The Pittsburgh Steelers (7-8) visit the Baltimore Ravens (10-5) for the Sunday Night Football game in a divisional rivalry with major playoff implications. Kickoff from M&T Bank Stadium is set for 8:20 p.m. ET (NBC). Below, we analyze Tipico Sportsbook’s lines around the Steelers vs. Ravens odds, and make our expert NFL picks and predictions.
One game under .500, the Steelers hope to continue coach Mike Tomlin’s streak of never finishing a season below .500. Pittsburgh has won 2 games in a row since suffering a 16-14 defeat as a 1.5-point home favorite against Baltimore Dec 11. The Steelers’ playoff hopes are alive but are incredibly slim with most football experts having their postseason odds around 2%. They can’t afford to lose another game, but if the Miami Dolphins (8-7), who are 2.5-point road underdogs, upset the New England Patriots (7-8) earlier in the day, the Steelers would be eliminated, according to FiveThirtyEight.
The Ravens trail the AFC North-leading Cincinnati Bengals (11-4) by 1 game in the division. As long as the Ravens don’t lose ground — the Bengals host the Buffalo Bills (12-3) Monday night — the two rivals will play for the North title next week in Cincinnati. Baltimore would win a tiebreaker because it beat Cincy at M&T earlier in the season and would complete a sweep if it wins there in Week 18. The Ravens have already secured a playoff spot and are looking to be one of the top seeds in the AFC by winning the division and getting hot just in time for QB Lamar Jackson to return from injury. Baltimore is coming off a much needed 17-9 win as a 6.5-point favorite vs. Atlanta last Saturday that gave the Ravens momentum that they will look to ride into this game.
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Steelers at Ravens odds
Provided by Tipico Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 6:03 a.m. ET.
- Moneyline (ML): Steelers +115 (bet $100 to win $115) | Ravens -135 (bet $135 to win $100)
- Against the spread (ATS): Steelers +2.5 (-107) | Ravens -2.5 (-113)
- Over/Under (O/U): 35 (O: -110 | U: -110)
Steelers at Ravens key injuries
Steelers
- LB Myles Jack (groin) questionable
- DB Tre Norwood (hamstring) out
- DL Larry Ogunjobi (toe) questionable
Ravens
- DL Calais Campbell (knee) questionable
- QB Lamar Jackson (knee) out
- CB Marcus Peters (calf) out
- S Geno Stone (hamstring) questionable
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Steelers at Ravens picks and predictions
Prediction
Steelers 13, Ravens 12
Moneyline
PASS since I’m focusing on the spread.
The Steelers (+115) are the underdogs, but they should be the favorites with Jackson out for the Ravens. In this divisional rivalry, it’s rare that either team sweeps the other in the season series, and I don’t see that happening in this one. Plus, Tomlin has never had a season under .500 in his career and the Steelers will keep that streak going with a win Sunday — they host the last-place Cleveland Browns (6-9) in Week 18.
Against the spread
PITTSBURGH +2.5 (-107) is the BEST BET in this matchup. However, if the Steelers are eliminated from playoff contention before kickoff — because of a Miami win at New England — this is a PASS.
When these teams met 2 weeks ago, the game ended with a 2-point differential — the above-mentioned Ravens’ 16-14 victory. This final should be just as close. With Jackson out and the Steelers looking much better now than at the start of the season, this will be a tough game for the Ravens.
If the Steelers aren’t eliminated before kickoff, BET 1.5 UNITS here or divvy up the 1.5 units with a smaller PITTSBURGH (+115) ML wager.
Over/Under
LEAN UNDER 35 (-112).
If Jackson was playing for the Ravens, I’d lean Over, but because he is out and knowing how terrible the Ravens offense is without him, the Under should be pretty safe here. The Steelers offense has been bad all season and the Ravens offense struggles without their starting QB. With Baltimore’s running game also not performing, it will be hard for either team to put up points.
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