It should come as no surprise that the Steelers are big favorites against the Panthers this week, with most oddsmakers favoring the Steelers by more than two touchdowns. The Steelers are bigger favorites than any other team this week.
Conditions are good, then, for the Steelers to reach the playoff this week, but let’s look at the odds of other AFC playoff contenders. The Patriots are nine-point favorites against the Bills. The Jets are favored by two points against the Bills. The Ravens, meanwhile, are favored by only three or four against the Browns, which seems a bit small – the Ravens have a lot to play for, and the Browns have played some tight games against good teams, true, but they’ve lost their last two games against the Bengals and Bills and just squeaked by the Panthers a few weeks ago.
The Jaguars are favored by about seven against the Redskins. The Chiefs are five-point favorites against the Titans. The Chargers are favored by eight against the Bengals. And the Colts are favored by three against the Raiders.