BALTIMORE RAVENS @ PITTSBURGH STEELERS 
Vegas Line: Ravens + 3
Rob’s Line: Ravens + 4.5
Anybody who reads these posts on a regular basis will know that I’ve had my eye on this one for at least a couple of weeks, but I always had in mind that Pittsburgh would enter it a game behind and that only avenging that 35-7 mauling they received in Baltimore on opening Sunday would bring these two most hated of rivals back on level terms in the division. However, all that changed after the Ravens’ 12-7 shocker in Jacksonville on Monday Night Football two weeks ago and it’s winner takes all on Sunday night. What a prospect and what a can’t miss, won’t miss game this one truly is.
As if any extra motivation was needed, the Ravens do enter proceedings knowing that a win gives them the tiebreaker over the Steelers in the division come the playoffs, providing, that is, that both finish on the same record at the end of the regular season.
If we were to look at this purely from a form standpoint, Pittsburgh have everything going for them. Going home to face Arizona after the aforementioned Jaguars debacle, the Ravens were rocked to their foundations when the Cardinals suddenly jumped out to a 24-3 lead with half time fast approaching. That they manged to turn it around is a credit to them, albeit on a field goal as time expired, but quarterback Joe Flacco’s stats tell you everything you need to know, especially about the second half so let’s take a look at them: 31 of 51 for 336 yards, 0 TDs, 1 INT.
Through those you can almost hear the game plan…”two tight end sets and just make sure you throw (Anquan) Boldin the damn ball! I don’t care, just throw it to him!” The zero touchdowns is quite startling there, but Ray Rice ran in three second half scores from the goal line so Flacco was keeping up his end of the bargain by getting his team close enough.
Pittsburgh, on the other hand, are on a four game winning streak and experiencing none of the problems the Ravens seem to have come up against in their last two outings. They most certainly took care of business last week when disposing of the Patriots and while I’m wary of backing teams after an emotional victory, that emotion is ractheted up a notch when it involves the Ravens so I have no issue when considering the Steelers this week. The one issue I do have with them is their possible injury crisis at linebacker.
LaMarr Woodley is definitely ruled out along with James Farrior and while James Harrison could start, his status is questionable and while that normally means 50-50 in NFL terms, I’m not sure the Steelers are as confident as that. In addition, backup linebacker Jason Worilds is also out and all of this gives the Ravens more of a chance than I was initially prepared to give them.
On offense, Emmanuel Sanders won’t suit up at wide receiver and while this isn’t nearly as bad as losing the speed of Mike Wallace, it’s yet another blow for them to overcome. The Steelers always somehow manage to compensate when key players go down and this speaks volumes for the coaching staff, but with Baltimore strong against the run, quarterback Ben Roethlisberger needs all the weapons he can get and Sanders will be missed.
In a game such as this, where the teams hate each other and there’s so much up for grabs, any points on offer would be a wise thing to grab on to, but I really liked Pittsburgh coming into this minus three points and, despite the perceived problems they may face at linebacker, I’m going to stick with that and take the form team, backed by a rabid home crowd, to cover the spread.
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