Steelers vs Ravens: NFL Week 8 Betting Odds Analysis

Betting Lines

Head-to-Head

Sunday’s AFC North matchup will be the first meeting of the season between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Baltimore Ravens. The Ravens swept both of last season’s meetings and have won three of the last four matchups between the two rivals. This is one of the most intense NFL matchups you’ll find, with both teams ready to give their all.

Pittsburgh Steelers

Betting Record

Next Game: at Dallas

Last Game

The Steelers took a road trip to Nashville and handed the Tennessee Titans their first loss of the season. Ben Roethlisberger was 32-of-49 for 268 yards and two touchdowns. He did throw three interceptions but made the necessary throws to walk away victorious.
Pittsburgh’s defensive effort was the main catalyst that led the team to a win. Their defense held Tennessee to 292 yards and only allowed Derrick Henry to gain 75 yards on 20 carries. The Steelers didn’t force a turnover but held strong to make up for the three picks thrown by Roethlisberger.

Trends

In the prior two contests, Pittsburgh wide receiver Chase Claypool has been the main receiving threat for the Steelers. In his past two outings prior to Sunday, Claypool hauled in a combined 11 receptions for 184 yards and three touchdowns.
Against Tennessee, the rookie was shut down with a single catch for minus two yards. When Claypool is taking pressure off JuJu Smith-Schuster, this offense becomes a lot more dangerous.

Injury Report

Diontae Johnson WR Questionable
Derek Watt FB Out
Mike Hilton CB Out
Derwin Gray OT Out
Zach Gentry TE Out
Joshua Dobbs QB Out
Isaiah Buggs DE Out
Carlos Davis DT Out

Baltimore Ravens

Betting Record

 Next Game: at Indianapolis 

Last Game

Baltimore is coming off a bye this past Sunday. A week prior, the Ravens defeated the Philadelphia Eagles 30-28. Lamar Jackson was a big reason for this win on the ground and through the air.

Between his arms and legs, Jackson accounted for 300 yards of offense and two scores for the Ravens. The Achilles heel of the Ravens was the play by their defensive front seven. They rushed the passer well, but they were eaten alive in the run game, giving up an average of 10.8 yards per carry.

Despite the statistics, Baltimore found a way to survive an upset on the road and move to 5-1 on the year.

Trends

Jackson has been the story of the Ravens the past few weeks. Four contests ago against the Chiefs, Jackson couldn’t do anything right. Critics were quick to write off the former MVP, but since then, he’s turned his play around.

He has accounted for seven touchdowns in the past three games. He’s continuing to statistically trend upward every week with his play.

Injury Report

Mark Ingram II RB Questionable
Derek Wolfe DE Questionable
Chris Moore WR Questionable
Anthony Levine Sr. S Questionable
Tyler Phillips G Questionable

Betting on the Game

Point Spread

Pittsburgh is 4-1 ATS this season, and +3½ should get you excited for Sunday. Baltimore almost lost to the Eagles, who have been struggling all season, in their last contest. With a bye week, the Ravens should display better effort, but when making your NFL picks, -3½ is risky considering what they did against Philadelphia.

Moneyline

Even though Pittsburgh is undefeated, it is coming in as a substantial underdog. Despite this, the Steelers have proven they can play with the best teams in the league. Pittsburgh doesn’t have massive firepower, but Roethlisberger has led this team with consistency and some help from James Conner, who’s racked up close to 500 rushing yards.

Over/Under

I think the over/under of 46½ is generous for those doing any NFL betting on this game. Both these teams score, and I don’t expect Sunday to be any different. When Jackson is able to locate his passes, it opens up the quarterback’s rushing game, and this is where he really thrives. No matter what Jackson does, Baltimore will need to be better on the line of scrimmage to light up the scoreboard.