Steelers vs. Ravens Week 18 Prediction
While they need some help, both the Steelers and Ravens can still clinch a playoff berth and will play each other on Sunday in Baltimore at 1:00 p.m. ET. Which side will come through at the betting window?
Game Snapshot
471 Pittsburgh Steelers (+3.5) at 472 Baltimore Ravens (-3.5); o/u 41
1:00 p.m. ET, Sunday, January 9, 2022
M&T Bank Stadium, Baltimore, MD
TV: CBS
Pittsburgh Steelers DFS Spin
Najee Harris rushed 28 times for 188 yards and one touchdown in the Steelers’ Week 17 win over the Browns Monday night. Harris took a meaningless final-drive run 37 yards to the end zone on a third-down carry where all he needed was a first down to salt the remainder of the clock. Instead of going down, Harris decided to take it all the way to the end zone. It likely swung a number of fantasy matchups. In the pass game, Harris added three catches for 18 yards on three targets. The 188 rushing yards are a new season-high for Harris, giving him his third 100-yard rushing game. Harris will get a Week 18 date with a Ravens team that has dropped five straight. Harris went 21-71 on the ground against Baltimore in Week 13, adding five catches for 36 yards.
Baltimore Ravens DFS Spin
Lamar Jackson (ankle) won’t play in Week 18 against the Steelers. There’s an outside chance we haven’t seen the last of Lamar since the Ravens can sneak into the postseason with a win and Week 18 losses from the Colts, Dolphins, and Chargers. Tyler Huntley will make his fourth consecutive start to close the regular campaign. It was a strange year for Jackson, who was struggling even before his health began to wreak havoc. After falling from its otherworldly 9.0 to 6.9 in 2020, Jackson’s passing touchdown percentage was down even further to 4.2. This, as his interception rate skyrocketed to 3.4, putting him behind rookie Zach Wilson, for instance. Jackson did remain a dynamo on the ground, though both his yards per game and yards per carry subtly slipped as he inexplicably found the end zone just twice in 12 games as a rusher. Much of Jackson’s struggles can probably be explained by the fact that the Ravens’ backfield was wrecked by injury and a non-competitive defense kept putting him in bad game scripts. He cannot fully escape blame, however. Jackson flat missed too many throws. Nevertheless, having literally just turned 25, both Jackson and the organization be plays for will be screaming 2022 bounce-back candidates. He will remain an elite QB1 for fantasy purposes.
Steelers vs. Ravens Betting Prediction
The road team is 7-3 against the spread in the last 10 meetings between these two teams, while the underdog is 21-7-3 against the number in the last 31 meetings. The Steelers are also 34-15-2 against the number in their last 51 games as an underdog and have cashed in six of their last eight conference games. On the other side, the Ravens are 3-7 against the spread in their last 10 games as a favorite and are just 1-5 against the number in their last six games versus a team with a losing record.
NFL WEEK 18 BETTING PREDICTION: PITTSBURGH STEELERS +3.5
