NFL Week 16 – Ravens and Steelers Preview with Props and Pick
BetUS NFL Point Spread: Pittsburgh -2.5, O/U: 42
At the beginning of the season, this was supposed to be a game that could have decided who would have won the AFC North. Instead, a win by either team won’t even guarantee a playoff spot at all. The Ravens, sitting at 8-6, have a much better chance than Pittsburgh to make it to the postseason.
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If Baltimore wins and both Jacksonville and the Jets lose, the Ravens will make the playoffs. If Pittsburgh wins, they’ll have to also beat Miami next week and pray that Baltimore loses to Oakland as well, or else the defending Super Bowl Champions will have an early vacation.
This is a fate that no one saw coming. Baltimore won the first contest of the season between the two clubs, 20-17 back in Week 11. However, Ben Roethlisberger missed that game with a concussion. The Ravens won’t be so lucky this week.
What The Ravens Have To Do To Win
Ray Rice continues to be the driving point of the Ravens offense, but he will have it tough against Pittsburgh and their Number 1 ranked rush defence. If there is an edge for Baltimore, it will emerge in the fourth quarter. The Steelers defence has been awful in the final frame. They’ve allowed 121 points in the fourth quarter, second most in the league. Their 11 touchdowns allowed in the last quarter is a league high. If the Ravens can keep it close for the first three quarters, they may be able to break out at the end and run over a Pittsburgh defence that clearly has trouble closing out games.
What The Steelers Have To Do To Win
Ben Roethlisberger threw for a career high 503 yards against a Green Bay defence that was ranked Number 2 in the league before the matchup. Roethlisberger obviously won’t get that amount of yards again against Baltimore, but the Steelers passing game will have to be working to beat the Ravens. 
That will be a much easier task than it usually is considering the Ravens secondary is hurting. Safety Ed Reed has missed three straight games and is uncertain for Sunday. Cornerback Lardarius Webb tore a ligament in his knee last week and is out for the season. Big Ben probably won’t throw for over 500 yards again, but he shouldn’t be too afraid to air it out against the Baltimore backfield.
Outlook & Pick
One of these teams is not going to make the playoffs. An incredible fact considering these two played each other in the AFC Championship last year. The Ravens have won big for two straight games, but those wins were against Chicago and Detroit, neither of whom are NFC powerhouses.
The Steelers, however, had an offensive outburst against a team that doesn’t allow too many of those. The Ravens always have a hard time playing in Pittsburgh, as evident by their 2-8 record over their last 10 visits. Big Ben and the Steelers will prevail.
NFL Free Pick: Pittsburgh -2.5 & over 44
Prop NFL Football Betting: Team To Score First And Score In First Seven Minutes
Both teams are going to pound the run early to try and control the clock and the tempo of the game. It won’t be until later when the footballs start flying through the air. The first points will most likely be a field goal.
Expert Pick: Pittsburgh Will Score First, No Score In First Seven Minutes
One reply on “Week 16 Spreads: Ravens vs. Steelers”
Pittsburgh should be the logical pick for this game, but their inconsistency especially at the end of games is still a concern. If it weren’t for a miracle TD with no time left last week, this game would be meaningless for the Steelers.