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Steelers are Slight NFL Betting Favorites in Divisional Clash vs. Ravens.

Steelers are Slight NFL Betting Favorites in Divisional Clash vs. Ravens

Written by on September 28, 2017

The Baltimore Ravens and Pittsburgh Steelers will both be looking to bounce back from shocking losses when they square off in another installment of their longtime AFC North divisional rivalry in Week 4 of the NFL regular season. Despite their loss to the Chicago Bears, Ben Roethlisberger and the steel gang are slight NFL betting favorites, with the betting odds favoring the Steelers at 2.5 points. But let’s find out which one of these Super Bowl LII hopefuls is offering the best value in this contest.

Pittsburgh Steelers (2-1) at Baltimore Ravens (2-1) NFL Betting Analysis

When: Sunday, October 1, 2017 at 1:00 PM ET Where: M&T Bank Stadium TV: CBS Radio: 102.5 FM (Pittsburgh) / 97.9 FM (Baltimore) Live Stream: NFL Live NFL Betting Odds: Baltimore Ravens +2.5 Total: 44

LA Rams vs. Dallas Cowboys NFL Week 4 Odds, Game Preview & Expert Pick

Weather Forecast

  • Clear: 20°C/68°F
  • Humidity: 48%
  • Precipitation: 0%
  • Cloud Cover: 1%
  • Wind: 6 mph ENE
  • Stadium Type: Open

Why Bet the Baltimore Ravens Odds at +2.5?

The Baltimore Ravens got completely embarrassed in their stunning 44-7 Week 3 loss against Jacksonville in London as quarterback Joe Flacco played the worst game of his NFL career by completing just 8 of 18 pass attempts for a mind-boggling 28 yards with two interceptions to finish with a passer rating of 12.0. Now Baltimore will look to put some points on the board as they rank a dismal dead last in the league in total yards per game. “I think we’re getting ahead of ourselves when we all of a sudden start saying we haven’t played well for three weeks,” Flacco said. “We played terribly last week. There’s no way around that. But the other two weeks, we did what we had to do to win football games. I don’t think that’s anything that we can hang our head over.” The good news is that Baltimore has won six straight home games coming into this contest and that 12 of the last 18 meetings against Pittsburgh has been decided by a field goal. “We need to win,” Ravens coach John Harbaugh said Wednesday. “All these wins count the same, but obviously this is a division game. Division wins are a little more important. You’re trying to win a division championship. That’s the goal. Last week? We’re past it. We’re done with it. But don’t think that it doesn’t stick in your craw.” For the season, Flacco is completing a respectable 60.9 percent of his passes for 366 yards with three touchdowns, but also four interceptions. While Baltimore is ranked an uninspiring 23rd in scoring (17.0 ppg), the good news is that they’re also ranked fifth in points allowed by limiting the opposition to just 18.0 points per game.

Team Statistics

Offense

  • Average Score For: 17
  • Total Yards: 263.66
  • Rush Yards: 142.33
  • Passing Yards: 121.33

Defense

  • Average Score Against: 18
  • Total Yards: 339
  • Rush Yards: 112
  • Passing Yards: 227

Why Bet the Pittsburgh Steelers Odds at -2.5?

The Pittsburgh Steelers got stunned in their 23-17 Week 3 overtime loss against Chicago as quarterback Ben Roethlisberger completed just 22 of 39 passes for 235 yards with one touchdown and no picks. Despite ranking third in total defense and second against the pass, the Steelers allowed second-year running back Jordan Howard to dominate for the Bears by rushing for 138 yards and two touchdowns in the loss. “We have had a lot of significant confrontations downfield in the history of the series,” Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said. “They are the Ravens’ offense. We know that they are capable of big strikes. They are a balanced group. They do a good job of keeping you off balance. Despite playing on the road, the Pittsburgh Steelers are the NFL Betting favorites against the Ravens. “It is business as usual for us. All of those things being said, we have to play solid. We have to control the things that we do and work to minimize the things that they do. The focus for us this week is that when you are coming off a negative performance … It is the Ravens, it is a rivalry weekend, but we need to be focused on things that we need to do to play above the line.” For the season, Roethlisberger is completing 62.7 percent of his passes for 741 yards with five touchdowns and one interception but said the Steelers offense needs to execute a lot better than it is in ranking 22nd overall and 17th in scoring (21.3 ppg). “If I play better in that game, I feel we win the game,” Roethlisberger said Wednesday. “If I play better in the first two weeks, then we’re going to score more points and have a productive offense and we don’t have to answer questions about why our offense isn’t where it is.”

Team Statistics

Offense

  • Average Score For: 21.33
  • Total Yards: 302.33
  • Rush Yards: 69
  • Passing Yards: 233.33

Defense

  • Average Score Against: 16.67
  • Total Yards: 259.34
  • Rush Yards: 122.67
  • Passing Yards: 136.67

Latest NFL Betting Trends for Week 4

  • Steelers are 0-4-1 ATS in their last 5 games when playing Baltimore
  • Steelers are 11-2 SU in their last 13 games
  • The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Pittsburgh’s last 6 games
  • Ravens are 5-1 ATS in their last 6 games at home
  • Ravens are 5-0 SU in their last 5 games at home
  • The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Baltimore’s last 7 games at home

Expert NFL Betting Analysis and Prediction

While a compelling 61 percent of public bettors are backing the Steelers to win this contest – and I believe they’re the better team – I’m going with the Baltimore Ravens to cover the spread by winning outright at home simply because this game looks like another knock-down, drag-out division brawl just waiting to happen. The Steelers are just 1-4-1 ATS in their last six Week 4 games and an uninspiring 0-4-1 ATS in their last five meetings against the Ravens while Baltimore has gone a near-perfect 5-1 ATS in their last six home games and a robust 7-3 ATS in their last 10 games against their AFC counterparts. The Steelers may be the ‘better’ team in this AFC North battle, but again, I’m going with Baltimore for the home ‘upset’ over Pittsburgh. NFL Pick: Baltimore +2.5