The Pittsburgh Steelers had hoped to get Ben Roethlisberger back in time for Sunday's road game against the Baltimore Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium.
If they did, it was expected to make a 7-point difference in the point spread. He was declared 'out' on Friday and the line indeed opened at -9.5 in favor of the Ravens.
The game remained off the board as of Thursday, while his status was still in doubt. Oddsmakers predicted a -3.5 spread favoring the Ravens if Big Ben is active and -9.5 to -10 if he is not. They were bang on.
The Steelers are 0-2 SU and have not thrown a touchdown pass without Roethlisberger over the last two games.
Pittsburgh is just 2-8 ATS over its last eight road games. The Ravens are 7-2 SU and 5-4 ATS over their last nine home games against the Steelers.
View Pittsburgh vs Baltimore Odds and Stats.
Power Rankings / Prediction:
This game matches up the No. 18 (Ravens) and the No. 5 (Steelers) teams in the league, according to our current NFL Power Rankings at OddsShark. A 27-23 result in favor of the Ravens is predicted by handicapping models.
How They Match Up:
Offensively, the game matches up Baltimore's No. 9-ranked offense (25.7 PPG) against a Steelers defense that ranks No. 4 at 19.1 PPG. The Ravens passing attack has averaged 246.5 yards per game, more than the Steelers give up through the air (165.7 YPG on average).
Defensively, the Steelers feature the league's No. 9-rated road run defense, allowing 93.8 yards per game. Baltimore, meanwhile, ranks No. 21 in rushing offense at home.
Last time out for Pittsburgh, they were a 20-14 loser as they battled the Browns on the road. The Steelers failed to cover in the match as a 1-point favorite, while 34 combined points moved the game OVER for totals bettors. The Steelers suffered a Week 12 loss against Cleveland in their last game, falling 20-14 at Cleveland Browns Stadium.
The Ravens were a 16-13 Sportsbook in their most recent outing on the road against the Chargers. They covered the 1-point spread as favorites, while the total score (29) made Sportsbooks of UNDER bettors. Joe Flacco throttled the Chargers defense in his team's most recent action, throwing for 355 yards and 1 scores as Baltimore handed San Diego a 16-13 defeat.
Pittsburgh Steelers Trends:
When playing in December are 8-2
When playing on turf are 7-3
After outgaining opponent are 6-4
When playing within the division are 6-4
Baltimore Ravens Trends:
When playing in December are 7-3
When playing on turf are 9-1
After outgaining opponent are 7-3
When playing within the division are 10-0
A few Steelers at Ravens trends to consider:
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Pittsburgh's last 6 games
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Pittsburgh's last 7 games on the road
Pittsburgh is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games
Pittsburgh is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games when playing Baltimore
Baltimore is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home
Baltimore is 8-1 SU in its last 9 games
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Baltimore's last 5 games at home
Baltimore is 7-2 SU in its last 9 games when playing at home against Pittsburgh
Next up:
Pittsburgh home to San Diego, Sunday, December 9
Baltimore at Washington, Sunday, December 9
