If familiarity breeds contempt, there should be animosity aplenty on Saturday when the Baltimore Ravens and the Pittsburgh Steelers meet at Heinz Field.
Baltimore at Pittsburgh
When: 8:15 PM ET, Saturday, January 3, 2015
Where: Heinz Field, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
TV: 8:15 p.m. ET, NBC.
LINE: Steelers -3. O/U: 46.5
PREDICTION: Ravens 23, Steelers 22
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Oddsmakers currently have the Steelers listed as 4-point favorites versus the Ravens, while the game’s total is sitting at 46½.
The primary concern for the Steelers is the absence of Bell (1,361 rushing yards), whose injury paves the way for undrafted rookie Josh Harris, third-round pick Dri Archer and/or recently signed Ben Tate to see additional action against the Ravens. “I have confidence in anybody that’s on our (53-man roster). If I didn’t, they wouldn’t be on our 53,” said Pittsburgh coach Mike Tomlin, whose team could rely even more on their second-ranked passing attack. Roethlisberger tied for the league lead with 4,952 passing yards, while Antonio Brown caught the second-most balls in a season in NFL history (129) and led the league with 1,698 receiving yards. Pittsburgh’s defense will be on the lookout for turnovers, which has been Baltimore’s downfall in its previous playoff matchups with Pittsburgh (11 turnovers in three games).
In their last action, Pittsburgh was a 27-17 winner at home against the Bengals. They covered the -3-point spread as favorites, while the combined score (44) was profitable news for UNDER bettors.
Team record: 11-5 SU,9-7 ATS
Current Streak: won 4 straight games.
Pittsburgh is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games
Pittsburgh is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games
Pittsburgh is 5-1 ATS in its last 6 games at home
Pittsburgh is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games at home
Baltimore has not scored more than 20 points in a game since Dec. 7, but its defense has allowed an average of 15.7 points during its last three games, including a dominant effort in Week 17 when it held Cleveland to 259 total yards and 3-of-13 third-down conversions. The Ravens defense could be even more dominant Saturday with the return of All-Pro defensive tackle Haloti Ngata, who was suspended for the final four games of the regular season for taking a banned stimulant. “I feel like I owe these guys,” Ngata told reporters this week. “I’m going to do whatever I can do to help the team. I’m definitely just ready to get back out there again.” The Ravens quietly set team records for scoring (409 points) and average yards (365), thanks in large part to Joe Flacco (career-high 3,986 passing yards, 27 TDs, 12 INTs), Justin Forsett (career-high 1,266 rushing yards) and Steve Smith (1,065 receiving yards).
Baltimore was a 20-10 winner in its last match at home against the Browns. They failed to cover the -14-point spread as favorites, while the total score of 30 sent UNDER bettors to the payout window.
Team record: 10-6 SU,8-8 ATS
Baltimore is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games
Baltimore is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Baltimore’s last 5 games
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Baltimore’s last 6 games on the road
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