The Baltimore Ravens started out as heavy favorites over the Pittsburgh Steelers earlier this week. Seemingly against any good sense, oddsmakers had Baltimore sitting at 5.5-point favorites over Pittsburgh to begin Week 8. However, with kickoff just a few hours away now, the odds have gotten a little more manageable.
According to BetMGM, the Ravens are still four-point favorites over the Steelers this week, along with an over/under of 46.5 points. While better than what they were earlier in the week, that’s still some hefty odds in a game that has typically been far closer.
As I pointed out at the time, this rivalry has been a tight one over the 27 previous matchups with coach John Harbaugh at the helm. The series is split 14-13 since 2008, with Baltimore having won seven games each at home and away. More importantly for the NFL odds, the average margin of victory has been just 1.37 points per game — far smaller than the four-point spread currently out there. And of those 27 games, just six have had a combined point total of 47 points or more.
For those looking to make a last-minute NFL bet, going with the Steelers and the points might make the most sense. That’s not saying Pittsburgh will win this game but history doesn’t show Baltimore beating them by four or more points in this game or it being an offensive shootout to massive score totals.
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