It may be Christmas Day on Sunday but the sporting world doesn’t stop for anyone even the big man in the red suit and as such we have a double header of action in the NFL to enjoy while polishing off the turkey leftovers and the copious amounts of chocolates on the go.
The first of the two games is a real heated rivalry game and it is one with a kick as the Pittsburgh Steelers host the Baltimore Ravens. The Steelers can win the division if they win this match while a Baltimore win takes the AFC North down to the final weekend.
Pittsburgh Steelers
Pittsburgh were our idea of the AFC Conference winners before a ball was touched in the NFL this season and they are showing the form which highlights why that was the case. They have now won their last five matches with nobody putting up more than 20pts on them in that time in what is a complete turnaround from the first 10 weeks where they conceded 27 or more on four occasions.
Despite not being fully fit Ben Roethlisberger has been going well for the Steelers with his wide array of receiving options and he has been massively helped out by LeVeon Bell who has been running amazingly and has backed that up with a few big screen plays. This is a Steelers side who look the real deal all of a sudden.
Baltimore Ravens
The Ravens know they have already beaten their arch-rivals this season so a win here will mean they only need to beat Cincinnati next week and they will be the number three seeds in the AFC. With Derek Carr’s injury down in Oakland that number three seed is a coveted spot heading into the playoffs so there is plenty on the line here.
Baltimore have won three of their last four with a defeat to New England the one loss but they might well have lost last week had Philadelphia kicked a PAT rather than going for two so it could be that the numbers mask their true form. One area they are not masked is in run defence where they are very tight and that unit will need to be at its very best here.
Betting
I love watching matches between these two. They are really hard fought football matches where nothing is given to either side and I’m expecting exactly the same here. Usually there isn’t a lot between the two when they meet and I don’t think there will be here either.
Pittsburgh have been pretty sensational at home this season though and I’m not sure I would want to take them on at Heinz Field. If they are to win though they are going to need Big Ben at his best but Joe Flacco has a winning record against the Steelers so this one could go either way.
Given how tough I expect it to be and the fact these two are still in the top 10-12 defensively in the NFL I’m not expecting too many points. It is a massive match for both sides so 45pts looks well out of reach to me particularly given there was only 35 when they met earlier in the season.
Tips
Back Under 45.5pts for a 4/10 stake at 1.83 with Skybet
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