Getty Pittsburgh Steelers DT Cameron Heyward thinks the 10-point spread against the Bills is nonsense
After another disappointing performance at quarterback led to a third consecutive loss for the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 15, it was hard to see how the team was going to rally and work their way back into the playoff picture.
Then Mitch Trubisky got benched for Mason Rudolph and the team went on to win their last three games of the year, finishing 10-7 and claiming the AFC’s final playoff spot.
While the team looked much better in those last three games, they still have some doubters heading into their Wild Card Round matchup against the Buffalo Bills.
That includes the oddsmakers who set the spread for the game at 10 points.
One Steelers player has taken exception with that line. Defensive tackle Cameron Heyward called it “nonsense” that the team is a 10-point underdog.
“We don’t really care about 10-point underdogs. That is for Vegas and all the other naysayers,” Heyward said in a clip posted by 93.7 The Fan. “We’re excited to be in this opportunity. We understand (that being) the 10-point underdog doesn’t decide the game. It’s in between the lines. It’s the team that executes. It’s the team that wins the turnover battle, the team that wins the rushing battles. Those are the things that. Ten-point underdogs is a whole lot of nonsense to us.”
A Situation Where Mike Tomlin Thrives
There is no coach in the NFL that gets his team to overcome the opinions of oddsmakers like Mike Tomlin.
He has been incredibly impressive against the spread when his team is catching points since taking over as head coach of the Steelers.
No coach in the NFL has been as good as Tomlin at covering the spread as an underdog since he took over the Steelers in 2007. According to Still Curtain’s Peter Dewey, he has gone 57-34-5 against the spread in that time.
He has also been historically good at winning games as an underdog. According to ESPN, he is the only coach in the Super Bowl era to own a winning record under these circumstances.
Following the end of the 2023 regular season, he holds a record of 47-43 when his opponent is favored.
Tomlin’s Steelers just love to play spoiler whenever they get the chance.
The Bills Have Struggled to Cover Big Spreads
Another trend working in the Steelers’ favor is that the Bills have struggled as a big favorite in recent history.
The Bills have failed to cover in each of their last eight games where they were favored by double digits.
That includes needing a late touchdown to beat Tyrod Taylor and the Giants by five when they were favored by 15.5 at home.
It also includes a game against Easton Stick and the Chargers where the Bills needed a field goal with 28 seconds left to win against a team that had just fired their coach.
Most recently, they only beat the Patriots by six at home in a game where they were favored by 15.5.
The inability to cover when favored by double digits is far from the end of their struggles as a big favorite.
The Bills also suffered a loss to the Patriots in Week 7 while they were favored by 7.5 points.
Three weeks later, the Bills lost once again as a 7.5-point favorite. This time, it was a Monday night loss to the 3-5 Denver Broncos.
Between the Bills’ struggles as big favorites and the Steelers’ success s underdogs, Heyward just might be right about the line being nonsense.