Steelers vs. Ravens Prediction
Who has the edge when the Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Ravens meet in another classic AFC North matchup today 1PM ET?
According to the oddsmakers at BetDSI, the Ravens are a slight home favorite in this game, as Baltimore is getting odds of -1 point against the Steelers. The over/under total for the contest is listed at 44 points. Baltimore has won three straight over Pittsburgh and five of the last six in the series. The Ravens are also 3-1-1 against the spread in the last six meetings.
Pittsburgh has lost two straight prior to last week’s bye, and the Steelers are now 4-3 on the season and 4-3 against the spread, covering in all of their wins. Ben Roethlisberger has been dealing with a torn meniscus that sidelined him for the loss to the Patriots, but is a game-time decision for this one. Pittsburgh is a much different team with Big Ben on the field, as they average 24.3 points and 385.4 yards per game this season, including 280.9 passing yards per contest. He has thrown for 1,685 yards and 16 touchdowns this year. Le’Veon Bell has run for 344 yards since returning from suspension while Antonio Brown has caught 48 passes for 592 yards and five touchdowns. Defensively, Pittsburgh has held opponents to just 21.4 points per game, yet is giving up 394.1 yards per contest.
Baltimore is on a four-game losing streak prior to the bye week. They are now 3-4 on the season and 2-5 against the spread. The Ravens are also dealing with a lot of injuries this year. On defense, they are giving up 19.9 points and 316.4 yards per game. Their run defense is allowing just 81.9 rushing yards per contest. The unit is going to get a boost this week as Terrell Suggs is expected to return to the field from a bicep injury. He has a team-high 5 sacks this season. Offensively, Baltimore is averaging 19 points and 348.7 yards per game. The Ravens have struggled to run the ball, averaging just 86.3 yards per game on the ground. Leading rusher Terrance West is questionable to play in this game due to an ankle injury. He has 424 yards and three touchdowns this year. Joe Flacco has thrown for 1,837 yards and five touchdowns, but has six interceptions. He’s hoping Steve Smith Sr. is able to return from an ankle injury that has kept him out of the past few games. Smith is listed as a game-time decision as well.
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This could be a hard game to call because the Steelers are a much different team with Landry Jones at QB than Big Ben. With or without Roethlisberger, I still like the Steelers. They just have more weapons and the Ravens are a team that typically plays at or below the level of their competition. Baltimore’s offense hasn’t shown an ability to overpower anyone, and I don’t think Pittsburgh will be any different in that case. Look for Bell and Brown to make enough plays to get Pittsburgh a win.
NFL WEEK 9 PREDICTION: PITTSBURGH STEELERS +1