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Our NFL betting writer brings you his best Steelers vs. Eagles predictions and picks for their NFL Week 8 showdown, which is live Sunday at 1 p.m. EST on CBS.

The battle for the Keystone State sees two teams pointed in vastly different directions this year, as the undefeated Philadelphia Eagles welcome the rebuilding Pittsburgh Steelers.

The Steelers (2-5) trailed 16-10 at halftime against the Miami Dolphins last week on “Sunday Night Football.” Here’s how their second-half drives went: punt, punt, punt, punt, punt, pick, pick. Final score: 16-10. The change from Mitch Trubisky to rookie Kenny Pickett is understandable, but the Steelers’ offense did no favors for a defense that bottled up Tua Tagovailoa and company the entire second half.

It’s not the greatest time for the Steelers to have to visit the Eagles (6-0) for a heated in-state rivalry matchup. Poor Pickett’s first three career starts have come against the Buffalo Bills, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Dolphins, and now you can throw an unbeaten Philly team with an underrated defense on top of that. The Eagles, the only remaining unbeaten team in football, will be fresh off a bye week and looking to defend their perfect record.

Let’s be clear: The Eagles have earned this spread. They’re the best team in football. They’re playing at home. And Philly fans would be furious if Vegas didn’t show the team the respect it deserves.

But an 11-point spread is also the only way sportsbooks will be able to entice any action on this lopsided game. The Steelers were 14-point underdogs against the Buffalo Bills. At the time, we were less cautious and recommended the Bills with the points. Final score: 38-3, Buffalo. But it’s not the same story this time around.

The Eagles haven’t won by blowing teams out. Their last three wins over Jacksonville, Arizona and Dallas came by eight, three and nine points, respectively. They’ve scored six, six and nine second-half points in those contests after going scoreless in the second halves of wins over Minnesota and Washington.

This run-first team simply isn’t built to run up the score on foes. And while Pickett might gift the Eagles a couple of short fields if he throws ill-timed interceptions (more on that in a moment), the Pittsburgh run defense ought to hold its own.

Steelers vs. Eagles prediction: Steelers to cover +11, @ -110 via Caesars Sportsbook

The Steelers beat the Bengals 23-20 in Week 1. They haven’t surpassed 20 points in a game since.

It’s led the Steelers to be ranked 31st in scoring offense (15.3 points per game) — barely ahead of the nausea-inducing Denver Broncos — and fans to call for the firing of offensive coordinator Matt Canada.

As you’d expect, this has meant Pittsburgh’s games finished under the total five times out of seven.

The Eagles are a more balanced 3-3 in over/under, but following a 38-35 shootout win over Detroit in Week 1, they’ve always landed smack inside the 20-29-point range. This is an offense that’s certainly productive but not lighting anybody up, again owing to the heavy ground attack that chews up clock. The under should be a comfortable pick this week.

Steelers vs. Eagles prediction: Under 43 points scored @ -110 with Caesars Sportsbook.

Pickett’s NFL career truly began in the second half of Pittsburgh’s Week 4 game against the New York Jets when Trubisky was benched. Pickett went 10-for-13 passing in that half of football – with all three incomplete passes actually intercepted.

To be fair, the final pick was a Hail Mary toss at the end of the game, but after three more picks against Miami, Pickett has thrown seven interceptions in 127 attempts, a rate of 5.5 percent.

He’s no bust just yet, but he’s still green – and as noted, Canada’s offense is doing him few favors. The Steelers are passing far more than they’re running, creating more potential for interceptions to be thrown.

As much as Jalen Hurts is doing for the Philadelphia offense this year, the defense might be the biggest reason why the Eagles are winning games. The Eagles lead the NFL in turnover differential (plus-12) and total takeaways (14, tied with Baltimore). That includes nine interceptions.

The secondary was going to be a question mark in Philly before the late-August trade for safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson. Now the Eagles are adding Robert Quinn to the pass rush? Watch out. Even if Quinn doesn’t make his debut Sunday, the odds are looking great for another mistake-prone day for Pickett.

Steelers vs. Eagles prediction: Steelers QB Kenny Pickett to throw over 1.5 interceptions @ +165 at BetMGM Sportsbook.

Odds courtesy of Caesars Sportsbook. Correct at time of publishing and subject to change.