The second part of the double header of action to open up the NFL 2024 Playoffs on Saturday evening keeps us in the AFC where two AFC North rivals battle each other when the Baltimore Ravens host the Pittsburgh Steelers.
The Ravens won the AFC North which means that they host this match but there is never any love lost between these two bitter rivals and with the season on the line it would be hard to expect anything but an extremely competitive battle.
Baltimore Ravens
The Baltimore Ravens have been one of the better teams in the NFL this season. Their offense has rivalled anything in the league and although their defence hadn’t always come to the party, eventually they did and the Ravens went from stalking the Pittsburgh Steelers at the top of the NFC North to overtaking them and securing the division title and the number three seed. Their reward for that is a home match but they will know from experience that what has gone before matters little now.
The Ravens are regulars in the playoffs these days but things don’t always go their way when they get there and it will be interesting to see how the different dynamic impacts them. They have brought Derrick Henry in to help them at this time of the year and he’ll be a huge player in this match. They also have a defence and a quarterback to take the Ravens as far as they want to go in the playoffs so it will all come down to their mentality and whether they can forget the failures of the past.
Special Offer
Sign up for a Boylesports account and bet £10 to get up to £20 in free bets! Perfect offer for the NFL! Click the image below for this great offer! New accounts only. 18+ T&Cs apply. Gamble Aware.
Pittsburgh Steelers
The Pittsburgh Steelers will certainly have to forget what has gone before because they were on top of the AFC North for so much of this season but they came apart at the seams at the wrong time and four defeats on the bounce to conclude their regular part of the campaign means that they are going into the playoffs short on confidence, not least because one of those four losses was against the Baltimore Ravens just prior to Christmas.
Before we write the Steelers off completely though, we should acknowledge that their four losses on this run have come against the Philadelphia Eagles, Baltimore Ravens, Kansas City Chiefs and Cincinnati Bengals so they have lost to big teams. They urgently need their offense to come to the party, especially in the quarterback position and if they do then there is enough in their defence to give this a real good crack at least, if not get the job done.
Betting
Matches between these two are usually very tight. Admittedly that wasn’t the case last time out but the Pittsburgh Steelers defence went into that one off the back of a slightly shorter week after an away game at the Philadelphia Eagles and that isn’t the case here. The defence had a good record in the long week after playing on Christmas Day and kept a powerful Cincinnati Bengals offense to just 19 points last week. They would have been disappointed not to win from there but we should remember that Baltimore had already won the division earlier in that evening.
If the Steelers defence can step up and be counted here, and with seasons on the line it would be a massive surprise were that not to be the case, then I think Pittsburgh can definitely remain within 10 points here. Baltimore don’t have Zay Flowers in the passing game so that is one weapon less for Pittsburgh to worry about which helps. These two sides know each other so well that putting the game plan together is quite easy and while I would expect the Ravens to win, this feels much closer than a 10 point game to me.
Tips
Back Pittsburgh Steelers (+10) to beat Baltimore Ravens for a 3/10 stake at 1.80 with Coral
Be the first to comment on "NFL 2024 Playoffs – Pittsburgh Steelers @ Baltimore Ravens Tips and Betting Preview"