Novig prices
Steelers explored trades for three receivers before deadline, still stood pat
Pittsburgh talked trades for Josh Downs, Thomas and Calvin Ridley but made no deal. Now the 6-2 Steelers head to Cincinnati as underdogs.
The Pittsburgh Steelers made no move at the trade deadline, but they did shop for a receiver. According to SB Nation's Behind the Steel Curtain, Pittsburgh held trade discussions about three wide receivers: Josh Downs of the Colts, Thomas of the Jaguars and Calvin Ridley of the Titans. None of the three ended up in Pittsburgh.
Downs was the one who did move. Indianapolis sent him and a 2027 seventh-round pick to Kansas City for fourth- and fifth-round selections in 2027. SB Nation noted that the Steelers do not own a 2027 fourth-rounder, so they could not have made a matching offer. Jacksonville was the league's busiest buyer at the deadline and still kept Thomas after months of rumors. On Ridley, beat writer Mark Kaboly reported that Pittsburgh's interest cooled after the receiver's reported incident at Nashville International Airport. Kaboly said the team was "soured" by it.
The outlet also cautioned that talks can mean anything from a single phone call to serious negotiations. It's not clear how hard the Steelers pushed. The bigger point is that the front office saw a need at the position and decided not to pay the price to fill it. Help may come from inside the building instead. Head coach Mike McCarthy said Monday that Michael Pittman Jr. is getting close to returning from injury. If Pittman comes back healthy, he gives Pittsburgh the kind of receiver it was shopping for without costing any draft capital.
What it means for Cincinnati
The receiver room stays as it is, and the record shows the team has managed without a trade. Pittsburgh is 6-2 and has won four straight: 34-22 over Indianapolis, 26-19 at Tampa Bay, 16-10 over New Orleans and 27-6 over Cleveland last week. The defense has allowed 16 points over the last two games combined. The two losses came on the road, a 20-3 game at New England and a 27-24 loss in Cleveland.
Sunday's game at Cincinnati on NBC is a rematch of a 30-27 Steelers home win earlier in the season. Pittsburgh has won six of its last seven, but the board still has the Bengals favored. On Novig, one of 11 venues on this site's odds page for the game, Cincinnati is -170 on the moneyline and Pittsburgh is +167. A $100 position on the Steelers would return $167 in profit if they win outright. On the spread, the Bengals are favored by 3.5 at +102, and the Steelers getting 3.5 are priced at -108.
On these sides, Novig's spread between the two teams is narrow. The sportsbooks' hold runs from 2.8% to 5.0% on the spread and from 3.0% to 5.0% on the moneyline. The total is 49.5 on Novig, with the over at +102 and the under at -111. Elsewhere, BetRivers lists the over a point lower at 48.5 for -110, and BetMGM has the under at 49.5 for -108, slightly better than Novig's under. The hold on the total runs from 3.9% to 4.8%.
This game has the highest total on the Steelers' recent board. That stands out because Pittsburgh's recent wins have been built on defense. If Pittman is cleared this week, he would join an offense that has topped 26 points in three of its last four games. Season results and every price are on the Steelers team page.