The Pittsburgh Steelers finish off their first season under head coach Mike Tomlin in Week 17 when they take on the NFL Picks hapless Baltimore Ravens. The Steelers come in at 10-5 SU overall and will be looking to grab the #3 seed in the playoffs but will need a victory here and a loss by AFC West champion San Diego in Oakland . Should that happened they will have a wild-card playoff game against either Cleveland or Tennessee. If that doesn’t happen the Steelers will end up with the fourth seed and would have to open the playoffs with a rematch versus the red hot Jacksonville Jaguars. Unfortunately for the Steelers they will have to navigate through the playoffs without the services of star RB Willie Parker who was the NFL's leading rusher with 1,317 yards when he suffered a broken lower right leg and was placed on injured reserve. There might not be a drop off in performance as replacement RB Najeh Davenport replaced Parker and finished with 24 carries for 123 yards and a touchdown. Pittsburgh as been installed as a -3.5 point favorite as BetOnline.com
After winning the AFC North with a 13-3 record last season the Baltimore Ravens got off to a good start this season as they went 4-2 SU in their first six games. But it was all downhill from there as the Ravens, currently 4-11 SU, have been outscored by an average of nearly two touchdowns per game during their 0-9 SU slide. The Baltimore offense certainly has had it’s problems this year as they rank 23rd in total yards. This week they will once again go with 3rd string QB Troy Smith. Last week Smith completed 16 of 33 passes for 199 yards. The Ravens will also have a replacement in the backfield as starting RB Willis McGahee, the Ravens' leader with 1,207 yards and seven rushing touchdowns, broke two ribs in the first quarter last week and most likely will not play.
Baltimore is on a horrible run as they are only 2-13 ATS in their L 15 games this season and has turned the ball over an incredible 27 times in the L8 games. However, don’t sell them short yet as underdogs off seven or more straight losses are 60-27 ATS since 1982! Baltimore also has had some success versus the Steelers as they have won three in a row both SU & ATS at home against Pittsburgh.
Steelers don’t seem to be playing all that well right now but will Baltimore actually care to come out and play hard in this one?
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