On paper, Pittsburgh Steelers versus Baltimore Ravens elicits as much excitement as any possible first-round playoff matchup could. In reality, it’s not expected to be all that exciting at all.
Perhaps the result of recency bias after the Ravens beat the Steelers by 17 points less than three weeks ago, Baltimore is laying 10 points against Pittsburgh for Saturday’s meeting between the division rivals in the Wild Card round of the playoffs. The 10-point spread is the largest of any game in the first round.
It’s also the third straight playoff appearance in which the Steelers have been double-digit underdogs. They were 10-point underdogs in Buffalo last postseason and 12.5-point underdogs to the Chiefs in 2022, according to Pro-Football-Reference. They failed to cover the spread in either contest, losing those games by a combined 35 points.
However, Pittsburgh again being a massive underdog isn’t simply about its last game against Baltimore. It’s also about a four-game losing streak the team is riding into the postseason. The Steelers are averaging just 14 points per game in the span and losing by an average of 13. It’s hard to imagine they have the firepower to keep up with an offense led by MVP hopeful Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry. It’s encouraging they beat Baltimore in their first meeting of the season in Week 11, but the way things are trending, that’s not the expectation for round three.
Now, let’s get into the lines for every Wild Card Weekend game, with odds from BetMGM.
