It appears as though the Pittsburgh Steelers have put the frustrations of their early season struggles behind them and have moved on from stud running back Le’Veon Bell to retain a position that has become all too familiar for them in the last few years – first place in the AFC North. With three straight wins and covers, the Steelers are looking like the dominant club many felt they would be in the AFC. The Ravens are trending the other direction with losses in two straight and three of their past four. Still, Baltimore opened as a 3-point favorite on the NFL betting lines and already has a win over Pittsburgh earlier this season.
Watch this Week 9 regular season matchup live on Sunday, November 4, 2018, at 1 p.m. ET at MT Bank Stadium.
Opening NFL Odds at BookMaker.eu
Pittsburgh Steelers +3
Baltimore Ravens -3
Over/Under 47
Bell was holding all the cards early in the season when the Steelers won just one of their first four games and the offense looked sluggish, especially in a loss to the Ravens in Week 4 when they scored just 14 points and were blanked in the second half of that game. It was an all-around pitiful performance by the Steelers, though the Ravens stingy defense had something to do with that.
With Bell not in the plans for the foreseeable future, and perhaps never again for the Steelers, that just meant someone else would get an opportunity. And James Conner is that someone else. Not only has Conner proven his worth, he’s put up numbers worthy of the best in the NFL this season.
Against the Browns on Sunday, Conner ran for a season-high 146 yards on 24 carries and twice found the end zone. He also had 66 yards on five receptions for an impressive 212 yards from scrimmage. Since running for 19 yards on nine carries against the Ravens in Week 4, Conner has exploded for 367 yards in the past three games while scoring twice in each contest.
It’s safe to say the Steelers will again lean on Conner to try and soften up the Ravens defense, which has struggled in the last two games. Baltimore allowed more than 100 yards over its season average in a loss to Carolina last week and was punished at the line of scrimmage. I expect the Steelers to test the waters early and often with Conner and that will allow him to surpass his rushing yardage total on a prop bet at BookMaker.eu.
Also keep in mind that the Steelers have been really good at the end of the first half in games this season. They drove the length of the field against the Browns, hitting paydirt on a Ben Roethlisberger pass to Antonio Brown with eight seconds left in the second quarter. It was the fourth time Pittsburgh scored in the final two minutes of the opening half. They nearly reached the end zone in their first meeting with the Ravens, scoring with under three minutes remaining. Never count the Steelers out when playing the live betting lines at BookMaker.eu.
The Big Ben to AB connection has been rekindled with the duo striking for five touchdowns during the Steelers’ three-game winning streak. Eight of Big Ben’s 14 touchdown passes have been directed to Brown and the pair looks more comfortable, not like earlier in the year when the targets seemed forced. And as a result the Steelers offense has looked sharp with an average of 34 points per game in the last three outings and hitting the over on their projected point total looks like a smart play on the live betting line with the Ravens struggling to stop people.
Steelers at Ravens Live Betting
It’s easy to discuss the Steelers with all the success they’re currently enjoying, but don’t discount the Ravens. They are stressing that the performance in Carolina where they allowed a season-high point total is an aberration, and that the defense is still among the best, if not the best, in the league. They will have to show it against a hot Pittsburgh club and they need a solid outing after losing two straight. Baltimore blanked the Steelers in the second half of their first meeting and limited them to just 14 points. If the Ravens get an early lead and have success slowing down the Steelers, start pounding them on the adjusted live betting odds at BookMaker.eu.
NFL Betting Odds
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