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The Pittsburgh Steelers (8-7) will make their final bid for a postseason berth Sunday of Week 17 against the AFC North-rival Baltimore Ravens (13-2) at M&T Bank Stadium. The game will kick off at 4:25 p.m. ET. We analyze the Steelers-Ravens odds and sports betting lines, while providing sports betting tips and advice on this matchup.
Steelers at Ravens: Week 17 preview, betting trends and notes
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- The Ravens beat the Steelers 26-23 in overtime in Pittsburgh in Week 5. Ravens QB Lamar Jackson passed for 161 yards and rushed for 70. His 3 interceptions were a single-game season-high.
- The Steelers enter Week 17 off of back-to-back losses to the Buffalo Bills (17-10) and New York Jets (16-10).
- The Tennessee Titans (8-7) hold the tie-breaker over the Steelers for the second wild-card spot based on strength of schedule.
- The Ravens have won 11 straight games with seven of those being decided by at least two scores. They clinched home-field advantage through the AFC playoffs.
- Steelers third-string QB Devlin Hodges will get the Week 17 start after Mason Rudolph (shoulder) suffered an injury in Week 16.
- Baltimore will rest Jackson and RB Mark Ingram (calf) in the regular-season finale, along with several veteran defensive starters.
- QB Robert Griffin III will start for the Ravens. He appeared in six games this season, going 12-for-17 through the air with one touchdown and one pick. He hasn’t started a game since 2016.
- The Ravens (18.1) and Steelers (18.3) rank third and fourth, respectively, in scoring defense. They’re two of the five teams in the NFL allowing fewer than 310 yards of offense per game.
Steelers at Ravens: Key injuries
Ingram is the main injury concern for Baltimore, but he was likely to rest this week regardless.
Steelers RB James Conner (thigh) may join Rudolph on the shelf for Week 17 after he left the Week 16 contest.
Steelers at Ravens: Odds, betting lines and prediction
Odds via BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated Tuesday at 8:50 a.m. ET.
Prediction
Ravens 20, Steelers 13
Moneyline (?)
Take the value with the RAVENS (+110). Even though they’ll be resting stars, they’re still the deeper and more talented group on offense. Baltimore is 6-1 at home this year while Pittsburgh (-133) is just 3-4 on the road. Hodges threw six interceptions against just a single touchdown over the Steelers’ last two losses and they briefly switched back to Rudolph last week.
Against the Spread (?)
The spread is set at 2.5 points with -110 odds on either side. Stick with the hosts on the moneyline rather than taking lower odds for just 2 points of insurance in the event of a loss. PASS on the spread.
New to sports betting? A $10 bet on the Ravens to win outright on the moneyline returns a profit of $11. Backing them to cover +2.5 on the spread and stay within 2 points in a loss, tie or win outright would return $9.09 in profit.
Over/Under (?)
The best play is the UNDER 38.5 (-110). It was going to be a strong defensive battle even if both sides were fielding full rosters. Look for both QBs to struggle and Baltimore’s backup defenders to prove their worth in a defensive slog.
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Esten’s NFL betting record: 45-42
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