the Steelers' 30-23 victory over the Houston Texans in Week 7 means the team can defend its home turf against AFC South-leading Indianapolis in Week 8. Oddsmakers have installed the Colts as 1.5 point favorites in the inter-conference tilt scheduled to kick off at 4:25 p.m. ET Sunday.

Pittsburgh's 24-point rally at the end of the first half covered up a terrible performance to start the game, but the defense played some of its best football to date after that stretch of time and appears to have made a few solid moves throughout the week.

The real issue here is the play of the Colts. While it was clear quarterback Andrew Luck was going to be an outstanding, even dangerous player, Indianapolis has also gotten stretches of dominant play from its defense, having won five games in a row after an 0-2 start. Their defense shut out Cincinnati last weekend and allowed Baltimore, Pittsburgh's Week 9 opponent, to score only 13 points.

It's a solid team top to bottom, and we probably should expect that line to move a bit more in the Colts' favor as the week continues.