A major AFC North collision is in the cards this coming Sunday as the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Baltimore Ravens lock horns in a pivotal division showdown. Both teams are locked in a 5-3 logjam and a win by either side will go a long way in shaping their respective playoff aspirations this season.
Can the Steelers continue their offensive onslaught and extend their winning streak to three games? Or will the Ravens regain their footing in the ever-tightening AFC North race? Read on for a complete preview of this matchup and while you’re at it, you can check out our complete NFL Week 9 picks and predictions.
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Baltimore Ravens vs. Pittsburgh Steelers Preview
When: Sunday, November 2, 8:30 PM ET
Where: Heinz Field, Charlotte
Line: Baltimore Ravens (+1) at Pittsburgh Steelers (-1); total: 48.5 – view all NFL lines
Betting on the Baltimore Ravens
The Baltimore Ravens wasted a major opportunity to grab control of a congested AFC North as they succumbed to division rivals Cincinnati 27-24.
[sc:NFL240banner ]The Ravens’ defense which has been excellent this entire season let them down this time around as they failed to stop quarterback Andy Dalton’s one-yard touchdown sneak with 57 seconds remaining to give the Bengals the narrow three-point win.
What made this a bitter pill to swallow for Baltimore was that the Bengals haven’t converted a fourth down situation prior to Dalton’s winning TD. That it came against the league’s best red zone defense only makes this doubly disappointing for the Ravens.
They will need to get their act together this coming Sunday when they travel to Pittsburgh to face the high-flying Steelers. The Steelers were simply dominant in their 51-34 victory over the Colts on Sunday, recording 639 yards in total offense.
They are now third in the league in that department this season with a whopping average of 418.2 per game. The Ravens will be confident of stopping the Steelers, however, as they are 14th in the league in total defense with teams averaging just 346.4 yards per game against them.
On the other side of the ball, the Ravens also need a more polished performance from QB Joe Flacco. The 29-year-old had a miserable afternoon for Baltimore, completing just 17 of 34 passes for 195 yards with no touchdowns and two interceptions in the game against the Bengals.
He will fancy his chances of having a bounce-back game against Pittsburgh, though, this coming weekend as he has already defeated the Steelers this season. In that game last September 11th, Flacco completed 21 of 29 passes for 166 yards and two touchdowns to help Baltimore cruise to a 26-6 win.
Pittsburgh put on quite an offensive display on Sunday as they steamrolled past Indianapolis 51-34 to snap the Colts’ five-game winning streak.
Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger had a performance for the ages as he completed 40 of 49 passes for 522 yards and six touchdowns, both of which were franchise records. His 522-yard mark was the fourth-highest in NFL history as he became the first player to record two 500-plus passing yard games.
Wide receiver Antonio Brown was the main beneficiary of Big Ben’s historic outing, as he caught 10 passes for 133 yards and two touchdowns. Thanks to their exploits, the Steelers are now the eighth-best passing team in the league with Pittsburgh averaging 258.1 yards per game.
They will be confident of extending their winning streak to three games when they host the Baltimore Ravens this coming Sunday. The Ravens are only 22nd in the league in passing defense with opponents averaging 256.0 yards against them this season.
Those statistics can be misleading, though, as the Ravens own the second-best scoring defense in the league, with Baltimore allowing just 16.4 points per ballgame. The Steelers know that first-hand as they were limited to just six points in their first meeting this season.
The Steelers are 2-2 ATS at Heinz Field this season.
Writer’s Prediction
The Steelers (-1) edge past the Ravens to extend their win streak to three games.
