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Steelers at Ravens
By Kevin Rogers
The Ravens and Steelers are each coming off tough home contests in Week 1, as the two AFC North rivals hook up at M&T Bank Stadium. This was originally the second of a two-game suspension for Ray Rice, but Baltimore cut the running back after new video surfaced of his altercation with his then-fiance in February. Now, the Ravens will hope to avoid an 0-2 hole not only overall, but inside the division race.
John Harbaugh’s club fell behind the Bengals in the season opener, 15-0 at halftime, in spite of limiting Cincinnati to five field goals. The Ravens rallied back to take a 16-15 advantage in the fourth quarter thanks to an 80-yard touchdown strike from Joe Flacco to newly acquired Steve Smith. Less than a minute later, the Bengals countered with a 77-yard touchdown connection from Andy Dalton to A.J. Green to give Cincinnati a 23-16 edge, which was ultimately the final. Cincinnati covered as one-point road underdogs to snap a four-game road skid at M&T Bank Stadium.
The Steelers cruised to a 27-3 lead over the Browns at halftime in Week 1, looking to easily cover as 5 ½-point home favorites. However, Cleveland wasn’t ready to give up, as Brian Hoyer spearheaded a comeback with the Browns scoring 24 unanswered points to tie the game at 27-27 in the fourth quarter. Pittsburgh’s only points in the second half came in the final seconds of regulation as Shaun Suisham’s 41-yard field goal at the gun gave the Steelers a 30-27 win, but Cleveland cashed as a sharp away underdog.
Whenever the Ravens and Steelers get together, it’s pretty much a guarantee that the game will come down to three points or less. In fact, eight of the past 10 meetings have been decided by less than a field goal, including last season’s two matchups. Following a 1-4 start, Pittsburgh needed a last season field goal to stave off Baltimore at Heinz Field, 19-16 to cash as a 2 ½-point favorite. In that contest, neither team busted the 300-yard plateau on offense, while the Steelers snapped a two-game home skid to the Ravens.
In the second meeting at M&T Bank Stadium on Thanksgiving, the Ravens held off the Steelers, 22-20 after Pittsburgh couldn’t convert a two-point conversion in the final minute of regulation. Baltimore scored six times in that victory, but five of those scores came on field goals from Justin Tucker. The Steelers cashed as three-point underdogs, as the two teams have alternated wins and losses in each of the past four matchups in Baltimore.
Joe Nelson gives his analysis on this showdown, “While San Francisco and Seattle has eclipsed this rivalry the past few seasons, there is still something special about Pittsburgh and Baltimore. With their history of close games, the underdog has been successful and Pittsburgh has covered in five of the last six trips to Baltimore. Both teams played division games last week and with Pittsburgh winning and Baltimore losing the pressure will be on the host this week. It has certainly not been a great week for the Ravens with some negative post-game comments coming out of the locker room after last week’s loss to Cincinnati and Ray Rice being expelled from the team. This could be a season-defining game in either direction for Baltimore as a 0-2 start would be tough to come back from and this is a team in dire need of a positive result.”
Nelson believes the Steelers need to tie up some loose ends to be successful on Thursday, “For Pittsburgh, the 1-0 start is huge after the nightmare September last season. Getting out-scored 24-3 in the second half last week certainly provides some concerns for the Steelers, however, with a defense that struggled much of last season. Cleveland rushed for 6.1 yards per carry on the Steelers last week, a far departure from the past defensive reputation for Pittsburgh. Pittsburgh will also need to clean up 11 penalties from the opening week and Ben Roethlisberger was sacked four times, something the team can’t afford with his injury history.”
Baltimore has struggled covering numbers against AFC North opponents recently, posting a 2-7 ATS record since November 2012, including a 2-4 ATS mark the last six at home against division foes. On the flip side, the Steelers have cashed six of their past eight contests within the division, while going 3-1 ATS in the last four on the road against the AFC North.
From a totals perspective, the Ravens are 9-3 to the ‘under’ in its past 12 home games, while scoring 20 points or less in six of their previous nine home contests since the start of last season. Since allowing 35 points at Baltimore in the 2011 season opener, Pittsburgh has limited division foes to 22 points or less in each of its past eight road division contests.
The Ravens are currently listed as a 2 ½-point favorite, while the total is set at 44 ½. The game can be seen nationally on CBS at 8:25 PM EST.
