After Sunday’s 30-6 loss to the Houston Texans, Mike Tomlin said that the 2-2 Pittsburgh Steelers needed to make changes, but Matt Canada is still employed as offensive coordinator, so the most impactful change he could have made did not happen.
This week, Canada could be calling plays for a different quarterback. Kenny Pickett is questionable with a knee sprain and a bone bruise.
Meanwhile, the Baltimore Ravens dominated the Browns without Deshaun Watson to get to 3-1 and are in sole possession of first place in the AFC North. This Week 5 matchup is crucial for the Steelers who despite their record are in serious trouble. For a look at every Week 5 game on the slate, check out BetSided NFL betting expert Iain MacMillan’s weekly “Road to 272” where he picks every game of the NFL season.
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Now, let’s get into the odds for this AFC North showdown in Pittsburgh.
Ravens vs. Steelers odds, spread and total
Steelers vs. Ravens Betting Trends
- Steelers are 2-2 ATS
- The UNDER is 3-1 in Steelers games
- Ravens are 3-1 ATS
- The UNDER is 3-1 in Ravens games
- Ravens are 6-4 ATS in last 10 head-to-head meetings with Pittsburgh
Ravens vs. Steelers injury reports
Ravens injury report
- Ronnie Stanley - T - questionable (knee)
- Marcus Williams - S - questionable (pectoral)
- Odell Beckham Jr. - WR - questionable (ankle)
- Odafe Oweh - LB - questionable (ankle)
- Rashod Bateman - WR - questionable (hamstring)
- David Ojabo - LB - IR (ankle)
- Tylan Wallace - WR - IR (hamstring)
Steelers injury report
- Pat Freiermuth - TE - out (hamstring)
- Kenny Pickett - QB - questionable (knee)
- James Daniels - OL - questionable (groin)
- Pressley Harvin III - P - questionable (hamstring)
- Anthony McFarland Jr. - RB - IR (knee)
- Diontae Johnson - WR - IR (hamstring)
- Cameron Heyward - DT - IR (groin)
Ravens vs. Steelers how to watch
- Date: Sunday, October 8
- Time: 1:00 PM EST
- Venue: Acrisure Stadium
- How to Watch (TV): CBS
- Ravens Record: 3-1
- Steelers Record: 2-2
Ravens vs. Steelers key players to watch
Ravens
Lamar Jackson, QB: Jackson dominated last week with two passing touchdowns and two rushing scores as well. He’s completing 74.3% of his passes so far this season and has thrown for just under 200 yards a game while running for an additional 55.0. However, Jackson typically struggles against Pittsburgh.
Steelers
Mitch Trubisky, QB: Kenny Pickett is questionable with a bone bruise and a knee sprain, so there is a chance that Mitch Trubisky makes his first start of the 2023 season. He completed three of five passes in relief on Sunday and last season he threw for 1,252 yards in seven games and threw four touchdowns to five interceptions.
Ravens vs. Steelers prediction and pick
It’s hard to explain why, but Tomlin has had Jackson’s number.
For his career, Jackson is 2-3 in five starts against Pittsburgh and averages just 126.8 passing yards per game and only 43.4 yards on the ground. Jackson has four touchdown passes to six interceptions and his passer rating of 67.4 is his lowest against any team. He’s also been sacked 16 times in those five games.
It’ll be very interesting to see how Todd Monken, Baltimore’s offensive coordinator, attacks the Pittsburgh defense differently than Greg Roman did.
So far this season, Jackson has had a lot of success in more spread set with a much more talented group of wide receivers. The Steelers are 26th in pass defense, so Jackson could finally have a dominant performance against this division rival.
Instead of backing Baltimore as a road favorite, I’m on the under. Not just because of Jackson’s struggles against the Steelers, but because of the Steelers' offensive struggles against everyone. Matt Canada’s offense is 29th in yards per game, 28th in yards per play, 29th in rushing offense, 25th in passing offense and 26th in points per game at 15.5.
I’m not sure that Mitch Trubisky is a step down from Kenny Pickett, but it’s not an improvement either, so regardless of the quarterback, this offense is inept and won’t score 10 points against a good Baltimore defense. The total is low, but I love the under. It has hit in seven of the last 10 meetings between these rivals.
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Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change