Ravens vs. Steelers Prediction
Will the Pittsburgh Steelers cover the point spread as a home favorite tonight when they host their AFC North rivals the Baltimore Ravens at 8:30 p.m. ET?
Who Oddsmakers Like: Pittsburgh. According to oddsmakers from online sports book Bovada.lv, the Steelers are 5-point home favorites versus the Ravens, who opened as a 7-point underdog earlier in the week. As for the total, the number currently sits at 43 points after hitting the board at 44.
Who the Public Likes: As of Sunday afternoon, the Steelers are receiving 57% of the tickets and 53% of the money to cover the spread tonight.
Who the Trends Like: Baltimore. The Ravens are 4-1-1 against the spread in their last six games versus the Steelers while the underdog is 4-1-1 against the number in the last six meetings. While the over is 12-5-2 in the last 19 meetings between these two teams in Pittsburgh, the under is 4-1-1 in the last six meetings overall.
Who We Like: Pittsburgh. The Ravens have won all season on the back of their defense but their defense took a massive hit last week in their win over the Lions. That’s because cornerback Jimmy Smith was lost for the season after he suffered an Achilles injury. With Smith in the lineup last season, Baltimore owned one of the top pass defenses in the NFL. When he suffered an injury, the unit was one of the worst in the leagues when he wasn’t in the lineup.
This isn’t the game you don’t want Smith on the sidelines. Antonio Brown is averaging 115 passing yards per game when Smith doesn’t suit up for Baltimore and he’s likely to go off again tonight. Ben Roethlisberger has been inconsistent this season but if the Steelers get Brown and Le’Veon Bell going then they should put up enough points against this Baltimore defense.
Offensively, the Ravens have figured out how to move the ball now that Danny Woodhead is back. With Ryan Shazier out for the Steelers, I don’t have some concerns about this Pittsburgh defense, which had issues with Cincinnati in the first half on Monday night. Still, the Steelers should be able to win by a touchdown-plus tonight with what they have on both sides of the ball.
NFL WEEK 14 PREDICTIONS: PITTSBURGH STEELERS -5