The later of the two NFL Week 16 games on Saturday night is a showdown between divisional rivals the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Baltimore Ravens which could go a long way to deciding the destiny of the AFC North title.
The Steelers have enjoyed an excellent season under long-serving head coach Mike Tomlin to lead the way in the bruising division at 10-4, with just three games remaining in the regular season.
The Ravens are right behind them at 9-5, but cannot afford a second head-to-head loss to their rivals after going down 18-16 in the teams’ first meeting in Pittsburgh in Week 11. The Steelers didn’t score a touchdown that day as six field goals proved enough to secure a valuable victory.
John Harbaugh’s Ravens have home advantage this time and they are 5-3 on the road after last week’s comfortable 35-14 win over the Giants in New York.
The Steelers lead the teams’ all-time series by 36 wins to 25 and are on a run of four successive victories over the Ravens.
We’ve prepared a three-leg bet builder suggestion for the game which pays out at 6/1 if successful.
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Pittsburgh Steelers v Baltimore Ravens tips
- Match under 42.5 total points
- Pittsburgh Steelers Handicap +7.5
- Over 0.5 Derrick Henry rushing touchdowns
Bet Builder odds: 6/1
Another tight encounter expected
Viewers of the NFL’s in-season Hard Knocks series focusing on the four AFC North teams will have seen how much effort they put into trying to beat each other and another fierce fight is expected at M&T Bank Stadium on Saturday.
The teams’ first meeting this season saw defences having the upper hand as the teams combined for just 34 points in an 18-16 home win for the Steelers, who ground out a 9-7 half-time lead.
Neither quarterback could get much going, with Lamar Jackson completing fewer than half of his 33 pass attempts for 207 yards and Russell Wilson posting 205 for the Steelers. Both passers were intercepted once.
The Ravens ran the ball better, gaining 124 yards from 19 carries, while it took the Steelers 34 tries to gain 122, but they were made to fight for every yard.
Both teams have reduced offensive options for this game, with the Steelers missing wideout George Pickens, who was their leading receiver in the first match with 89 yards, due to injury.
While the Ravens won’t have wide receiver Diontae Johnson and fellow WRs Rashod Bateman (foot) and Nelson Agholor (concussion) are rated questionable.
The last eight meetings between the teams have all produced fewer than 40 points, so taking under 42.5 to kick off our bet builder appeals.
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Steelers unlikely to roll over
With so much at stake, the Steelers are set to scrap for every blade of grass and another close encounter can be expected.
Their 27-13 defeat to the 12-2 Eagles last week was the first time this season that they have lost by more than five points and they can at least push the Ravens all the way even if they can’t extend their winning sequence over their rivals.
In a low-scoring game, moving the handicap start up to 7.5 points could pay off as the Ravens’ four AFC North battles this season have all been decided by five or fewer points.
Henry can lead the way for Ravens
QB Lamar Jackson was the star for the Ravens last week with five touchdown passes but running back Derrick Henry could be the player they depend on most against the Steelers.
Henry has scored 13 rushing touchdowns in 14 games in his first season with the Ravens and ran in the first TD of the game from one yard out in the second quarter of the first meeting between the teams. He looks a likely candidate to reach the end zone with another rushing score.
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All odds correct at time of writing
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