Steelers vs Ravens Week 1 NFL Betting Preview & Predictions
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Pittsburgh Steelers (0-0) vs. Baltimore Ravens (0-0)
Time/Date: 1:00 PM EST, September 11, 2011
Venue: M&T Bank Stadium
Broadcast: CBS
Steelers vs. Ravens Gambling Odds from BetOnline
Spread: Ravens -1
Moneyline: Ravens (-125) Steelers (+105)
Over/Under: 36
Steelers vs. Ravens ATS Gambling Stats –>
You won’t find a harder hitting matchup than the Pittsburgh Steelers against the Baltimore Ravens. These AFC North rivals are both serious contenders this season, and both of them are built to run the football and play great defense. There is no clash of styles when these teams meet; rather there is a head-on collision on every single play. If you like huge hits and lots of emotion, you’ll want to tune into this one!
The Pittsburgh Steelers narrowly missed winning another Super Bowl last year. Turnovers cost them in a close loss to the Green Bay Packers. Ben Roethlisberger comes into this season without any off-the-field drama. Roethlisberger does a great job seeing the entire field, but the one knock on him is that he takes too many sacks. In just seven seasons Big Ben has taken 274 sacks. The Steelers offensive line does a nice job run blocking, but they do make it tough on Roethlisberger because of their poor pass protection. Rashard Mendenhall has back-to-back 1,100 yard rushing seasons. Mendenhall has shown he is capable of being a workhorse. Hines Ward isn’t the player he once was, but Mike Wallace is becoming a great big play threat on the outside for this offense.
The Steelers defense is what has taken them so far the last few years. The front seven of this Steelers defense are truly the best in the league. The 3-4 defense is terrific for this group since they have James Harrison, Lamarr Woodley, James Farrior, and Lawrence Timmons at the linebacker spots. Troy Polamalu is a play maker at the safety spot, but the Steelers cornerbacks have been taken advantage of some in the past couple years. This will be one of the best defenses in the NFL again this season. [soliloquy id=”82219″]
Baltimore hasn’t been able to get over the hump the last few years. What has that final hump been? It has been attempting to get past the Steelers in the playoffs. Baltimore seemed to have them last year, but a second half meltdown cost them the game. Joe Flacco continues to progress, but he’ll need some improved production out of Anquan Boldin. Boldin was a star for Arizona a couple years ago, but he was a big disappointment last season. Ray Rice saw his numbers drop a bit last year, but I think we’ll see a nice bounce back year from him. Vonta Leach was a huge pickup for the Ravens in the offseason. He is one of the best fullbacks in the NFL, and he should open more holes for Rice.
The Baltimore defense may not be what it once was, but it is still very good. Ray Lewis is the vocal leader, but he is no longer the best player on the defense. Haloti Ngata is an absolute beast on the defensive front, and he is this unit’s MVP at this point. Terrell Suggs gives them a great pass rusher on the outside. Ed Reed isn’t as quick as he used to be, but he is still a great safety. Keep an eye on Sergio Kindle, who could give the Ravens another good pass rusher at the outside linebacker spot. This is a deep defense that will be tough again this year.
Last year when the Ravens beat the Steelers in the regular season, Ben Roethlisberger wasn’t eligible for the game. In fact, the Steelers are 6-0 against the Ravens when Big Ben starts. I like the Steelers moneyline here.
The Pick: Steelers ML
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