This weeks matchup between fierce AFC North rivals the Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Ravens should prove to be one of the highlights of NFL week 9 action. The Steelers will be looking to avenge their 1st round defeat to the Ravens (7-35) and keep their perfect 4-0 home record in tact. Meanwhile the Ravens have the opportunity to secure what would be only their second series sweep against the Steelers, with their first and only sweep being back in 2006. The Latest NFL Lines for this game has the Steelers in to -3 on the point spread lines after opening at -3.5. The current over under line is at o/u 41.5 which is down half a point from the opener. In the NFL odds markets the Steelers are being offered at -173 (1.58) and the Ravens +156 (2.56).
Last weeks impressive (25-17) home win over the Patriots takes Pittsburgh's straight up record to 6-2 for the season. They are 4-4 against the closing point spread and also 4-4 in over under results. Had you been risking $100 on them each week on the money line odds you would have a profited of +$69 to show for it. After starting the season with a loss to the Ravens (7-35) the Steelers won their next two, against the Seahawks (24-0) and Colts (23-20). They then suffered their only other loss of the season which was at the hands of the Texans (10-17). It has been smooth sailing from then on with 4 straight wins against the Titans (38-7), Jaguars (17-13), Cardinals (32-20) and Patriots (25-17).
The Ravens are coming off an overtime win against the Cardinals (30-27) which took their straight up record to 5-2. Their other wins have been against the Steelers (35-7), Rams (37-7), Jets (34-17) and Texans (29-14). Baltimore's two losses have been against the Titans (13-26) in week 2 and the Monday night they would rather forget against the Jaguars (7-12). In NFL Point Spread Betting the Ravens are 4-3 against the closing line while in over under totals they have gone over 4 times and stayed under in 3 games. Wagering $100 on the Ravens at their average closing odds each week this season would see you with a +$10 profit.
Stats wise the Steelers have better numbers than the Ravens in Yards Per Game (388.8 to 341), Average Passing Yards (273.4 to 234) and Average Rushing Yards (115.4 to 107). The Ravens sport a better point's differential with an average of 26.43 on offense and 15.71 in defense for a differential of (+10.72) points. The Steelers average 22 points per game and conceded 17.38 for (+4.62).
There has been 33 regular season games between these two teams and 3 post season encounters. The Steelers have the edge in regular season games 18-13 with a 10-5 home record. They have also won the three post season games which included two Divisional Playoffs and one AFC Championship game.
The verdict - theFootballLines.com agrees with the point spread and over under lines however our numbers indicate sufficient value for Baltimore on the money line for a play. We have taken them at their current odds +156 (2.56) and see value down to around +140 (2.4).