Steelers, Ravens Collide On Sunday Night Football
After pummeling the Indianapolis Colts last weekend, Ben Roethlisberger will look to lead the Pittsburgh Steelers to victory over the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday Night Football.
The Pittsburgh Steelers host the Baltimore Ravens in a clash of AFC North heavyweights as Sunday Night Football returns to the Steel City.
Kickoff at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh is scheduled for 8:30 p.m. ET.
With the division looking like a pick’em once more, both teams will be striving to earn a vital divisional win, sending a message to the rest of the league in the process.
The Story So Far
A week ago, Baltimore (5-3, 2-2 road) suffered a frustrating 27-24 loss on the road to the Cincinnati Bengals (4-3-1), missing out on the opportunity to take hold of top spot in the AFC North in the process.
The defeat marked the second time this campaign that the Ravens have fallen to the Bengals, a fact that could be very significant come the end of the season.
Prior to last Sunday’s loss, John Harbaugh’s team had won two straight and five of six. The key victory during that stretch came in a Thursday Night Football clash with Sunday’s opponent.
The one loss came on the road against Indianapolis Colts, a game in which the Ravens failed to muster much offense.
Offense was anything but a problem for Pittsburgh (5-3, 3-1 home) as it hosted those same Colts this past weekend.
Ben Roethlisberger and Co. compiled 639 yards of offense as the Steelers lit up the scoreboard for 51 points. Roethlisberger completed 40 of 49 passes for 522 yards and six touchdowns with no interceptions, leaving Andrew Luck and Indianapolis to rue the day the schedule-makers sent the team to the Steel City.
Offense hasn’t always been easy to come by for the Steelers though. During their Week 2 matchup with the Ravens, Mike Tomlin’s side managed to put just six points up on the board. The Ravens – playing their first game since releasing Ray Rice at the time – took advantage and left with the victory.
With a 1-2 divisional record heading into Sunday’s game, the Steelers will be eager to elude defeat and thus avoid yielding a tiebreaker to the Ravens.
With a pair of games against Cincinnati left on the docket, the Steelers still have the opportunity to take over the division. They’ll need to score the victory on Sunday night though.
Head-to-Head
Pittsburgh leads the all-time head-to-head series 23-17.
Baltimore has won two straight in the series, including Week 2’s clash, and has been victorious in five of the last seven head-to-head meetings.
The Steelers are 14-7 when playing at home against the Ravens.
The Steelers defeated the Ravens 19-16 at Heinz Field last season, snapping a two game home losing streak against the Ravens.
The Ravens are 3-2 when playing in Pittsburgh in the month of November.
Injury Report
Pittsburgh continues to play without defensive back Ike Taylor (arm), while nose tackle Steve McLendon (shoulder) is amongst a half-dozen or so Steelers listed as questionable for Sunday’s primetime game.
Baltimore cornerback Jimmy Smith is expected to miss 2-3 weeks with a foot injury. Linebacker Terrell Suggs (neck) and running back Justin Forsett (ankle) are amongst the Ravens listed as questionable. Tight end Owen Daniels (knee) is doubtful.
Check out the full injury list
Running back Justin Forsett (ankle) is listed as questionable heading into the game.
Betting Report
Below you’ll find Betting Sports’ breakdown of odds and betting trends.
Baltimore Ravens vs. Pittsburgh Steelers odds for 11/02/2014
Moneyline: Baltimore (-125) opened as a narrow favorite over Pittsburgh (+105) on the moneyline, but the gap between the two has been narrowing as kickoff approaches.
Pittsburgh has historically gotten the better of Baltimore in the Steel City, winning two-thirds of such matchups, but the Ravens have won in three of their last five trips to Heinz Field.
Spread: The spread opened at 1.5 in favor of Baltimore but has fluctuated with most sportsbooks.
The AFC North has been a nightmare for bettors when it comes to tackling the spread, with parity seemingly winning out. Picking the spread in this one is no mean feat.
Baltimore (5-3-0 ATS) has fared marginally better than Pittsburgh (4-4-0 ATS) on the season, and covered the spread when these two sides met in September.
Pittsburgh is 3-1-1 ATS in its last five games against Baltimore, but 2-2-2 ATS in the last six the two sides have played in the Steel City. How’s that for parity?
The Steelers have yet to cover the spread against an AFC North opponent this season. The Ravens meanwhile are 2-2-0 ATS against divisional opponents.
Total: The total opened at 44 but quickly jumped to 48, no doubt a result of Pittsburgh’s offensive onslaught in Week 8.
Pittsburgh (5-3-0 O/U) has favored the over this season, which was none more clear than in last week’s 85-point thriller. The over has paid out in four of the last six Steeler games.
Baltimore (4-4-0 O/U) has split the over/under evenly. Like Pittsburgh, four of the last six Raven games have seen the over pay out.
The total went under when these two sides met in Week 2.
The total has gone over in 10 of the last 15 matchups between the two sides in Pittsburgh.
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