Sunday Night Football Picks: Pittsburgh Steelers at Baltimore Ravens Betting Odds, Picks, and Predictions for Week 17

Sunday Night Football Picks: Pittsburgh Steelers at Baltimore Ravens Betting Odds, Picks, and Predictions for Week 17

This article is part of our NFL Picks series.

Pittsburgh Steelers @ Baltimore Ravens Betting Odds, Picks, and Predictions for Week 17

Sports betting is now live in Ohio and residents in the Buckeye State can get in on the action at BetMGM with the BetMGM Ohio Bonus Code.

The Steelers (7-8) head to Maryland for a New Year's Day showdown against the Ravens (10-5) at M&T Bank Stadium. This matchup between division rivals has both playoff and seeding implications with just two weeks remaining in the regular season.

The Ravens will look to sweep the season series against Pittsburgh despite Tyler Huntley having to start for a fourth straight game. Meanwhile, the Steelers will be looking for their third straight victory as Mike Tomlin's team continues its late push for a playoff spot.

Pittsburgh Steelers at Baltimore Ravens for Week 17

*Best lines at time of writing listed

Moneyline: Steelers +122 (FanDuel Sportsbook)/ Ravens -135 (DraftKings Sportsbook)

Point spread: Steelers +2.5 (DraftKings Sportsbook)/ Ravens -2.0 (BetMGM Sportsbook)

Total: Over 35 points (BetMGM Sportsbook)/ Under 35.5 points (FanDuel Sportsbook)

The Ravens opened as 6.5-point favorites over a week ago, but that projected advantge slowly dwindled as Jackson's status became clearer. The spread stabilized at 2.5 after it became apparent the superstar quarterback was going to miss the game.

The point total also drastically fell from its original position of 42 as a result of Jackson being ruled out. Oddsmakers originally settled around 36 before finalizing at 35 over the past 72 hours.

Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Baltimore Ravens Betting Picks This Week

The Steelers appear to have turned their season around, winning four of their last five contests. While a playoff spot is not promised, Tomlin's squad finds itself with a fighting chance to reach the postseason for the 11th time in his coaching career but must defeat Baltimore on Sunday evening to have any realistic chance of doing so.

Rookie Kenny Pickett has progressively improved from his first start back in Week 5. After suffering a concussion during a Week 14 loss to the Ravens and being forced to miss one game, Pickett led a game-winning drive in Week 16, throwing a touchdown to fellow rookie George Pickens against the Las Vegas Raiders. The rookie will now look to build off his recent success when he faces Baltimore for the second time in his career.

Pittsburgh's offense has also taken several steps forward after a poor start to the season. Despite poor playing conditions, four receivers finished with five or more receptions during last Saturday's victory. Additionally, Najee Harris and backup Jaylen Warren combined for 76 yards on 22 carries.

The Ravens' defense will look to replicate the success it had against Pittsburgh just three weeks ago when they managed to rack up three interceptions against Mitch Trubisky en route to a 16-14 victory. While Marcus Peters did not manage to get in on the action in that game, the former ROY will be greatly missed after already being ruled out for this matchup. Both teams have had strong defensive performances in recent weeks with the Steelers also picking off Derek Carr three times during last week's win.

John Harbaugh will be looking for Huntley to perform far better than he has since taking over for the injured Jackson. The former Utah star has only managed to throw for 341 yards combined over the last three games. Luckily for Harbaugh and the Ravens, J.K. Dobbins and the rest of Baltimore's running backs have carried the load offensively in Jackson's extended absence.

Dobbins finished the Week 14 matchup against Pittsburgh with a game-high 120 yards and a touchdown on just 15 carries. The sophomore running back has a combined 304 yards rushing over his last three games.

Steelers vs. Ravens Best Bet: Steelers to win and Under 42.5 points (+175 at BetMGM Sportsbook)

Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Baltimore Ravens Prediction

Steelers 18, Ravens 13

The NFL did fans a great service by flexing this matchup to primetime from its original 1 p.m. start time. With the Ravens down key assets Jackson and Peters, the Steelers will have an opportunity to steal this game on the road. Both teams have depended on their defenses as of late, and that trend should continue here with the number of stars both squads have on that side of the ball. If the Steelers are able to contain Dobbins in this game, Huntley will have a hard time beating this team through the air.

Sports betting is live in Maryland and those located in the Old Line State can take advantage of the Caesars Sportsbook Maryland Promo Code for up to $1,500 in bets on Caesars at signup.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Juan Carlos Blanco
Winner of the FSWA 2016 Newcomer of the Year Award, Juan Carlos Blanco has been playing fantasy sports for over 20 years and covers NBA, MLB, NFL, CFL and Arena Football for Rotowire.com, including serving as the beat writer for teams in multiple sports. He has previously written for KFFL.com and remains an avid season-long and daily fantasy player in multiple sports as well.
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