Pittsburgh at Baltimore NFL Betting Lines & Preview

Posted by Kyle Marshall on December 24, 2015 in

The Pittsburgh Steelers can get even closer to nabbing a spot in the AFC playoffs this Sunday when they head to Baltimore to take on the struggling Ravens at 1:00pm Eastern time on Sunday. The Steelers have dropped nine of their last 12 games in Baltimore but have covered the spread in five of the last seven. The Steelers are 9.5-point favorites, with an over/under total of 48.5 points.

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Why should you bet on the Steelers (-9.5)?

The Steelers have become one of the NFL’s most clutch December teams, winning 10 straight December contest (9-0-1 ATS). Last week saw the push as they won 34-27 over Denver as seven-point favorites. They were down 27-13 at halftime but mounted a huge rally in the second half thanks to the play of Ben Roethlisberger. Roethlisberger would likely be an MVP candidate this year if he hadn’t missed time due to two injuries. Against Denver, he went 40 for 55 with 385 yards and three touchdowns. He did throw two picks as well, but his success at finding wide receiver Antonio Brown (16 receptions, 189 yards, two touchdowns) was instrumental in the Steeler win. He shows signs of doing nothing less this week.

The-Steelers-go-up-against-the-Ravens

Why should you pick the Ravens (+9.5)?

Given the fact that the Ravens are down to their third quarterback and have injuries all over the field, you have to look at the trends to justify this pick. They have not lost at home to the Steelers by five or more since 2002. Six of the last nine meetings between the two teams were decided by three points or fewer. The Ravens did win in Pittsburgh on October 1, but they had Joe Flacco then — and Roethlisberger was out.

Expert Pick and Final Score Prediction

I like the Steelers to continue their roll. Baltimore just doesn’t have the personnel to make this a competitive game. I’m picking Pittsburgh to win, 28-13, and cover as well.