Via https://steelerswire.usatoday.com
Pittsburgh Steelers (4-2-1) vs. Baltimore Ravens (4-4-0) at M&T Bank Stadium, Baltimore, Maryland
NFL Week 9: 1:00 ET on Sunday, November 4, 2018
One of the most heated rivalries in the NFL is renewed on Sunday when the Pittsburgh Steelers take on the Baltimore Ravens in a classic AFC North showdown. Pittsburgh leads this division and has a 1 ½ game lead over Baltimore who is third in the division.
These two teams have already faced each other this season in Week 4 in Pittsburgh when Baltimore dominated the contest behind 363 yards passing by Joe Flacco in a 26-14 victory. Pittsburgh leads the all-time series between these two teams 27-22-0 and had won three in a row before the Ravens early-season victory.
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Steelers Dominate Browns, 33-18
The Pittsburgh Steelers were finally able to dominate the Cleveland Browns, crushing Cleveland 33-18 on Sunday. This came as the Steelers fell behind 6-0 in the first quarter before battling back to take an eight-point lead heading into the half. Ben Roethlisberger threw two touchdown passes to Antonio Brown in the quarter to give Pittsburgh the lead. He would finish the game with 257 yards passing and two touchdowns.
James Conner had a big afternoon rushing for the Steelers, scoring two touchdowns while gaining 146 yards on the ground. He averaged 6.1 yards per carry. Antonio Brown had six catches for 74 yards.
Roethlisberger is having another All-Pro season, completing 65.3% of his passes for 2290 yards. The Pittsburgh quarterback has thrown 14 touchdowns this year with seven interceptions and has greatly reduced his sacks to just 10 through the first seven games of the year. Conner has 599 yards rushing and nine touchdowns on the ground. Brown has 46 receptions for 552 yards and eight touchdowns.
Pittsburgh is averaging 29.1 points per game on 318.1 yards of offense. They are giving up 24.6 points per game and 359.7 yards per game.
Cam Newton Helps Panthers Devour Ravens, 36-21
The Baltimore Ravens lost their second straight game on Sunday, falling to the Carolina Panthers 36-21. Cam Newton had a huge game for Carolina, throwing for two touchdowns and rushing for another to lead the Carolina offense.
Baltimore struggled mightily on offense in the game. Flacco threw for 192 yards and a touchdown, but completed just 56.4% of his passes and was intercepted twice. Alex Collins gained 49 yards rushing on 11 carries and had a touchdown. The Baltimore defense did not generate a sack or turnover.
The Ravens are averaging 24.6 points per game while giving up 17.1 points per contest. They are averaging 379.2 yards of total offense while giving up 293.7. Flacco is having a solid season, throwing for 2259 yards and 12 touchdowns. He has drawn six interceptions and been sacked 14 times this year while completing 61.1% of his passes. Collins has been abysmal leading the running attack, getting 358 yards and averaging 3.7 yards per carry.
Trends:
Pittsburgh:
- 4-1 ATS in their last five games.
- 4-10 ATS in their last 14 games in November.
- 2-5 ATS in their last seven games against AFC North teams.
Baltimore:
- 13-5 ATS in their last 18 games against AFC North teams.
- 5-2-2 ATS in their last nine games in November.
- 2-5 ATS in their last seven home games when facing a team with a winning record on the road.
The Winner Prediction
These have traditionally been close games, and that is reflected in the line as Baltimore is favored by three points. While the Ravens defeated the Steelers by 12 earlier this year, Pittsburgh had one the three previous contests, beating Baltimore by one in their second meeting last year and by four in their second meeting in 2016. Prior to that, Baltimore had won four straight with the last three victories coming by a total of 13 points.
Pittsburgh is coming in red-hot, winning three straight games while Baltimore has lost their last two. Usually, you throw the record out when these two teams square off, but Pittsburgh is really starting to build some momentum. They get three points and we will take those and go with the Steelers.
The Pick: Pittsburgh Steelers (+3.0)
The Total
The total is set at 47.5 and it is hard to believe in a battle of two of the more dominant defensive teams in the history of this league that you would consider going over. However, Pittsburgh is averaging 29.1 points per contest while Baltimore is scoring 24.6 on average. Combined, they are allowing a little less than 42 points per game and it looks like when you combine the averages of what these two teams score and what they allow and divide them in two you get 47.5 and that’s what oddsmakers decided to go with.
Pittsburgh has scored 54 combined points in the last two weeks against two of the better defensive teams in the league and Baltimore scored 26 points in the first matchup between these two teams. This game has a 28-24 feel to it, so go with the over.
The Pick: Over 47.5