The NFL season will officially conclude in the coming days with Week 18, with a pair of Saturday games to begin the docket. Among them is an intriguing matchup between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the AFC champion Baltimore Ravens. The kick-off is scheduled for 4:30 PM EST at M&T Bank Stadium. Pittsburgh is still in the playoff race and just beat the Seattle Seahawks in Week 17 to keep their hopes alive, but another victory here will be crucial. As for Baltimore, they’re cruising into the postseason as the top AFC seed after putting a beatdown on the Miami Dolphins on Sunday. Continue reading for the Steelers vs Ravens picks.
Before we lay out the odds, preview, and prediction, check out our NFL betting odds and Super Bowl odds for 2024.
You’re probably surprised to see the Steelers as a -205 moneyline favorite here, but there’s reason for it. The Ravens, who sit at +175, are likely to sit Lamar Jackson since this game doesn’t mean anything, which means backup Tyler Huntley will be under center. While he’s no pushover, it gives Pittsburgh a much better chance of potentially winning this one. The Steelers are also laying four points on the spread. Plus, Mike Tomlin’s squad is 6-1 in the last seven meetings with Baltimore.
Similar to last season, the Steelers’ playoff hopes come down to Week 18. The easy way to put it is that Pittsburgh must win on Saturday while hoping results go in their favor elsewhere in order to grab a Wild Card spot in the AFC. Tomlin’s team currently sits at 9-7 ahead of this Ravens clash and has won two in a row with Mason Rudolph as QB1. In fact, Tomlin has even named Rudolph the starting quarterback for the season finale even though Kenny Pickett is essentially healthy after recovering from an ankle injury.
Rudolph had a nice game against Seattle on the weekend, completing 18 of 24 passes for 274 yards. George Pickens was a monster downfield, reeling in seven grabs for 131 yards. While the Steelers did outgain the Seahawks overall, it was the run game that shined. Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren combined for nearly 200 yards rushing, with Harris running for 122 yards and two touchdowns on his own. Warren took it to the house once, too. This RB room is elite when firing on all cylinders and exposed the Seahawks.
Although the Ravens do not need to win on Saturday, this is a rivalry game, which means they will be taking it seriously. The run game must produce again while Rudolph needs to try and get Pickens involved as much as possible. Baltimore’s defense across the board is stout, but Pittsburgh’s track record of success against their AFC North foes should give them some confidence.
What can one say about Baltimore? They were absolutely electrifying on both sides of the ball this season, led by Lamar Jackson. The dual-threat signal-caller is truly a versatile weapon who will likely win the MVP given the numbers he put up. If Lamar doesn’t suit up in Week 18, he’ll finish the campaign with a 67.2 completion percentage to go along with 3,678 passing yards and 24 touchdowns against seven interceptions. On the ground, Jackson ran for 5.6 yards per carry and five touchdowns, serving as the Ravens’ most lethal threat on the ground.
Baltimore ranks 1st in rushing yards, fourth in total yards, and second in points with 29.6 per contest. They just put up 56 on a strong Dolphins team to improve to 13-3, too. Jackson completed 18 of 21 passes for 321 yards and five touchdowns. He also ran for nearly six yards per carry. This performance basically solidified his MVP case and showed the entire NFL that the Ravens are a force to be reckoned with. They could be the team to beat in the AFC.
It wouldn’t make much sense for John Harbaugh to put Jackson out there in Week 18 as previously mentioned, so we’ll probably see Huntley get the keys to the offense on Saturday. On top of that, Harbaugh is going to sit other stars as well and give some young players and backups a chance to get reps like it was a preseason game.
If Baltimore was rolling out a full-strength squad, I’d definitely take them to ride the momentum. But, that won’t be the case so I do believe the Steelers moneyline is a safe bet.
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