Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to week 18 of the NFL regular season. The culmination of months of intense gridiron battles.
With the playoffs just around the corner, the atmosphere in every stadium is electric, as nine teams have already punched their ticket to the postseason, leaving 11 franchises with everything at stake. The intensity is unparalleled as these teams have just one last chance to get to the promised land. While many depend solely on themselves, others have to take the calculators out and start rooting for some results to be given.
Be sure to check out our NFL Week 18 Game Analysis and Best Bets for every game on the schedule to keep up on all of the odds, lines and updated news written for smart sports bettors.
Such is the case of the Steelers, one of our protagonists for this match, who will have an acid test against the best team of the season, the Ravens.
Update 1/6/23 at 12:56pm ET: Who’s In. Who’s Out?
Tyler Huntley is set to start in Jackson’s place for Baltimore, and the Ravens have also ruled out receiver Odell Beckham Jr., cornerback Marlon Humphrey, guard Kevin Zeitler, linebacker Malik Harrison and defensive back Daryl Worley. Receiver Zay Flowers is doubtful, and safety Kyle Hamilton is questionable with a knee injury.
The Canadian Press via The Sports Network
When: Saturday, January 6, 04:30 PM ET at M&T Bank Stadium
Moneyline Odds
Ravens 2.7
Steelers 1.56
Where Can I Watch it?
NFL Network, ESPN, and CBS
Why Bet on the Ravens?
The Baltimore Ravens come into the final week of the NFL regular season with a lot of peace of mind, as they not only secured their presence in the postseason party but also secured the #1 seed in the AFC.
As a result, Baltimore will have a bye week in the postseason, as they will skip the Wildcard round and advance directly to the Divisional series.
The Ravens secured this thanks to their excellent victories over two top contenders for the next Super Bowl in Las Vegas, the San Francisco 49ers and the Miami Dolphins.
The Ravens lead the NFL in turnovers, as their quarterback and season MVP candidate, Lamar Jackson, has had a spectacular season. Jackson has a 67.2% pass completion percentage, has thrown 24 touchdown passes so far this season, and has only had seven interceptions. However, the head coach, John Harbaugh, has opted to rest most of his players, including Lamar Jackson, for the game against the Steelers because the team doesn’t have anything to play for.
Why Bet on the Steelers?
On the other hand, the Steelers still have some chances to qualify for the postseason, considering that they come into this game with a 9-7 record and are in third place in the AFC North.
Pittsburgh is one of the teams with the most combinations to punch their ticket to the postseason, some of them being the following:
- Beat Ravens + Bills Defeat
- Beat Ravens + Jaguars Defeat
- Beat the Ravens + a tie in the Texans-Colts game
The Steelers can get that coveted ticket to the next round, but the most important thing is to beat the Ravens in this game. Also, taking into account the official information that Baltimore will not have all their starting players for this game, it is not unreasonable to think that Pittsburgh can get the victory.
The Steelers are coming off wins in their last two games against the Bengals (34-11) and the Seahawks (30-23). In this last game, Pittsburgh based its offense on carries, as Najee Harris (27 carries, 122 yards, and two touchdowns) and Jaylen Warren (13 carries for 75 yards and one touchdown), were the ones who carried the team to victory.
Final Betting Analysis: Ravens vs. Steelers
This matchup has occurred 59 times in NFL history, and, in that time, the Steelers dominated the series with 34 wins. The Ravens, on the other hand, have 25 wins.
Four of the last five games between these two teams have ended with victories for the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Considering that the Ravens will not play with many of their starters this game, our prediction is a win for the visitors.
Look for a win on the Steelers’ Moneyline. For example, if you put $100 on them at 1.70, you’ll see a $70.00 success with a total payout of $170.00.
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