Since 2020, the Pittsburgh Stelers have beaten the Baltimore Ravens eight times in nine meetings. The only Ravens win was by two points in 2022.
This week, the Steelers are getting 6½ points on the spread when they meet their AFC North Division rivals in Baltimore.
Need you know more?
Yes. A lot more.
Last season, the Steelers beat the Ravens twice. The first time as a rare home underdog for Mike Tomlin’s squad and the second time, in Baltimore, when the game meant nothing to the Ravens and everything to the Steelers. It was a Week 18 contest that the Steelers had to win to earn a Wild Card playoff berth, and the Ravens were already locked in with the top seed in the AFC playoffs.
This season, they met in Week 11 while Pittsburgh was still rising under the surprise success of quarterback Russell Wilson. His revival with the Steelers comes on the heels of two dismal seasons running the Denver Broncos offense. The Steelers were underdogs again on their home field, and the Ravens made more mistakes than the Keystone Kops. The most accurate kicker in NFL history, Jason Tucker, missed two chip-shot field goals. The Ravens lost two fumbles, and the game ended with the Steelers winning by two-points, 18-16.
The Steelers and Ravens came into that mid-November contest each with seven wins. On Saturday, they meet with Pittsburgh leading the division by one game over John Harbaugh’s squad.
What we have here is the Ravens with a 99% chance of making the playoffs … at least as a Wild Card entrant. That is not how Baltimore wants to enter the postseason. They are looking for a division title and the chance to host a playoff game.
Since downing the Ravens five weeks ago, the Steelers have split their four most recent games. In other words, the trajectory of the AFC North Division leaders is not headed up but leveling off. And the Ravens? Well, they come into this game knowing their recent problems against Tomlin and company and have two things clearly on their side; a need to win and an opponent they have to respect based on recent results.
This time, it is not a meaningless game for the Ravens, and they are not favored in Pittsburgh. This time, they get to take out years of frustration against Pittsburgh and likely end the day with a double-digit victory.
And, for you math majors, double-digit wins always beat single digit point spreads.
Qoxhi Picks: Baltimore Ravens (-6½) over Pittsburgh Steelers