After the ugly ’07 season for the Ravens, ESPN surely couldn’t have hoped their Monday night showdown between Baltimore and Pittsburgh would be for the AFC North Division lead. However
2008-09-30
After the ugly ’07 season for the Ravens, ESPN surely couldn’t have hoped their Monday night showdown between Baltimore and Pittsburgh would be for the AFC North Division lead. However, with the Ravens 2-0 and the Steelers 2-1, suddenly the winner of this game assumes control of the division. Host Pittsburgh is the odds-on-favorite by both oddsmakers, laying 6-1/2 points, and the betting public, getting 60%-plus support.
If history is any indication, it will be Pittsburgh, since the home team in this head-to-head series is on a run of 8-1 SU & 7-2 ATS in the L9 games. For HC John Harbaugh, this will be a first-ever road contest, and it couldn’t come at a tougher place for his team. The Steelers are 7-3 ATS at home under Mike Tomlin, and this Ravens’ club lost all eight games ATS on the road in ‘07. For those interested in totals, Baltimore has now gone over in seven of its L9 games.
These teams don't like one another, and that's reason enough for even the casual fan to tune in Sunday night when Baltimore goes to Pittsburgh for a battle of the past two AFC North champions.
Both teams come off intense-filled affairs. The Ravens, in action for the first time since kickoff weekend, improved to 2-0 with a 28-10 win over Cleveland last Sunday. Meanwhile, the Steelers were busy suffering their first setback, 15-6, in Philadelphia.
The atmosphere at Heinz Field will be nothing Baltimore rookie quarterback Joe Flacco has experienced. His first start on the road was supposed to happen in Week 2, but Hurricane Ike had other plans and damaged Reliant Stadium in Houston to the point where the Ravens-Texans game was moved to Nov. 9. So now he'll face a defense that allowed only 104 total yards in dismantling the Ravens in last year's meeting, 38-7.
Like he did in the opener against Cincinnati, Flacco had a roller-coaster game versus the Browns. What helped his cause was Cleveland's inability to solidify a pass rush. Despite ample time to operate, the first-round pick out of Delaware went 13-for-19 for 129 yards and no touchdowns with two interceptions. He was bailed out by a Baltimore defense that forced four turnovers and recorded five sacks.
It probably won't take long for Pittsburgh's defense to test Flacco's mettle. Blitzing linebackers and cornerbacks could be commonplace in the first half, as the Steelers try to set the tone and show the young quarterback what he can expect in this rivalry. The Ravens are likely to employ a double tight-end set with Todd Heap and Daniel Wilcox in an attempt to help Flacco weather the early storm.
The Steelers, who have allowed 38 points, briefly knocked Philadelphia's Donovan McNabb out of last week's contest, picked off Cleveland's Derek Anderson twice in Week 2 and Houston's Matt Schaub twice in Week 1. But Pittsburgh quarterback Ben Roethlisberger left the loss to the Eagles late in the fourth quarter with a wrist injury after throwing his first interception of the year.
Baltimore's defense had similar success against Anderson, intercepting him three times including Ed Reed's 32-yard touchdown return in the third quarter.
Including playoffs, the Steelers lead the all-time series by a 15-10 margin.But they haven't swept the Ravens since 2002.
PREDICTION
This should be a defensive slugfest, and the odds are stacked high against Flacco doing enough to help the Ravens pull off the upset. The Steelers weren't happy with their last prime-time performance, even though the result was a win, and they won't be holding anything back.
PITTSBURGH 21, BALTIMORE 10
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