Steelers vs Ravens Betting Line & Prediction

Ravens at Steelers Week 9 Betting Lines

Above are the latest lines for the 2011, week 9 matchup between the Steelers & Ravens. Below is an article for a previous game.

2011 Steelers vs. Ravens Betting Lines

The lines below are for the 2011 – 2012 week 1 game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Ravens being played on Sunday, September 11, 2011. The search engines are ranking this older page higher than our new page for the upcoming 2011 game, so we added the odds right here for your convenience. If you’d like further analysis of the 2011 week 1 game and betting lines, visit our 2011 Steelers vs. Ravens betting line page.
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*The article below was for the 2010-2011 playoff game between the Steelers and Ravens.

The first game of the divisional round will be played this Saturday at 4:30pm EST when the Baltimore Ravens travel to Heinz Field to take on the rested Pittsburgh Steelers. Baltimore will be looking for their 2nd road win in a row this postseason after dismantling the Kansas City Chiefs last week at Arrowhead Stadium. Pittsburgh had a 1st round bye and were able to rest up last week, but of course the time off can be a double-edged sword. The one thing we do know is that this will be the most physical, hard-fought battle to date in the 2011 NFL season.

Ravens vs Steelers Point Spread & Betting Odds

At the time of this writing, the point spread and over/under odds are identical at all of our favorite online sportsbooks. The money line has a slight variation, and we recommend Sportsbook.com for Ravens money line bets, any point spread bet, and over/under bets as well. They have the highest success rate for U.S. bettors who want to use Visa for making deposits. For Steelers money line bets, we recommend BetOnline at -170. They also have a solid success rate for Visa deposits from U.S. bettors.

*Lines for this game have been removed.

*View all of the latest NFL playoff betting lines from the Bodog Sportsbook, or betting lines for other sports on our homepage.

Baltimore Ravens vs Pittsburgh Steelers Playoff Analysis

These teams are pretty evenly matched for the most part, evident by the point spread released this week. Whenever the home team is favored by 3 points the sportbooks are telling you that they think the matchup is basically even. The Steelers are more rested than the Ravens, but I don’t think the Baltimore players took much of a beating last week.

Pittsburgh has the clear advantage when you compare offensive matchups. Ben Roethlisberger has been impressive since returning from his suspension early in the 2010 – 2011 season, and should be able to complete some big plays through the air against the Ravens 21st ranked passing defense. Big Ben has plenty of receiving options including Mike Wallace, Hines Ward, Antwaan Randle El and Heath Miller. Pittsburgh had the 14th ranked passing offense this year and that’s with Big Ben missing the first four games of the season. Mendenhall has shown glimpses of being a star running back this year, but he hasn’t been overly consistent. This will need to change if the Steelers want to make a run at the Superbowl.

The Ravens rank behind the Steelers in both passing yards and rushing yards on offense. They have a far less threatening line-up on offense and less big-play ability. Ray Rice and McGahee will need to win the running game battle this weekend if the Ravens want a shot at beating Pittsburgh. Heap will also need another big game, but I don’t think the Steelers will allow that to happen. They’ll be studying the Ravens vs. Chiefs game the entire week and I’m sure the defense will have a plan to stop Heap from killing them.

Both teams have incredible defenses that can cause turnovers on any given down. Pittsburgh ranked 1st in points allowed this season, giving up just 14.5 PPG while the Ravens were close behind, giving up 16.9 PPG – good for 3rd in the league. Hardly anyone could rush on either defense this season. Baltimore gave up 93.9 rushing YPG (5th in league), and the Steelers only gave up an average of 62.8 rushing YPG (1st in league). 62.8, that’s unreal.

Baltimore Ravens at Pittsburgh Steelers Key Match-Ups

Steelers Rushing Defense vs. Ravens Rushing Defense

The Pittsburgh Steelers ranked 11th in the NFL in rushing this season (120.2 YPG) while the Baltimore Ravens ranked 14th in the league with 114.4 rushing YPG. Neither team had a top ten rusher, but Ray Rice and Rashard Mendenhall are both capable of running for over 100 YPG. One of the biggest keys in this game will be which team can win the rushing battle. Pittsburgh ranked 1st in the league in stopping the run this season while the Ravens ranked 5th. Both teams give up less than 100 rushing YPG, although I expect one team to break the 100 rushing yard mark this Saturday.

Turnover Battle

Both teams are capable of forcing turnovers at any time, and the turnover battle should play an important factor in this game. The Baltimore Ravens forced five turnovers last week, but I don’t see them matching that number this week. Big Ben only threw 5 picks all season, and as long as nobody fumbles the ball the Steelers could end the game with 0 turnovers. Baltimore doesn’t turn the ball over much either, but Joe Flacco could have problems against the Steelers passing defense. Flacco is still a young QB and it should be interesting to see how he does against one of the NFL’s best defenses.

Baltimore Ravens vs Pittsburgh Steelers Prediction

Baltimore won the 1st match-up between these two teams in week 4, but that was without Roethlisberger. With Ben back in the line-up, the Pittsburgh Steelers beat the Ravens in week 13. With the rubber match taking place at Heinz Field this Saturday I’m going with the Steelers -3 at Sportsbook.com. They rank better than the Ravens on both sides of the ball, they’re playing at home, have an extra week’s rest, should win the passing game (and possibly the running game), and Ben Roethlisberger is their QB.