By Kevin Rogers
The Ravens and Steelers are each coming off tough home contests in Week 1, as the two AFC North rivals hook up at M&T Bank Stadium. This was originally the second of a two-game suspension for Ray Rice, but Baltimore cut the running back after new video surfaced of his altercation with his then-fiance in February. Now, the Ravens will hope to avoid an 0-2 hole not only overall, but inside the division race.
John Harbaugh’s club fell behind the Bengals in the season opener, 15-0 at halftime, in spite of limiting Cincinnati to five field goals. The Ravens rallied back to take a 16-15 advantage in the fourth quarter thanks to an 80-yard touchdown strike from Joe Flacco to newly acquired Steve Smith. Less than a minute later, the Bengals countered with a 77-yard touchdown connection from Andy Dalton to A.J. Green to give Cincinnati a 23-16 edge, which was ultimately the final. Cincinnati covered as one-point road underdogs to snap a four-game road skid at M&T Bank Stadium.
The Steelers cruised to a 27-3 lead over the Browns at halftime in Week 1, looking to easily cover as 5 ½-point home favorites. However, Cleveland wasn’t ready to give up, as Brian Hoyer spearheaded a comeback with the Browns scoring 24 unanswered points to tie the game at 27-27 in the fourth quarter. Pittsburgh’s only points in the second half came in the final seconds of regulation as Shaun Suisham’s 41-yard field goal at the gun gave the Steelers a 30-27 win, but Cleveland cashed as a sharp away underdog.
Whenever the Ravens and Steelers get together, it’s pretty much a guarantee that the game will come down to three points or less. In fact, eight of the past 10 meetings have been decided by less than a field goal, including last season’s two matchups. Following a 1-4 start, Pittsburgh needed a last season field goal to stave off Baltimore at Heinz Field, 19-16 to cash as a 2 ½-point favorite. In that contest, neither team busted the 300-yard plateau on offense, while the Steelers snapped a two-game home skid to the Ravens.
In the second meeting at M&T Bank Stadium on Thanksgiving, the Ravens held off the Steelers, 22-20 after Pittsburgh couldn’t convert a two-point conversion in the final minute of regulation. Baltimore scored six times in that victory, but five of those scores came on field goals from Justin Tucker. The Steelers cashed as three-point underdogs, as the two teams have alternated wins and losses in each of the past four matchups in Baltimore.
Joe Nelson gives his analysis on this showdown, “While San Francisco and Seattle has eclipsed this rivalry the past few seasons, there is still something special about Pittsburgh and Baltimore. With their history of close games, the underdog has been successful and Pittsburgh has covered in five of the last six trips to Baltimore. Both teams played division games last week and with Pittsburgh winning and Baltimore losing the pressure will be on the host this week. It has certainly not been a great week for the Ravens with some negative post-game comments coming out of the locker room after last week’s loss to Cincinnati and Ray Rice being expelled from the team. This could be a season-defining game in either direction for Baltimore as a 0-2 start would be tough to come back from and this is a team in dire need of a positive result.”
Nelson believes the Steelers need to tie up some loose ends to be successful on Thursday, “For Pittsburgh, the 1-0 start is huge after the nightmare September last season. Getting out-scored 24-3 in the second half last week certainly provides some concerns for the Steelers, however, with a defense that struggled much of last season. Cleveland rushed for 6.1 yards per carry on the Steelers last week, a far departure from the past defensive reputation for Pittsburgh. Pittsburgh will also need to clean up 11 penalties from the opening week and Ben Roethlisberger was sacked four times, something the team can’t afford with his injury history.”
Baltimore has struggled covering numbers against AFC North opponents recently, posting a 2-7 ATS record since November 2012, including a 2-4 ATS mark the last six at home against division foes. On the flip side, the Steelers have cashed six of their past eight contests within the division, while going 3-1 ATS in the last four on the road against the AFC North.
From a totals perspective, the Ravens are 9-3 to the ‘under’ in its past 12 home games, while scoring 20 points or less in six of their previous nine home contests since the start of last season. Since allowing 35 points at Baltimore in the 2011 season opener, Pittsburgh has limited division foes to 22 points or less in each of its past eight road division contests.
The Ravens are currently listed as a 2 ½-point favorite, while the total is set at 44 ½. The game can be seen nationally on CBS at 8:25 PM EST.
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