Pittsburgh Steelers @ Baltimore Ravens 4:15 ET
The post-season is just a short three weeks away, and Bookmaker Sportsbook will continue to be your home for all regular season, playoff, and Super Bowl XLIII betting from now until the beginning of February. Playoff positioning in the AFC will be on the line Sunday afternoon when the Pittsburgh Steelers (10-3 SU, 7-6 ATS) travel to frigid Baltimore for a crucial AFC North clash against the division rival Ravens (9-4 SU, 10-3 ATS).
The Steelers looked all but done with 10 minutes to go in their battle with Dallas last week at Heinz Field, but miraculously pulled out the victory behind a great effort from the defense. Baltimore manhandled Washington in its non-conference Sunday night clash covering the 6.5-point spread in the 24-10 home victory.
If Pittsburgh takes today’s game, it will have swept the Ravens and clinched the AFC North Title. If the Ravens find a way to get the job done, they will tie the Steelers for the second best mark in the AFC. The following two weeks will then be of utmost importance to both clubs with the winner of the AFC North Title up for grabs.
Future players take note: the Pittsburgh Steelers currently sit as a +500 choices to hoist the Lombardi Trophy at the end of the season, while Baltimore chimes in as a +1200 underdog. Bookmaker Sportsbook offers Super Bowl XLIII future betting for every team still alive in the current regular season.
The Steelers offense just couldn’t find its groove last week. They managed a total of 236 yards and fumbled twice against a Cowboys defense that was in their grills the entire game. That said; the defense played really well flustering QB Tony Romo all game long, and eventually held its 13th straight opponent to under 300 total yards of offense. It also forced five turnovers on the day with the biggest coming in the closing stages of the game when CB Deshea Townsend picked off an errant pass and returned it to the house to send the Cowboys home with their tails in between their legs.
The win was the Steelers fourth in a row and they come into today’s contest winners of three in a row against the closing pointspread.
Very few thought the Ravens would be able to challenge for a division title this year with a rookie quarterback and a new head coach, but they have surprised NFL bettors and currently find themselves tied for the second-best ATS record in the NFL. Their almost a mirror image of the Steelers getting just enough from its offense while the defense tees off on every opponent.
In last weeks home win over Washington, perennial Pro Bowl safety Ed Reed put forth one of the best games of his career. He accounted for a pair of interceptions and another fumble return for a score. The defense shut down Washington’s offense limiting it to a paltry 62 yards on the ground and 192 yards through the air. Overall, Baltimore boasts the 3rd ranked scoring defense allowing just 15.4 points per game.
The Ravens have dropped just one game over the last two months of play, and they covered the NFL betting line in all seven of those victories. They’ll be looking to even up the season series with Pittsburgh after dropping an overtime thriller 23-20 back in Week 4.
The NFL betting trends tell us that Pittsburgh hasn’t fared well ATS in Baltimore losing against the Vegas number in each of its L/4 trips, and the Ravens have covered the spread in 6 of their L/7 overall meetings regardless of venue. That said; the underdog has been kind to NFL bettors in this series by cashing in 5 of the L/7 overall meetings.
Bookmaker.com currently has the Ravens listed as 2.5-point home favorites in this AFC North NFL betting affair with a game ‘total’ of 34 points.
These teams have split their season series all but once in the L/5 years. Will Baltimore continue that trend, or will Pittsburgh come up with an enormous road win and clinch the AFC North Title? Once you think you’ve got it figured out, login to your Bookmaker.com account and grab a piece of the action!
