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Baltimore Ravens (2-1) vs. Pittsburgh Steelers (1-1-1) at Heinz Field
NFL Week4:8:20 ET on Sunday, September 30, 2018
On Sunday, two teams with an absolute loathing for one another will take to the gridiron at Heinz Field when the Baltimore Ravens take on the Pittsburgh Steelers. Both of these teams come into the contest with top-tier offenses. Baltimore is coming off a 13 point victory over the Denver Broncos while Pittsburgh won by three in Tampa Bay. Pittsburgh leads the overall series between the two teams, 27-21-0.
Baltimore Defense Stymies Broncos in 27-14 Victory
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The Denver Broncos would score to first quarter touchdowns on Sunday, then watch the Baltimore Ravens defense shut them down for the remaining 53 minutes of the game in the Ravens 27-14 victory. Javorius Allen scored two touchdowns and Justin Tucker kicked a pair of 52-yard field goals as the Ravens responded with 20 unanswered points.
After Denver scored 91 seconds into the game, Alex Collins would tie the contest on a 6-yard touchdown run. Denver would retake the lead on their next possession, and the Ravens would add a Tucker 52 yard field goal to pull within four before the first quarter ended.
It looked like this would be a high-scoring affair, but it would only be Baltimore that would find the end zone after the first quarter. Quarterback Joe Flacco threw a 12-yard touchdown pass to Allen to give Baltimore a three-point lead and Tucker would add his second field goal of the game as the first half came to an end.
In the third quarter, Allen would score from 1 yard out to extend the lead to 27-14. That would be the final.
Allen only had 7 yards rushing on six carries, but one of those carries was for a touchdown. He also had three receptions for 19 yards and a score. Flacco threw for 277 yards and a touchdown.
The Baltimore defense has been extremely impressive so far this season, ranked fifth in points allowed at 17.0 and first in yards allowed 273.0. Baltimore is 13th in yards gained per game at 378.7 and they are fifth at 32.3 points per game.
Steelers Hold Off Feverish Comeback, Win 30-27
The Pittsburgh Steelers looked in complete command of their game with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Monday night, taking a 20 point lead into the half. However, Tampa Bay would battle back with 17 unanswered points to pull within three, but the Steelers held on for the 30-27 victory.
Tampa Bay would score first, but Pittsburgh quarterback Ben Roethlisberger would toss a 75-yard touchdown pass to Vance McDonald to pull the Steelers within one. A Chris Boswell 38 yard field goal gave Pittsburgh the lead and they would extend that to nine when Roethlisberger found Antonio Brown for a 27-yard touchdown.
With 2:50 left in the half, Bud Dupree intercepted a Ryan Fitzpatrick pass and returned it 10 yards for a touchdown. After a Tampa Bay field goal, Roethlisberger would end the half with a 1-yard touchdown pass with six seconds remaining before the break. That gave Pittsburgh a 30-10 lead.
Tampa Bay would rally in the second half. Fitzpatrick threw two touchdown passes and Chandler Catanzaro hit a 28-yard field goal to make this a three-point game, but the Buccaneers could get no closer.
Ben Roethlisberger had an impressive performance, completing 30 of 38 passes for 353 yards and 3 touchdowns. JuJu Smith-Schuster had 9 catches for 116 yards and Antonio Brown had 4 receptions for 112 yards and a TD.
The Steelers are seventh in points per game at 29.3 and are second in yards per game at 453.3. The defense has not looked so good, however, allowing 410.3 yards per game, 30th in the NFL, and 30 points per game, 28th.
Trends:
Baltimore:
- 3-1-1 in their last five road games ATS.
- 1-4 in their last five games ATS against teams with a losing record.
- 12-4 ATS in their last 16 against AFC North opponents.
Pittsburgh:
- 2-5 ATS in their last seven September games.
- 1-4 ATS in their last five games against teams with a winning record.
- 0-6 ATS in their last six games at home.
- 0-4 ATS in their last four games against AFC teams.
The Winner Prediction
Usually, when these two teams face off against one another, you throw the records out. These games are usually like playoff battles and no one should expect anything different in this contest.
However, the Ravens have the far superior defense and can put up points in bunches themselves. The Ravens are 3-0-1 ATS in the last four meetings in Pittsburgh and are 5-1-1 in the last seven meetings overall. Add to it that the underdog is 5-1-1 ATS in the last seven games.
The Pick:Baltimore Ravens(+3.0), (-105)
The Total
This game should be a high scoring affair so ride with the over. The total has gone over in three of the last five games between these two teams in Pittsburgh.
The Pick: Over 51.0 (-108)