Sunday Night Football will feature a rough and tough divisional game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Baltimore Ravens. The latest NFL odds posted for this game by BetMania have the Ravens listed as slim 3-point favorites.
This series is always close and has been evenly matched over the years. There will be more on the line than just bragging rights this week.
The Ravens defeated the Steelers, 17-14, earlier in the year, giving the Ravens the tiebreaker for the division lead although both teams have identical 8-3 records. Pittsburgh fans will be quick to point out that Charlie Batch was the starting quarterback for that meeting, not Ben Roethlisberger.
If there is pressure on any team to win tonight, it would be the Steelers. If they lose they will be essentially two games back in the standings and would need the Ravens to stumble down the stretch to have a shot at the title. Three of the four games remaining on the Ravens schedule are against teams with a losing record. With that in mind, the Steelers need to win tonight.
The status of Roethlisberger and his injured foot has been the center of debate all week. At one point a source reported it as broken, which the Steelers quickly denounced. Roethlisberger was limited in practice all week and seen wearing a walking boot, but he plans to play on Sunday.
The Steelers are road warriors and are 5-1 this season away from home, with the lone loss coming against the New Orleans Saints. This series has been close, but not when the Steelers start Roethlisberger. Big Ben won his last start against the Ravens, making it very important that he is under center for this must-win game.
The Steelers are excellent on defense but have had some issues defending the pass. Mother Nature will help them out in that area tonight. The forecast in Baltimore is calling for clear skies Sunday night, with strong winds of up to 20 mph that will disrupt passing in M&T Bank Stadium and drop the game-time temperatures into the high 20s. That type of weather is perfect for a battle between two tough defensive-minded teams.
The Ravens are 3-7-1 against the spread (ATS) when they play a team with a winning record and minus-5 ATS in their last seven games as a favorite between 0.5 and 3 points. The Steelers are 7-1 ATS in their last eight games as an underdog and 5-0 ATS in their last five road games when they play a team with a winning home record.
In this series the road team is 4-1-1 ATS in its last six meetings and the underdog is 5-1-1 ATS in their last seven meetings, which sets up nicely for Big Ben and the Steelers.
Steelers +3
Matt Regaw is a B/R Featured Columnist and the founder of BookieBlitz.com, your one-stop shop for sports articles, previews and predictions. Feel free to contact Matt at mregaw@gmail.com.
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