The Pittsburgh Steelers find themselves in an odd position leading into Week 5’s clash with the Baltimore Ravens.
The Steelers are 3.5 point underdogs at home.
On the gambling side of things, concerning the Ravens -3.5 spread, 54% of Pickwatch‘s experts like Pittsburgh to cover. This is great to win some money, but wins and losses in the standings aren’t determined by who covered.
The Black n’ Gold don’t fare as well when the question concerns who will actually win the game
Straight up, only 26% of Pickwatch experts are picking the Steelers to improve to 2-3.
The AFC North is in a state of flux this year, with the Bengals’ ineptitude the only constant. Baltimore got pushed around by the Browns last week, and there’s been a fair bit of question regarding whether those much-hyped Browns are any good after they got thrown around by the Titans in their opener.
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Mason Rudolph showed poise last week, even if the opponent was the lowly Bengals, but his old Oklahoma State teammate James Washington has been a non-factor lately, and Juju Smith-Schuster is questionable for Sunday. Vance McDonald is also questionable, but newly arrived tight end Nick Vannett seems to be fitting in with his new teammates nicely.
On the bright side, James Conner was a full participant in Friday’s practice, and Jaylen Samuels was a critical factor in the Steel Curtain’s offensive attack against Cincinnati.
Sunday’s rivalry tilt will be a throwback to the tough, close-fought brawls that defined the Steelers-Ravens rivalry for much of its history, even if it is because neither team currently occupies quite the lofty perch it once did.
The collision of the high-pedigree Pittsburgh defense and the highly-ranked Ravens offense should be a treat to watch.
I think Pittsburgh will easily cover the 3.5 point spread and will win outright, beating the Ravens 24-21.