The Pittsburgh Steelers have been the model of consistency. No stat embodies this better than Mike Tomlin's ability to churn out wins. He has never had a losing season in his 18-year coaching career, yet the betting market continues to underestimate him.
The Steelers entered the season as the division longshot with around +1100 odds to win the AFC North. Yet, they sit in first place with a 10-3 record and are now odds-on favorites to with -210 odds.
Pittsburgh's offseason began with uncertainty and noise at the game’s most important position, after suffering through a season with quarterbacks Mitchell Trubisky, Mason Rudolph and rookie Kenny Pickett. They signed Russell Wilson in March after he had two frustrating years with the Denver Broncos. But they also acquired former first round draft pick Justin Fields in a trade with the Chicago Bears.
Wilson was initially tabbed the starter but after he sustained an injury during the preseason, Fields got the reins and proved to be a smart contingency plan. The Steeleers started the year with a 4-2 record before Tomlin ultimately replaced him with Wilson, once the veteran was healthy.
Pittsburgh then went on to win five of its next six games. Last week, The Steelers avenged Wilson's lone loss to the Cleveland Browns by beating them 27-14 at home.
As it stands now with four games left in the regular season, the Steelers have a two-game lead on the 8-5 Baltimore Ravens, having already won the first meeting. The Ravens are coming off a bye and next visit the New York Giants as 16.5-point favorites. They then host the Steelers and then wrap up the year with games against the Houston Texans and Browns.
On the other hand, the Steelers have a much harder remaining schedule. Based on win percentage, it is the second-hardest with matchups against the Philadelphia Eagles (11-2), Ravens (8-5), Kansas City Chiefs (12-1) and Cincinnati Bengals (5-8). The Steelers will likely be underdogs in at least three of those games. That includes Sunday's road tilt in Philly, where they are five-point underdogs.
The Steelers are currently -210 to win the division, whereas the Ravens are +140 at DraftKings.
Based on remaining opponents, Baltimore seems like a smart investment at plus-money odds. But keep in mind that Tomlin is 5-0 this season when Pittsburgh is an underdog. I am not about to lay -210 but I also don't see value at +140. There are smarter things to do than bet against Tomlin, especially when he has a capable quarterback.