AFC North Thanksgiving Battle: Ravens vs Steelers Betting Preview

On Thanksgiving, the main course will be an AFC North battle as two bitter rivals clash with the Baltimore Ravens heading to Pittsburgh to take on the Steelers.

The Ravens are falling down the divisional ranks and need a big win to get back on track. The Steelers remain unbeaten on the season and would love to sweep Baltimore this year.

Can Baltimore pick off the Steelers or will Pittsburgh feast on raven for dinner? Kickoff inside Heinz Field is at 8:20PM ET.

Ravens vs Steelers Live Odds and Betting History

The following odds are courtesy of BetOnline:

Teams	Spread	Money Lines	Totals
Baltimore Ravens	+3 (-110)	+158	Over 45.5 (-105)
Pittsburgh Steelers	-3 (-110)	-178	Under 45.5 (-115)

Betting Data	Baltimore Ravens	Pittsburgh Steelers
2020 Record	6-4	10-0
2020 Home	2-3	5-0
2020 Away	4-1	5-0
2020 ATS	4-5-1	8-2
2020 ATS Home	2-3	4-1
2020 ATS Away	2-2-1	4-1
2020 O/U	4-6	5-4-1
2020 O/U Home	2-3	4-1
2020 O/U Away	2-3	1-3-1

Ravens vs Steelers Thanksgiving Game Preview

These bitter rivals have played against each other 53 total times. The Steelers hold the advantage in this series with a record of 29-24. Pittsburgh won the first matchup between these teams in Week 8 of thes season, but they have lost two straight games at home against Baltimore.

The Ravens and the Steelers have played against each other before on Thanksgiving back in 2013. Baltimore won that matchup 22 to 20.

Pittsburgh is 2-6 all-time on Thanksgiving with their last appearance coming in 2016. They beat the Colts 28 to 7 that year. The Steelers are the 3rd undefeated team to play on Thanksgiving this century.

Baltimore hasn’t played on Turkey Day since the win over Pittsburgh in 2013. They’re 2-0 all-time on Thanksgiving.

• The Baltimore Ravens (6-4) lost to the Titans in OT last weekend, which was their second straight defeat and third in their last four games. The once mighty Ravens appear to be struggling to find the physicality that led them to the best record in the NFL last year. Can they upset their divisional rival this week?
• The Pittsburgh Steelers (10-0) started off sluggishly against Jacksonville in Week 11, but woke up in the 2^nd quarter and poured it on as they won 27 to 3. Pittsburgh has won two games in a row by a combined 25ppg. Can Pittsburgh get another double digit win or will they be in a tough fight against Baltimore?

Head to Head Betting Trends

• These teams are 5-5 SU in last 10 meetings
• Baltimore is 6-3-1 ATS in last 10 matchups
• The O/U is 5-5 in last 10 contests
• Baltimore is 4-0-2 ATS in last six games at Pittsburgh

Baltimore Betting Trends

• 15-5 SU in last 20 overall games
• 10-1 SU in last 11 road games
• 7-1 SU in last eight divisional games
• 7-2 SU in Weeks 10 through 13
• 7-3 SU as an underdog
• 2-4 ATS in last six games
• 8-2 ATS as an underdog
• Under is 7-2 in last nine AFC games

Pittsburgh Steelers Betting Trends

• 15-3 SU after 2 or more consecutive wins
• 15-5 SU in last 20 home games
• 8-0 SU as a favorite this year
• 8-2 ATS this season
• 6-2 ATS as a favorite this year
• 7-1 ATS in last eight games
• 6-0 ATS in last six AFC games
• Under is 5-2 in last seven November games

Free Thanksgiving Sports Bet and Game Prediction: Steelers -3 (-110)

I have a hard time seeing how this game will end up differently than the Week 8 matchup between these two teams where Pittsburgh won 28 to 24.

In that game, Pittsburgh came back to outscore Baltimore 21 to 7 in the second half. And, they did that by playing stellar defense. The Steelers forced four turnovers that game. They also gave up 11 minutes in time of possession to the Ravens, but still won.

Since that matchup, Baltimore has gone 1-2 with losses to the Patriots and the Titans who both found success running the ball against the Ravens defense. In fact, Baltimore is giving up 116 rushing yards per game, which is rather surprising.

In their two losses, Baltimore has been outplayed in the 4^th quarter which also hampered them against the Steelers in Week 8. I don’t see anything that makes me believe they will improve on this aspect of the game come Thursday.

Baltimore rushed for 265 yards in their first matchup this season while the Steelers rushed for 48 yards. Pittsburgh will need to fix this lopsided stat if they want to win on Thanksgiving. Pittsburgh only allows 103.4 rushing yards per game, so they do have the potential to slow down the Ravens ground game.

This week the Ravens will play the Steelers on Thanksgiving Night for the first time since 2013

Here’s what happened when the two teams met seven years ago pic.twitter.com/cGDXVbEgMi

— Kevin Oestreicher (@koestreicher34) November 23, 2020

If anything, I expect Pittsburgh to stack the box and force Lamar Jackson to beat them by throwing the ball from the pocket.

Offensively, the Steelers’ passing attack has been unstoppable as of late. Although they’re only averaging 254.3 passing ypg, Pittsburgh has four solid wide receivers and prove to be a nightmare matchup for any secondary. They also have a solid TE in Eric Ebron.

Pittsburgh’s best shot on offense is spreading out the Baltimore defense with at least four receivers. This will allow Big Ben to see the field and force the Ravens to play man against receivers like Chase Claypool who had five receptions for 42 yards and a TD in the Week 8 game.

Baltimore is 2-4 ATS in their last six games and 1-3 SU in their last four games. Pittsburgh is 8-2 ATS this season, 6-2 ATS as a favorite this year, 6-0 ATS in their last six AFC games.

I’m taking Big Ben and the Steelers to not only win the game outright, but to do so by at least a field goal. The Steelers have the better defense in this matchup and I expect the black and gold to force at least two turnovers this week, which will lead to points and the big divisional win.

Ravens vs Steelers Betting Recap:

• Oddsmaker: BetOnline
• Moneylines: Ravens (+158) vs Steelers (-178)
• Spread: Steelers -3 (-120)
• Over/Under: 45.5 total points (-105)
• Prediction: Steelers 27 – Ravens 21