Steelers And Ravens Prepare For Collision In Wildcard Game
The Baltimore Ravens and Pittsburgh Steelers know each other very well and when they collide with Super Bowl hopes on the line on Saturday at 8:15 p.m. ET it is going to be a very physical football game.
Both these teams have had lackluster seasons and are lucky to find themselves in the position they are in and neither intend to squander the opportunity.
The Steelers have garnered a reputation as being inconsistent this season with good reason. They have lost to the likes of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the worst team in the NFL, and the New York Jets. Yet they got it done at the end of the season, winning four in a row and clinching the AFC North.
The Ravens found themselves in an opposite position to the Steelers. As opposed to opening the season weak and ending strong, Baltimore remained fairly consistent until the final two games of the season. It was there that they found themselves behind against two teams with new quarterbacks. In Week 16, they lost 25-13 to the Houston Texans who had Case Keenum under center. They then trailed for three quarters in a home game to the Cleveland Browns with rookie Connor Shaw at quarterback to close out the season. They managed to edge out Cleveland, 20-10.
The Steelers enter this game as 3-point favorites on most betting sites. However, they’re status as favorites is largely connected to whether or not Le’Veon Bell takes the field for the game.
Bell injured his knee in the Steelers’ final game of the season. Bell has been a workhorse for the Steelers this season and when he gets more touches, Pittsburgh tends to win. Whether or not he plays could be the deciding factor in whether or not the Steelers stay in the playoffs.
Baltimore is 8-8 against the spread, while the Steelers are 9-7 against the spread. However, the Ravens have only covered once in their last five games. Pittsburgh has covered four times in their last five.
The total is hovering around 45 points. Baltimore has gone OVER on four of its last six games. Pittsburgh has also sent OVER bettors to payout in eight of its last six home games.
