Baltimore Ravens vs Pittsburgh Steelers Prediction, Spread and Trends to Watch - 12/05/2021

by James Q

Wednesday, Dec 01, 2021

Baltimore Ravens vs Pittsburgh Steelers Prediction, Spread and Trends to Watch - 12/05/2021

 
Game Time: 4:25 PM  ET, Sunday, December, 5th, 2021
Venue: Heinz Field, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Where to Watch:  CBS
 

Opening NCAAF Odds at USA Sportsbooks

DraftKings:  Spread: Ravens -4; Over/Under: 44 points
Circa:  Spread: Ravens -5; Over/Under:  44 points
Caesars:  Spread: Ravens -4.5;  Over/Under:  44 points 
 
  

Season Record

Ravens: 8-3 (AFC North)
Steelers: 5-5 (AFC North)

A matchup of AFC North opponents seemingly going in different directions.

  Last weekend on Sunday Night Football the Ravens QB Lamar Jackson threw 4 interceptions against the Cleveland Browns.  The Ravens still won the game 16-10.  They finished Nov 3-1.  The Ravens are headed for the playoffs because their Quarterback is so physically talented and mobile he can overcome 4 interceptions and still win.  Their 1 loss in November was a surprise loss to the Miami Dolphins 22-10. The other two wins were the Chicago Bears and the Minnesota Vikings.  Sep and Oct were equally successful for Baltimore 2-1 and 3-1.  This team can legitimately have Super Bowl aspirations.  They are just gonna need to have less 4 interception games.

Pittsburgh's games have been about watching aging Steelers’s legend QB Ben Roethlisberger pose for his own eventual statue.  He has lost all mobility if he ever had any.  The Steelers’ 3 last games include a loss to the Los Angeles Chargers 41-37, a loss to the Cincinnati Bengals 41-10, and a …. TIE?.... A tie with the lowly Detroit Lions 16-16.  Ben can seemingly do nothing to escape sacks if coverage breaks down on even a single rusher.  Ben’s arm still works in his last season as a starting NFL quarterback… but he deservedly leads the Steelers players into week 13 as the underdog in the AFC North.



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Ravens vs Steelers Preview and Analysis

RECENT FORM
The Ravens are 8-3 on the season, but 5-6 ATS.  They ahev logged 5 Overs and 6 Unders.  They are 3-2 in road games.  They technically gave Cleveland a thrashing last week while it didn’t reflect in the score.  QB Lamar Jackson threw 4 interceptions and the Steelers still won 16-10… That means the Steelers defense handled Cleveland mightily.  If the turnovers are kept to a minimum going forward this is a serious team.

The Steelers are 5-5-1 on the season, but 4-7 ATS.  They have notched 4 Overs and 7 Unders.  They are 3-2 in home games.  Last week Pittsburgh got dismantled by the Los Angeles Chargers 41-10… It was a loss, a loss against the spread and an Over when they only contributed 10 points… That’s a bad loss.  I hope Coach Tomlin doesn’t regret shooting down the USC job and what could have been $100 million dollars to live where it never snows.
 

Offensive Analysis

The Ravens are 15th in the NFL in points per game with 23.9, 5th in yards per game with 393.5, and 2nd in rush yards with 150.7.  QB Lamar Jackson leads the team in rushing and they are 2nd in the league in rushing… That means the Steelers will have to tighten up the D-line against all those quick, easy first downs Lamar scampers for.


The Steelers are 22nd in points per game with 20.4, 24th in yards per game with 325.5 per game, and 28th in rush yards with only 87.1 yards per game.  The Steelers have to find a way to soften the Ravens pass coverage with some positive rushing yards… Where they might find that no one knows.

Defensive Analysis

The Ravens are 19th in defense in the NFl… They give up 359.9 yards per game and 21.8 points per game.  They find themselves in the unenviable position of being 26th in the league in takeaways with only 10 so far.  Lamar Jackson has proven to be a little sloppy with the ball and the Steelers will have a long day if they don’t capitalize on that.

The Steelers are 25th on defense while giving up 367.5 yards per game and allowing 24.3 points per game.
 
 

Baltimore Ravens vs Pittsburgh Steelers Prediction

Our prediction for Sunday, December 5th is….  Ravens 44 - Steelers 13
 
Yes, the Steelers will keep collapsing as the end of the season moves near.  They are desperately in line for a rebuild and Ben is in line for a rocking chair. 
 
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NCAAF Betting Trends

Baltimore is 14-7 ATS in road games the last 3 seasons.
Baltimore is 9-4 ATS versus division opponents over the last 3 seasons.
Baltimore is 9-1 ATS in December games over the last 3 seasons.
Pittsburgh is 3-7 ATS in December games over the last 3 seasons.
Pittsburgh is 10-5 ATS as an underdog over the last 3 seasons.
Pittsburgh this season is a lowly 1-5 ATS in home games this season.

Starting Lineup

Ravens: QB Lamar Jackson, RB Devonta Freeman, WR Marquise Brown, WR Sammy Watkins, WR Rashod Bateman, TE Mark Andrews, FB Patrick Ricard, LT Alejandro Villanueva, C Bradley Bozeman, RG Kevin Zeitler, RT Patrick Merkari

Steelers:  QB Ben Roethlisberger, RB Najee Harris, WR Diontae Johnson, Wr Chase Claypool, WR James Washington, TE Pat Freiermuth, FB Derek Watt, LT Dan Moore Jr, LG B.J. Finney, C Kendrick Green, RG Trai Turner, RT Chukwuma Okorafor

Statistical Leaders

Ravens
Passing Yards: Lamar Jackson 2,612
Rushing Yards: Lamar Jackson 707
Receiving Yards: Marquise Brown 770
Tackles: Patrick Queen 62
Interceptions: Anthony Averett 2

Steelers:
Passing Yards: Ben Roethlisberger 2,522
Rushing Yards: Najee Harris 708
Receiving Yards: Diontae Johnson 809
Tackles: Joe Schobert 78
Interceptions: Cameron Heyward 1

COACHES

Ravens: John Harbaugh.  Coach Harbaugh has been with the Ravens since 2008.  He had a Super Bowl win with a strong defensive Ravens team that had an average quarterback.  He finds himself this season with a really strong quarterback and a tough defense.  He also is the brother of Jim who made me $1000 minus the vig while beating Ohio State last week. Gotta love the Harbaughs.

Steelers: Mike Tomlin.  Coach Tomlin has been with the Steelers since 2007.  He also has a Super Bowl win, in fact he was the youngest head coach to win the Super Bowl. His 158-91-2 record as an NFL coach is HOF numbers… Can’t wait to see what he does with a new young quarterback next season!

 
 



James Q

About the Author:

James Q. has been involved with sports and gambling his entire life. A former division 1 scholarship basketball player, James understands sports (and especially basketball) inside-and-out. Following his basketball playing days, James parlayed his gambling skills into a semi-pro poker career. James resides in Los Angeles, and especially loves the Los Angeles Clippers, Los Angeles Rams, and Los Angeles Dodgers. And when he isn't betting on sports (and writing about it), James can be found performing stand-up comedy on the Sunset Strip.

All photographic images used for editorial content have been licensed from the Associated Press.

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