The 8-2 Baltimore Ravens will be the next stop for the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Steelers will go into the M&T Bank Stadium to try and win their third straight and remain on the outskirts of the playoff hunt when they visit AFC North Division rival Baltimore on Sunday. The Ravens hosted the Atlanta Falcons last week and served them a loss with second half magic. This is the first of two meetings within a month between the Steelers and Ravens, who will play again Dec. 24 at Pittsburgh.
It will definitely be a challenge to face the first-place Ravens who have defeated the Steelers in their last two meetings in Baltimore. A loss would put Pittsburgh five games behind Baltimore in the division with five to play, and at least two games back in the AFC wild-card race.
The Steelers needed three touchdowns in the final 10 minutes to win their first road game of the season, 24-20 at Cleveland last Sunday. Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger shoveled a 4-yard touchdown pass to Willie Parker with 32 seconds left to cap the comeback.
Roethlisberger, who leads the NFL with 17 interceptions, threw three picks in the first half, but recovered to throw for 224 of his 272 yards in the fourth quarter. Big Ben also had a touchdown pass to Santonio Holmes and finished the day 25-for-44.
Willie Parker rushed for a career-high 213 yards on 22 carries in the Steelers' 38-31 win over New Orleans on Nov. 12 but the Browns held him to 46 yards on 16 carries last Sunday. In spite of that he scored twice in the fourth quarter.
Despite winning two straight for the first time this season, Pittsburgh still has concerns. The Steelers have turned the ball over 13 times in their last three games and lead the league with 27 giveaways. Pro-Bowl wide receiver Hines Ward is questionable for Sunday's game with a hyperextended knee. He leads the team with 53 receptions for 753 yards and six touchdowns. Pittsburgh will be looking to win for the eighth time in its last 11 games against Baltimore.
The Steelers will be playing one of the premier teams in the AFC though. The Ravens are also playing with a lot of confidence. While the Steelers are just hoping to reach the playoffs, the streaking Ravens are already thinking bigger. Baltimore, which appears likely to reach the playoffs for the first time since 2003, is looking for its fifth straight win.
The Ravens have not won five in a row since their Super Bowl season of 2000. If they keep winning, a first-round playoff bye is possible. Baltimore is tied with San Diego for the second-best record in the AFC behind 9-1 Indianapolis.
Baltimore looks good to go all the way but for the Ravens to go to the Super Bowl they have to do what they did last Sunday; get contributions from everyone. The Ravens beat the Falcons even without star linebacker Ray Lewis, who was sidelined with a back injury for the second straight game. He is listed as questionable this week.
Jamal Lewis rushed for all three Ravens touchdowns, and gained 91 yards on 22 carries overall. That was more than enough for a Baltimore defense which held the Falcons to 186 total yards and sacked quarterback Michael Vick five times.
The Ravens rank second behind the Chicago Bears in the NFL in total defense, allowing 274.3 yards per game. They are limiting opponents to 14.7 points per game – fifth-fewest in the league. Their once struggling offense also continues to improve, scoring 20 points or more in each of its last five games.
Home favorite all the way my dear readers… Ravens -3 plus money, I have seen good early value here, so jump on it soon. I am not the one to bet a game to go under a lot cause the truth is that is calling for a boring game, between these two, I’d say bet over this won’t be boring. Ravens -1 first half as well.
