Baltimore Ravens vs Pittsburgh Steelers NFL Playoff Picks
The Baltimore Ravens and the Pittsburgh Steelers are meeting for a third time when they get together this evening in the Steel City. The AFC Championship…
The Baltimore Ravens and the Pittsburgh Steelers are meeting for a third time when they get together this evening in the Steel City. The AFC Championship Game, which kicks off at 6:30pm ET at Heinz Field, features the two division rivals in a battle to claim the Lamar Hunt Trophy. NFL Playoff picks at SBGglobal.com have the Steelers listed as a -6 against the spread home favorite.
Ravens Breakdown: Baltimore has defied the odds thus far, winning two road playoff games to reach the AFC Championship; they will need to continue that trend for a shot at Super Bowl XLIII glory. The Ravens certainly have a chance given the fact that they have won 11 of their last 13 games and feature the league's second ranked defense.
Last week the Ravens did not play their best game but still left Tennessee with a 13-10 win over the top seeded Titans as a result of their opportunistic play. Baltimore's defense, which will be without cornerback Samari Rolle today, forced three Titan turnovers and their offense responded when needed, generating two fourth quarter field goal drives with a poised Joe Flacco under center.
Baltimore, who lost at Pittsburgh 20-23 in a September overtime tussle, is 7-3 on the road this year. They have held opposing offenses to an average of just 14.3 points per game in their last nine away games while their own offense churned out an average of 24.7.
Steelers Breakdown: The Steelers have had a full bandwagon for most of the year, and with good reason. Pittsburgh's defense has been throttling teams since week one, leading the team to a 12-4 regular season record and a number two playoff seed. Mike Tomlin's club has won seven of their last eight contests by an average of 13.4 points per game.
Pittsburgh ended the Chargers season last Sunday with a divisional round 35-24 victory that was not as close as the score. After relinquishing an opening 75 yard touchdown drive to San Diego, the Steelers defense put the clamps on. Dick LeBeau's guys held Philip Rivers and company to a paltry 215 yards the rest of the way and allowed a total of just 15 rushing yards for the game.
The Steelers are 7-2 at Heinz Field after last weekend's playoff victory and they have limited guests to just 15.4 points per game. In their previous two wins over Baltimore, they held the Ravens to a combined total of 445 yards and 29 points.
NFL Playoff Picks Betting Trend: The Over is 8-2 in Baltimore's last 10 games versus Pittsburgh as a road underdog.
SBGglobal.com's Baltimore Ravens vs Pittsburgh Steelers NFL Playoff Picks:
Ravens +6 (-115), Over 34 (-110), +210 (Money line)
Steelers -6 (-105), Under 34 (-110), -250 (Money line)
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