Pittsburgh will play at home for the fourth time in its last five outings. A sub-par Steelers offense has averaged just 14.8 points per game this season. But as banged up as the Seahawks are, take them in what should be a low-scoring contest.

The Seahawks have failed to cover or win three of their last four. Russell Wilson gave it his all to make them competitive, but even he couldn’t create the magic. Now he’s out, and Geno Smith is in. Also, Chris Carson is out as well. Also, the Seahawks already had the worst-ranked defense and second-worst run defense. I expect the Steelers to build a slow grind and get the cover. Big night for Najee Harris. Steelers to cover.

It’s not just that Seahawks QB Russell Wilson has been sidelined by injury. Backup Geno Smith is better than his won-loss ledger suggests. But he will not have RB Chris Carson (neck), the team’s foremost rusher, to take handoffs. Pittsburgh’s stingy defense should keep Seattle in the teens. Can the Steelers’ offense score enough to cover? Well, the Seahawks’ D can set a dubious NFL record by yielding 450-plus yards for the fifth straight outing.

Have to agree with Larry Hartstein and RJ White in that while Seahawks QB Geno Smith looked good in relief of the injured Russell Wilson on Thursday in Week 5, the Steelers having a full week to prepare for Smith should show why he's a career backup. And if Smith gets hurt, Pittsburgh gets to tee off on Jake Luton, who is not an NFL quarterback. On top of that, Seattle's defense is on a historically bad pace. The Hawks are 2-7 ATS in their past nine on the road.

This line should be closer to 7. With a week to prepare for Geno Smith, the Steelers' defense should create a few big mistakes. Seattle gives up an NFL-high 450.8 yards per game and faces a Pittsburgh offense that began to find its footing last week. In particular, the young offensive line turned in its best effort by far. Lay the points.

It's Geno Smith time for Seattle, and he certainly looked effective coming in for an injured Russell Wilson last Thursday. But no one would argue the move is anything but a big downgrade, and the Seahawks weren't playing particularly well even with Wilson at QB. The Seattle defense has surrendered 450 yards to four straight opponents, and while this matchup set up well for them to get back on track prior to Week 5, the Steelers are coming off their best offensive showing of the year, and against a quality Denver defense, no less. It's tough laying points with an offense that has looked putrid for much of the year, but I have them as the clearly better team with Seattle's QB downgrade.