Pittsburgh Steelers at Baltimore Ravens NFL Preview and Odds
The Baltimore Ravens will try to complete the season sweep of the Pittsburgh Steelers this Sunday at home when they play their archrivals for the second time in three weekends. They have benefitted from great timing since it is likely they will face the Steelers without starting quarterback Ben Roethlisberger again this time around. Roethlisberger went down the week before the two met which meant Byron Leftwich got the start against the Ravens in Pittsburgh. The Ravens defense put him out of the lineup in that game while beating the Steelers 13-10 in a defensive battle.
History
With Leftwich out last week the Steelers had to turn to Charlie Batch against the Cleveland Browns. The result was a miserable eight turnover day for the Steelers offense and a loss to the lowly Browns. Now the Ravens have opened up a three game lead in the division over the Steelers and Cincinnati Bengals at 9-2. The Steelers and Bengals are both 6-5 and tied for the second AFC Wild Card spot.
The Steelers are hoping to get Roethlisberger back for this week. It is looking like it will be a game time decision. With Big Ben, the Steelers are about as good as any team in the league. But like most teams, without their starting quarterback, they are mediocre at best.
The Steelers lead the all time series 21-15. Three of those wins have come in the post season. Most of the 36 meetings have had playoff implications for both teams. This rivalry was already an intense one when the Ravens played in Cleveland. So when they moved to Baltimore it picked up from there. But unlike the Cleveland days, in Baltimore both teams were contenders.
The two teams are mirror images of each other, built on defense first. Both teams will hit you hard. They would also prefer to run the ball and beat you with an occasional deep ball on offense. Basically, we are talking old time smashmouth football. No gimmicks, just line up and see who's tougher. That is what makes this such a fun rivalry. Let's hope Big Ben can make it back for this game, because that will make it even better.
Our Pick
We will keep you posted if there is any news on Roethlisberger. Until there is news, there likely will be no betting lines. We will keep you posted on any new developments on the betting lines as well.
Update: Roethlisberger out against Ravens.
Sportsinteraction has the Steelers at +9.5 -130 or +320. Ravens are -9.5 +110 or -390. Over/under is 34. Put me down for the Ravens -390 and the over.
