Spread in Ravens vs Steelers Game Moves from Pittsburgh -5 to -4 After Game Rescheduled to Sunday

• Pittsburgh-Baltimore prime-time Thanksgiving affair moved to Sunday afternoon after multiple Ravens players test positive for covid-19
• The Steelers were 5-point home favorites prior to the game being moved to Sunday
• See what the spread has moved to after the postponement and get our advice on whether it will continue moving

The NFL has made a difficult decision regarding Thursday night’s Thanksgiving primetime game between AFC North rivals the 10-0 Pittsburgh Steelers and the 6-4 Baltimore Ravens.

The league announced Wednesday afternoon that the game is being shifted to Sunday afternoon, leaving a number of Steelers players upset about the NFL’s decision to move the game by three days.

Baltimore vs Pittsburgh Spread

*Odds as of November 25

The Ravens have a reported seven players that have tested positive for covid-19 over the last three days, including some big names on the roster.

The spread had gotten as high as Pittsburgh -5 while more and more Ravens players were being ruled out. However, when it was announced the game would be postponed to Sunday, the line immediately came down to Pittsburgh -4.

Who’s on the List

Among those players on the covid-19/reserve list include running backs Mark Ingram and leading rusher J.K. Dobbins, who in the first game back on November 1st between the two teams ran for 113 yards in a Pittsburgh 28-24 win.

The #Ravens had 7 players positive in 3 days, including most recently: Matt Skura, Pat Makari and Calais Campbell, plus several coaches and their top 2 RBs. Commissioner Roger Goodell made the decision with health and safety in mind.

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) November 25, 2020

Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports that Ravens center Matt Skura, guard Pat Mekari, outside linebacker Pernell McPhee and defensive linemen Calais Campbell are four other players that have also tested positive for covid-19.

Defensive tackle Brandon Williams was also placed on the list after contact tracing found him to be a “high-risk” close contact, though with the game now three days later Williams would be eligible to play in the game Sunday.

Overall, Baltimore has seven players total that either tested positive or have been identified as close contacts.

Rapoport says that “several” Ravens staff members have tested positive as well.

More Tests Coming

The decision to move the game in the end was made by NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, citing the “health and safety” of the players.

The remainder of the week the NFL will continue to test and do contract tracing, according to ESPN.

“This decision was made out of an abundance of caution to ensure the health and safety of players, coaches and game day personnel and in consultation with medical experts,” the NFL said in a statement.

“We appreciate the NFL for its diligence in working closely with us to ensure the well-being of players, coaches and staff from both the Baltimore Ravens and Pittsburgh Steelers organizations,” the Ravens said in a statement.

Statement from the Baltimore Ravens: pic.twitter.com/2J3zWytk8i

— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) November 23, 2020

It’s the first time since week seven that the National Football League has been forced to move a game due to the covid-19 virus.

A total of 13 games in the 2020 NFL season have been postponed or moved this season due to coronavirus-related issues.

The last game to be moved or postponed was back in week seven when the league moved the matchup of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Las Vegas Raiders from Sunday night to a late Sunday afternoon game as a number of Raiders players had tested positive for the covid-19 virus.

Missing Out on a Big TV Number

Not having the game Thanksgiving night will cost the NFL what would have been a massive ratings grab, as not only is it a game between two bitter rivals, but it also spotlights the only unbeaten team left in the NFL in Pittsburgh.

It would have been just the third time since 1962 in the NFL that an undefeated team would have played on Thanksgiving, joining the 1962 Green Bay Packers (lost), the 2011 Packers (won) and the 2015 Carolina Panthers (won).

The NFL has yet to determine if the game will be an early 1pm kickoff or if the game will go later in the afternoon at 4:25pm, but it should still garner solid ratings across the board.

Just not the high ratings it would have gotten on prime time on Thanksgiving night.

Not the First Time

Thursday’s movement of the Steelers-Ravens affair isn’t the first time in 2020 that Pittsburgh has had a game moved. On October 1st the Steelers matchup in Tennessee against the Titans was moved from October 4th to Week 7 (October 25th) due to an outbreak on the Titans roster.

Due to the shift of that game, the Steelers had to have their bye in Week 4, meaning they would play 11 straight weeks to finish the season. The Steelers original bye week was Week 8.

Pittsburgh could have used playing Thanksgiving night as an advantage to get some time off, as they would have had 10 days before their next game – December 6th against the Washington Football Team at Heinz Field.

this is BS

the Steelers keep getting screwed by the NFL while teams they are in direct competition with in the AFC (Titans & Ravens) get massively boosted

meanwhile SF is forced to play without half their roster

we know the season is crazy but at least try to make it fair, NFL

— Warren Sharp (@SharpFootball) November 25, 2020

It remains to be seen if the Ravens are going to be able to get back any of the players currently on the list; it appears unlikely, though.

If they do, I suspect the spread will continue to move in Baltimore’s favor.