Patriots at Steelers: Preview, prediction, odds and pick

The Patriots are looking to bounce back after their bad loss on Monday night, and they’ll be battling for the top spot in the AFC against the Steelers in Week 15.

The New England Patriots may not have looked like it last week when they faced off with the Miami Dolphins, but they are arguably the best team in the AFC as we enter Week 15 of the 2017 season. However, they’ll go into their battle for the top seed in the conference behind the Pittsburgh Steelers when the two teams face off on Sunday.

The Patriots couldn’t get anything going on Monday night last week, which inevitably led to their bad loss to their AFC East rival in an attempt to clinch the division. However, they were without Rob Gronkowski in their offense for that game due to a one-game suspension, and the Patriots tight end will be welcomed back with open arms for the battle in Pittsburgh on Sunday.

Meanwhile, the Steelers have been on a roll recently on an impressive win streak, but they have needed seemingly endless last-minute comebacks to make it all possible. They’ve beaten two AFC North rivals in the Baltimore Ravens and Cincinnati Bengals, along with a Brett Hundley-led Green Bay Packers team, all by late field goals with under a minute to go. Now, they’ll need a better effort when the Patriots come to Pittsburgh.

Odds: Patriots -3, according to Odds Shark 

It isn’t surprising that the Patriots would still be the favorite in this game, even after their loss to the Dolphins on Monday night. The Steelers have needed some almost unnecessary measures to pull out their last three wins, and they really shouldn’t even be in this situation at the top of the AFC entering Week 15.

I see the Patriots squeaking by in a raucous Heinz Field environment, winning in a one-possession game with Gronkowski going off for a big game.

Prediction: Patriots 31, Steelers 23