Steelers Will Win, Won’t Cover Against Ravens
The Pittsburgh Steelers head to Baltimore needing to win to have a chance to earn a spot in the AFC playoffs. The NFL betting lines have the visiting Steelers listed as the favorite.
Pittsburgh won’t have to deal with Baltimore quarterback and Most Valuable Player front-runner Lamar Jackson as he is being held out of this game since the Ravens have already clinched the top seed in the AFC playoffs and a first-round bye.
Pittsburgh is listed as the 3 1/2-point favorite. It is the first time the Steelers are favored on the road against the Ravens since 2019.
Defensive tackle Cam Heyward, linebacker Landon Roberts, safety Minkah Fitzpatrick, and running back Najee Harris are all questionable for Pittsburgh. Roberts and Fitzpatrick have returned to practice.
Minkah Fitzpatrick back at #Steelers practice w Elandon Roberts pic.twitter.com/LmWVgJYstB
— 93.7 The Fan (@937theFan) January 3, 2024
Along with Jackson being out for Baltimore, safety Kyle Hamilton, receiver Zay Flowers, linebacker Patrick Queen, defensive back Brandon Stephens, and offensive lineman Kevin Zeitler are questionable for the Ravens.
Baltimore trails the San Francisco 49ers in the odds of winning the Super Bowl with Pittsburgh well back at +25000 in the championship odds.
Steelers vs Ravens Game Information
- Game: Steelers (9-7) vs Ravens (13-3)
- Date/Time: Saturday, Jan. 6, 4:30 p.m. ET
- Location: M&T Bank Stadium, Baltimore, MD
- Steelers vs Ravens Live Stream: NFL Game Pass
Pittsburgh needs to not only beat the Ravens but also have either Jacksonville to lose to the Tennessee Titans or the Buffalo Bills to lose to Miami to secure a spot in the playoffs.
Baltimore is 6-2 at home with Pittsburgh posting a 4-3 record on the road. Keep that in mind when looking at NFL picks for this week.
The Steelers have won six of the last seven meetings against Baltimore.
Pittsburgh has -190 odds to win the game compared to +163 for the Baltimore Ravens to win outright, according to the Las Vegas odds.
Steelers vs Ravens Odds and Spreads
Steelers vs Ravens Betting Trends
- The Ravens have covered in their last four games against AFC teams.
- Each of the last six games between Pittsburgh and Baltimore finished over the total.
- Baltimore is 5-0-1 against the spread in its last six games as the home underdog.
- The Steelers are 1-8 against the Las Vegas odds in their last nine games as a favorite from 3.5-10 points.
- The total has gone over in each of Baltimore’s last four home games.
- Just two of the six games with Pittsburgh as the favorite finished over the total.
- The winning team has also covered in eight of the last nine games between the teams.
- The total has gone over in four of Pittsburgh’s last five games.
Over/Under Pick: Over 35
It is a little tricky without Jackson at the control of the Baltimore offense.
Pittsburgh is 27th in the NFL in scoring offense and in passing attempts per game. The Steelers are fourth in the NFL in points allowed in the fourth quarter of games.
Baltimore leads the NFL in rushing offense with Jackson a major part of the running game. The Ravens are in the top five in points and yards per game. The defense has allowed the fewest points in the NFL.
Pittsburgh’s offense has been a bit of a mess but with the season on the line, look for the Steelers to be ready to go.
ATS Pick: Baltimore Ravens +3½
There could be multiple players either held out of this game for the Ravens or to play limited snaps. Pittsburgh should be playing like a desperate team and this is certainly not the first rodeo for Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin. It is still hard to ignore the issues that the Steelers have had on offense this season.
Baltimore figures to hang around and with a 3 1/2-point spread, the Ravens could win by a field goal and still cover so go with the Ravens to cover against the rival Steelers.
Keep an eye on the injury updates for the Steelers with some key defensive players popping up on the injury report as questionable.
Player Prop Pick: George Pickens To Go over 71 Receiving Yards (+144)
It has been a bit of an all-or-nothing type of season for Steelers receiver George Pickens. He has had six games when he averaged more than 20 yards per catch.
His two best games from a receiving yardage standpoint have come in the last two weeks. Can he get loose again versus one of the pass defenses in the NFL?
It might be smart to be cautious with the props for Pickens in this game even though he seemed to be on the same page with quarterback Mason Rudolph in last week’s win over Seattle.
NFL Pick: Pittsburgh’s George Pickens over 71 receiving yards (+144)
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Game Prediction
NFL Pick: Pittsburgh Steelers 20, Baltimore Ravens 17
Questions Of The Day
Which quarterback is expected to throw the most passing yards?
Considering what is on the line, the Steelers may have no choice but to let Mason Rudolph air it out in a must-win game.
Which Steelers player do you think will have the biggest impact on the game?
George Pickens can disrupt any defensive game plan if his mind is right and the Steelers will look to get him involved early and often against the Ravens.