Ravens & Steelers AFC Playoff Path

I thought the Chiefs might be able to pull off the upset last week at home against Baltimore, but it wasn’t close. Kansas City jumped out to an early 7-3 lead on a rushing TD from Jamaal Charles, but that would be the only points they scored the entire game. Baltimore forced the younger Chiefs team into five turnovers (3 INT’s, 2 fumbles), which was the story of the game. Joe Flacco looked very good, as he ended the game 25 of 34 for 265 yards and 2 TD’s.

Ray Rice and Willis McGahee combined for 27 carries, 101 yards and 1 TD, which they’ll need to try and replicate this week against the stingy Steelers rushing defense. Another big story for the Ravens was that Todd Heap looked great in his 1st game back last week, as he caught 10 passes for 108 yards. Pittsburgh will be coming into this game after having a 1st round playoff bye. In the Steelers last two regular season games they picked up two easy victories over the Panthers and Browns.

Ravens at Steelers Prop Bets

All of the online sports betting sites listed above are offering player and team prop bets for the Ravens at Steelers playoff game. We prefer Sportsbook.com and the Bodog Sportsbook for prop bets, because they offer a wide variety of props, and live betting as well. Quarters, 1st & 2nd half, then dozens of player and team props are already being offered.

Bodog is running props on which QB will record the most passing yards this weekend, which RB will record the most rushing yards, which receiver will record the most passing yards, total turnovers for each team, total sacks for each team, and more. Sportsbook.com has a nice selection as well.

We expect Bodog to feature live betting for all of the divisional playoff games as well, and they have the best live betting interface and betting options in the industry. To view their interface, go to the Bodog Sportsbook and click on the ‘Live Betting’ tab located directly above the odds.

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Content below this line is from a previous game between the Steelers and Ravens.

The Pittsburgh Steelers (8-3) travel to Baltimore to play the Ravens (8-3) on Sunday night, Dec. 5th. This divisional matchup should be one of the best football games of the 2010 – 2011 NFL season, and it has huge implications on the playoff picture. This is the Sunday night game, and it will be televised on NBC at 8:20pm ET.

Earlier in the season the Baltimore Ravens beat the Steelers in a close 17-14 game. In that game there wasn’t much offense from either team, but with Roethlisberger back at the QB position I’m expecting Pittsburgh to come with a better offensive performance.

During the Steelers week 12 game against the Buffalo Bills, Ben Roethlisberger re-aggravated an injury in his right foot. Apparently he has a small fracture that causes him pain, but won’t stop him from playing in week 13. According to the NFL website, Ben has been playing with this injury for a few weeks now, but it was beginning to heal up until last week. It doesn’t sound like this is an injury to be overly concerned about.

*Our favorite online sportsbook for U.S. bettors is the Bodog Sportsbook. They accept Visa credit card deposits, live NFL betting, and sports betting lines for every major sport in the world.

Pittsburgh Steelers at Baltimore Ravens Betting Line

These are the best betting lines currently running for the Steelers vs Ravens game. The Players Only and Bodog Sportsbooks both accept U.S. bettors. If you’d like to place a bet, click on either of the links below.

• Pittsburgh Steelers +3 (-110) at Players Only / Baltimore Ravens –3 (-105) at Bodog

Pittsburgh Steelers vs Baltimore Ravens Free Prediction

The Pittsburgh Steelers will be seeking revenge after losing to the Ravens at home earlier in the 2010-2011 season. Baltimore still has one of the best overall defenses in the NFL, but they’ve had problems stopping the run against some of the better rushing offenses. Baltimore has the 11th ranked rushing defense and gives up an average of 101.7 rushing yards per game. Pittsburgh has the leagues 9th best rushing attack, gaining an average of 126 rushing yards per game.

Early in the game, expect Pittsburgh to try to establish the run and control the clock. Against the Ravens at home, it will be important for the Steelers to try and control the ball as much as possible. Even with Big Ben back, the Steelers have been struggling with the passing game, averaging just 208.5 passing yards per game, 22nd in the NFL. The Ravens have the 7th best passing defense in the NFL, giving up just 205.6 passing yards per game.

Both teams are coming into this game after earning ugly victories in week 12. Baltimore beat the Buccaneers 17-10 and the Steelers needed overtime to beat the Bills 19-16. Pittsburgh actually should have lost their game, but Bills WR Steve Johnson missed an easy TD catch in OT.

If Pittsburgh wants to win the division they really need to win this game Sunday night. If the Steelers can win the game they’ll tie the season series at 1-1, putting them in the drivers seat to win the AFC North.

Our Pick: Pittsburgh Steelers +3 at Players Only

I’m taking the Pittsburgh Steelers in this game, and happy to be getting +3. This should be a close game, and I’ll gladly take the points in this heated match-up between these bitter rivals.

Pittsburgh Steelers at Baltimore Ravens Over/Under Bets

The over/under for the Steelers/Ravens game is set at 40 at Bodog and Players Only. The Steelers and Ravens are averaging 23.1 and 22.7 points per game respectively, good for 16th and 17th in the NFL.

The Steelers have the 3rd best defense in the league, giving up a stingy 16.5 points per game. The Ravens are ranked 5th, allowing just 17.1 PPG. If both defenses show up, the under looks like the way to go. Neither offense is terribly potent right now, but both defenses are tough. We’re likely to see a game in the 17-13 to 20-17 range, so I’ll definitely be taking the under.

Bet the Over/Under at the Players Only Sportsbook