WagerTalk NFL handicapper Tony Mejia offers his Pittsburgh Steelers vs Baltimore Ravens NFL Week 13 AFC North betting preview. At the time of posting, the Ravens are holding steady as a 4.5-point road favorite at Pittsburgh, with the total sitting at 44 points.<\/p>\n
Stay on top of the latest NFL<\/a> updates direct from Las Vegas!<\/em><\/p>\n The Ravens (8-3, 5-6 ATS) arrive in Pittsburgh looking to administer a knockout blow of their arch rival. The Steelers (5-5-1, 4-7 ATS) are on the outside looking in as far as the playoff goes and will play nothing but solid football teams the rest of the way. Falling under .500 by losing at home to Baltimore would be the equivalent of falling into the ocean knowing you can\u2019t swim.<\/p>\n Glug, glug is on the horizon.<\/p>\n We\u2019ll see whether Pittsburgh manages to stumble upon a life raft, but the week didn\u2019t start off in promising fashion considering star pass rusher T.J. Watt was placed on the reserve\/COVID-19 list to start the week. Although he\u2019s not ruled out just yet, it\u2019s increasingly unlikely that he\u2019ll be on the field this weekend. Lamar Jackson will have one less variable to worry about as he looks to shake out of a funk that has led to the Ravens managing just 16 points in their last two games.<\/p>\n Thanks to how well Baltimore\u2019s defense has played, both have been victories.<\/p>\n The Ravens own the AFC\u2019s top record following last Sunday night\u2019s win over the Browns, overcoming four Jackson interceptions. John Harbaugh deserves the NFL Coach of the Year award over New England\u2019s Bill Belichick, Arizona\u2019s Kliff Kingsbury, Tennessee\u2019s Mike Vrabel and Green Bay\u2019s Matt LaFleur given all the adversity his team has faced thanks to injuries and inconsistent offense.<\/p>\n Jackson has thrown nine picks over the last five games, as many as he misfired on in 15 contests last season and three more than he did during his MVP season in \u201919. He\u2019s already up to 12 through the first 10 games, so it wouldn\u2019t be surprising to see a conservative approach prevail given Baltimore\u2019s defensive dominance of late, Watt\u2019s likely absence and Pittsburgh\u2019s own lack of firepower.<\/p>\n The Steelers managed 10 points against the Bengals, matching a season-low scored against that same Cincinnati defense back in Week 3. They managed just 15 points in a win at Cleveland on Halloween and tied Detroit 16-16, showing off how limited the offense is over 70 minutes instead of the usual 60.<\/p>\n The Steelers gave up 41 points for the second straight week and lost another key offensive weapon with tight end Pat Freiermuth being evaluated for a concussion, so it\u2019s becoming painfully obvious that this just isn\u2019t their year. Pittsburgh lost key defender Stephon Tuitt before the season started, saw nose tackle Tyson Alualu injured in Week 2 and WR JuJu Smith-Schuster go down with a shoulder, so the signs have definitely all been there. Now the schedule is set to pile on because the least sympathetic team possible is on the schedule<\/p>\n Pittsburgh closes with two games against the rival Ravens in addition to showdowns against the Vikings, Titans, Chiefs and Browns. That means the Steelers will need to pull off roughly three upsets if they\u2019re going to avoid missing the postseason for the third time in four years.<\/p>\n The Ravens lost last season\u2019s meetings by scores of 28-24 and 19-14, which ended Jackson\u2019s 3-0 run against the Steelers since taking over for Joe Flacco. He was only involved in that first game since he was out due to COVID-19 and replaced by Trace McSorley for the most recent meeting last December.<\/p>\n The Steelers will be relying on their defense to try and pull off an upset since they\u2019re rightfully a 3.5-point home underdog, so the low side of a total that is in the 44-44.5-point range may be worth a look. Baltimore has been held to 17 or fewer points in four of the last five games, so even though the Pittsburgh defense has been shredded lately, it wouldn\u2019t be surprising to see it clamp down against its hated rival even with Watt likely out.<\/p>\n Jackson\u2019s turnover woes should lead the Ravens to go run-heavy, riding the quarterback\u2019s legs in addition to the contributions of veterans Devonta Freeman and Latavius Murray. Mother Nature could also play a starring role since rain is expected to be in the forecast. The \u2018under\u2019 looks like a solid play.<\/p>\n \ud83d\udcb0Want a FREE $10 to use today at WagerTalk AND a FREE $10 to use at Sportsmemo? If not already a Text Club Member: \u2014 WagerTalk (@WagerTalk) December 3, 2021<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\nPittsburgh Steelers vs Baltimore Ravens Predictions<\/h3>\n
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\n\ud83e\udd37\u200d\u2642\ufe0f Oh yeah, the last free pick we lost was on November 10th. Yep, we send free picks too! pic.twitter.com\/N7PAfiV3N7<\/a><\/p>\n