The Baltimore Ravens and the Pittsburgh Steelers line up at the line of scrimmage for the snap during an NFL football game at Heinz Field, Sunday, Dec. 5, 2021 in Pittsburgh. (Winslow Townson/AP Images for Panini)
The Baltimore Ravens will close out the NFL regular season with a showdown against their AFC North rivals the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday, January 9
Both teams still have an outside chance of qualifying for the NFL playoffs
Read below for analysis and our favorite player prop bets from this game
Over the years, the Baltimore Ravens and Pittsburgh Steelers have clashed in both memorable and vital NFL games. This one could be another one of those games. Then again, it might not.
Entering the final week of the NFL regular season, both the Ravens and Steelers remain in contention for a spot in the postseason. However, they’ll need help and plenty of it. Oddsmakers have set the Ravens as 3.5-point favorites. Baltimore is 5-2 against the spread over the past seven games.
Regardless of the outcome in terms of the playoff scenario, the fact of the matter is that there are plenty of player props worth a look in this game,
If the Steelers don’t make the playoffs – and that’s a longshot at best – this figures to be the last game of Pittsburgh quarterback Ben Roethlisberger’s career. He’s been assigned a passing yardage total against the Ravens of 224.5 yards.
That’s lower than Big Ben’s season average of 233.1 yards per game. He hasn’t gone better than 159 yards over his past three games. However, Roethlisberger threw for 236 yards in a 20-19 Week 13 triumph over the Ravens.
Pick: Pittsburgh Steelers Ben Roethlisberger over 224.5 passing yards (-115). 1 unit.
Prop #2: Huntley Will Hunt Down Big Number
Lamar Jackson (ankle) is out. That means Tyler Huntley continues at QB for the Ravens.
It will be Huntley’s fourth starting assignment of the season. In two of his previous three starts, he’s exceeded this week’s passing yardage total of 210.5 yards. And he’s done so against top NFL pass defenses.
Tyler Huntley said he feels "way better" this week. He was cleared to play last week after having Covid, but he said he wasn't 100 in his chest. Said he's been able to eat more this week and has more fluids in him. He feels more prepared to start vs Steelers.
Huntley passed for 219 yards against the Chicago Bears, the NFL’s #3 pass defense (189.4 yards per game. He went for 215 yards when facing the #9 pass defense (213.7 ypg) of the Green Bay Packers.
The Steelers are 12th-best in the league at stopping the pass (220.3 ypg). One key for Huntley appears to be how many pass attempts he gets. He threw 36 passes against the Bears and 40 times against the Packers. Last week, on 32 pass attempts against the Los Angeles Rams, Huntley was limited to 197 yards through the air.
Pick: Baltimore Ravens Tyler Huntley over 210.5 passing yards (-115), 1 unit.
Steelers vs Ravens Touchdown Props
Player
Odds to Score First TD
Odds to Score Any TD
Najee Harris (PIT)
+650
-105
Devonta Freeman (BAL)
+800
-140
Diontae Johnson (PIT)
+800
+150
Marquise Brown (BAL)
+850
+150
Mark Andrews (BAL)
+850
+150
Tyler Huntley (BAL)
+1000
+175
Chase Claypool (PIT)
+1000
+190
Pat Freiermuth (PIT)
+1100
+200
Latavius Murray (BAL)
+1200
+225
Rashod Bateman (BAL)
+1400
+240
Ray-Ray McCloud III (PIT)
+1700
+310
James Washington (PIT)
+1800
+350
Devin Duvernay (BAL)
+2500
+450
Sammy Watkins (BAL)
+2500
+450
James Proche (BAL)
+4000
+650
Benny Snell Jr (PIT)
+4000
+700
Who Are the Best Bets to Score a Touchdown?
The Steelers don’t often find the end zone. When they do, it’s frequently wide receiver Diontae Johnson who does the locating. The wide receiver is responsible for four of Pittsburgh’s last 10 TDs. That’s including a pair of scores against the Ravens.
Mark Andrews money is now legal tender in Baltimore.
An industry veteran, Bob literally taught the course on the history of sports at Elder College. He has worked as a Sports Columnist for Postmedia, appeared as a guest on several radio stations, was the Vice President of the Society For International Hockey Research in Ontario, and written 25 books.