Week 13 brings a matchup between two AFC North rivals in a division featuring four teams who are all .500 or better on the season. The Ravens currently sit at the top spot but arguably aren’t playing their best football right now, coming off an ugly win against the Browns. The Steelers just took their second beating of the season from the Bengals and will badly need this one to stay in the race for the title. Here are the NFL odds and our pick and prediction for the Ravens vs. Steelers Week 13 tilt.
Baltimore Ravens vs. Pittsburgh Steelers pick, prediction | Week 13
- Spread: Ravens -3 (Odds provided by DraftKings Sportsbook)
- Moneyline: Ravens -165, Steelers +145
- Over/Under: 44
The Ravens managed a win on Sunday Night Football against the Browns in Week 12, but it wasn’t exactly the prime-time game anybody was expecting. It seems that maybe the injury issues on offense have caught up to them. Maybe it isn’t that, but something isn’t gelling for Baltimore this season.
[bet-promo id=”149453″]They’ve had a carousel of running backs come in and try and fill the void left by Gus Edwards and J.K. Dobbins. However, they seem to have somewhat landed on Devonta Freeman as their lead back for the time being.
Nevertheless, the offense is struggling. Although they are 8-3, if the Ravens don’t figure it out quickly, they’re going to get caught.
The Steelers need a divisional victory on Sunday
Pittsburgh suffered an embarrassing loss to the Bengals, which puts them at 0-2 against Cincinnati this year. That is far from ideal in a division title race.
The Bengals shut the run game out entirely for Pittsburgh, who really struggled to get anything going for Najee Harris. Harris has had to fight for every inch he’s gathered all season long. He had only 8 carries for a total of 23 yards last Sunday.
The receiving corps is doing good work, and both Diontae Johnson and Chase Claypool had good numbers again. But the Steelers couldn’t find the end zone last week. Ben Roethlisberger threw 2 interceptions, and I can’t help but wonder how healthy he is these days.
Both teams desperately need a big win in the division that’ll inspire some confidence. Baltimore won’t be the slightest bit pleased with how they defeated Cleveland, and Pittsburgh’s best result in the last three weeks was a tie against … Detroit.
Ravens vs. Steelers betting trends
The Steelers have given up 41 points in their last two games, helping to cash the over on both occasions. Additionally, they’re 4-7 on overs for the season. Pittsburgh is 4-7 against the spread and have failed to cover every time they’ve been the favorite this season (five times). Both their offense and defense are trending down, which somewhat balances spreads and over/unders.
The Ravens, on the other hand, have now had three games in a row with a point total of 32 or less, cashing unders in all three. They’ve not scored more than 16 in any of those games and still won two of them — somehow. Baltimore is 5-6 against both the spread and overs in 2021.
Ravens vs. Steelers prediction
The Steelers have a real issue in sustaining offensive drives. They hit some chunk plays every game, and Claypool comes up with a long catch seemingly every weekend. Yet, keeping the offense on the field, running the ball effectively, and piecing together extended drives is difficult for them.
Neither team is forcing turnovers defensively, although the Ravens’ defense might be playing better than the Steelers. They’re both bottom-five teams in the league in total defensive turnovers (10). So, how does this one play out?
Baltimore kept both Kareem Hunt and Nick Chubb to 36 total yards on 15 carries between them. They averaged 2.45 yards per carry, and that’s pivotal in a matchup against Pittsburgh. When the Steelers can’t run with Harris or diversify the offense, they make mistakes.
I’ll take the under for the game, but the Ravens to win and cover.