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The Pittsburgh Steelers are a team that has had their share of ups and downs throughout the 2019 regular season. The lows of losing Ben Roethlisberger for the season, falling to 1-4 after a heart-wrenching loss to the Baltimore Ravens at home in overtime and most recently letting a chance to claim the No. 5 seed in the AFC Playoff Picture slip through their fingers on prime time in Week 15.
That loss to the Buffalo Bills did more than just hurt the Steelers’ playoff chances, it caused the NFL experts who make weekly picks to think twice about the black-and-gold moving forward.
How bad has it gotten? Some experts don’t like the Steelers traveling in Week 16 to play the New York Jets. Yes, the Jets.
Let’s take a look at which expert panels are leaning towards the Steelers, and which are thinking the Jets can pull off the upset...
The largest expert panel is by far the folks at ESPN. Of their 10 experts who make weekly selections, 3 experts think the Jets will hold serve at Metlife Stadium. A similar story can be said about the haters here at SB Nation. 2 of the 8 experts think the Jets will beat the Steelers and play the spoiler role.
The most pro-Steelers site is by far CBS Sports. Of all their experts, there is only one lone wolf who believes the Steelers will fall to the Jets this Sunday at 1:00 p.m. ET. The nice aspect of the CBS panel is they have one expert, Pete Prisco, who delivers more than just a pick every week.
Take a look at what he thinks about the upcoming game:
If the Steelers win their last two, they are in the playoffs. That means there will be focus here. The Jets were awful the last time out against Baltimore, but this isn’t a Ravens-type offense. That’s why the Jets will keep it close.
Pick: Steelers 19, Jets 16
These are just a handful of sites who make weekly predictions. What about all those other sites? This is where NFL Pick Watch comes in. They compile all NFL expert picks and put them in one easy-to-read graph. According to them, 83% of experts are leaning towards the Steelers in Week 16.
The experts are certainly leaning Pittsburgh’s way, but I guess I felt the Steelers shouldn’t have as many doubters as they do currently. Nonetheless, after Devlin Hodges’ 4 interception outing on Sunday Night Football, I can see how doubt would creep in.
Can the Steelers win and keep their playoff hopes alive? Will they continue to control their own destiny, or will the scoreboard watching begin in Week 17? Only time will tell, but be sure to stay tuned to BTSC for the latest news and notes surrounding the black-and-gold as they prepare for the Jets on Sunday in Week 16.