There have been some monumental matchups between these AFC North rivals, but the Week 16 encounter looms as the largest. The division winner could be decided on Christmas Day when the Baltimore Ravens and Pittsburgh Steelers square off. Pittsburgh will lock up the title with a win while Baltimore will hold the tie-break advantage with one game remaining should they prevail. The NFL got its perfect playoff scenario with this bitter battle and both clubs wouldn’t want it any other way.
This contest in Week 16 of the regular season will go down Sunday, December 25, 2016, at 4:30 p.m. ET at Heinz Field.
NFL Odds at BookMaker.eu
Baltimore Ravens +5
Pittsburgh Steelers -5
Over/Under 44
Odds Analysis
Baltimore was a 3.5-point dog and came away with the straight up 21-14 win when the teams met earlier this season. It was a game that turned the Ravens season around. They entered with four straight losses and were 3-4 on the year, but they’ve gone 5-2 since, though they are 0-2 ATS in their last two games and 4-3 ATS during that span. The Ravens have struggled on the road lately also, going 0-4 SU and ATS in their last four. There’s been plenty of movement on the line, which has settled at the current number. But it’s steep in a game that is expected to be tight.
Injury Report
Jimmy Smith – Baltimore has been without its top corner for three of the past five games and the defense has looked ordinary without him. If he’s healthy, Smith would likely spend much of the afternoon shadowing Antonio Brown and that gives the Ravens a better chance at success. Shareece Wright and Tavon Young did a nice job against Philadelphia, but it will be a different set of circumstances against Ben Roethlisberger.
Ladarius Green – The Steelers tight end entered the concussion protocol after taking a big hit against the Bengals. His emergence since returning from an ankle injury has propelled the passing game, giving Roethlisberger another target with his ability to stretch the field. Losing a big target would be crucial against the Ravens’ defense.
Revenge Angle
It seems only fitting that the division title be decided by a head-to-head matchup between the top two teams. Baltimore has owned the rivalry the past few seasons and the Ravens’ 21-14 win in Week 9 was their fourth straight and sixth in the past seven meetings between the clubs, including the postseason. The Steelers enter the Christmas day showdown with a lot of confidence, however, and have the game in their backyard. Pittsburgh has turned its season around with five straight wins following a four-game slide that nearly put them out of contention.
The loss to Baltimore was included in that negative stretch, but the Steelers have ramped up their play since and are working behind a productive offense and a defense that has found a mean streak. Pittsburgh has allowed only 14 points per game during its winning streak. It’s a simple formula for the Steelers: win and the division is theirs. But with the Ravens all beat up last season at this time, they hung a 20-17 loss on Pittsburgh, so the Steelers know they better come prepared.
Free ATS Pick
The game with the most at stake takes place in Pittsburgh with the AFC North title essentially on the line. While the Steelers enter with a five-game winning streak and a one-game lead, you can throw out the records when these two hook up. But the Steelers are playing good football and survived a challenge in Cincinnati last weekend to remain in the driver’s seat. It’s been a while since they tasted victory over the Ravens with a string of four consecutive defeats that dates back to 2014.
Baltimore’s defense has shown cracks recently and the Ravens barely escaped with a narrow victory over the Eagles on Sunday. It wasn’t the prettiest game, but that’s how the Ravens roll. Roethlisberger and his play-makers escaped Cincinnati without injury, which is huge, and the Steelers defense has been the better unit of late. This one would be an AFC North bloodbath even if the division wasn’t on the line, but that makes it much more fun. It’s hard to go against the Steelers, especially being at home, and Le’Veon Bell is poised for a big game against a defense that just surrendered 169 yards on the ground to the Eagles. I like the Steelers in a typical tight division battle.
NFL Odds: Steelers 24, Ravens 20
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