SNF – Ravens vs Steelers Week 9 Gambling Preview
Regardless of records or importance, there is no NFL rivalry quite like when the Baltimore Ravens and Pittsburgh Steelers get together on the gridiron.
Venue/Stadium: Heinz Field, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Time/Date: Sunday November 6, 2011 – 8:30 PM ET
NFL Odds from Bodog
Money Line: Steelers -175
Spread (ATS): Steelers -3.5
Over/Under: 42
Throw in that the AFC North division lead is up for grabs on Sunday Night Football, and the way that the Ravens blew away the Steelers in a statement game week one of the regular season, and this game clearly has all of the makings for another classic.
It won’t be nearly as easy for Baltimore this time around however, as the Steelers have made significant changes since that week one loss and are now much more close to resembling the team that won the Super Bowl a year ago. The impact of their week one loss wasn’t immediate as Pittsburgh struggled to get a win at Indianapolis before losing to the Houston Texans, but since then the Steelers have won four straight capped off by a 25-17 win over the New England Patriots this past Sunday to improve to 6-2. The Steel Curtain defense still has some cracks in it but now ranks first against the pass and eighth against the rush, while the offense is doing a better job of not turning it over mainly due to the play of quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. [soliloquy id=”82219″]
While the Steelers have made significant improvements across the board, Baltimore hasn’t been the powerhouse that many expected it to be following that week one win, with losses to both the Tennessee Titans and Jacksonville Jaguars, and a close win over the Arizona Cardinals last week in which they actually trailed 24-6 at the half before rallying to take it 30-27. Part of the problem has been the lack of progression from quarterback Joe Flacco, who threw for 336 yards against the Cardinals but had just one interception with no touchdowns and really struggled in the early going. Flacco will be in tough against the Steelers’ top-ranked pass defense, but will need to perform if they shut down Ray Rice and the running game.
This could be a matchup of two teams heading in opposite directions and while it is never safe to rule out either team when this rivalry explodes, the Steelers appear to be a much better team at this point in the season and are trending towards another big win on Sunday Night Football.
NFL Betting Pick: Steelers
