Ravens vs. Steelers: TV Info, Spread, Injury Updates, Game Time and More

Two teams vying for the cutthroat AFC North will go head-to-head on Sunday Night Football in Week 9 as the Baltimore Ravens visit the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Both clubs enter the weekend 5-3 but technically behind the 4-2-1 Cincinnati Bengals, who are likely to add another win, as the Jacksonville Jaguars are visiting in Week 9. Despite a stellar start to the season for each, they might as well be starting out 0-0 with how tight-knit the division currently is.

That makes Sunday night's affair even more crucial. It will set the stage for the division race heading into the latter half of the season, and staying in the win column in the AFC North is crucial, as all four teams are above the .500 mark.

If the Steelers come out of this one without a win, they'll fall to 0-2 against their divisional rivals after losing 26-6 in Week 2.

Let's take a closer look at the upcoming Ravens-Steelers clash.

When: Sunday, November 3

Time: 8:30 p.m. ET

Where: Heinz Field, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

TV: NBC

Live Stream: NBC Sports Live Extra

Betting Line (via Odds Shark): Even (Over/Under: 48)

Stopping a Runaway Train

Don Wright/Associated Press

Two weeks ago, nobody around Baltimore was worried about this visit to Pittsburgh. Back then, the Ravens were flying high after a 48-17 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, while the Steelers had sputtered to an embarrassing 31-10 defeat to the Cleveland Browns.

Ever since, Pittsburgh has been a runaway train blasting through its opponents. The conductor is Ben Roethlisberger, who is coming off one of the best performances in NFL history—a 522-yard, six-touchdown performance against the Colts in Week 8.

ESPN Stats & Info summed up Big Ben's historic outing:

Roethlisberger struggled against the Browns in Week 6 but has been on a tear since leaving Cleveland. He threw eight touchdowns and no interceptions and had a sterling 77 percent completion rating in wins over the Houston Texans and the Indianapolis Colts.

The Ravens have a defense capable of slowing Big Ben, as told by their dominance of him in Week 2, but it will be easier said than done, as injuries have taken their toll on the Ravens. Starting cornerback Jimmy Smith will be out for Sunday, meaning Antonio Brown's most likely opponent won't be playing.

John Harbaugh knows he will need his backups to step up to the challenge.

USA TODAY Sports

"Guys are going to step up," Harbaugh told the Baltimore Sun's Jeff Zrebiec. "We have the guys we need. Every team faces some kind of a situation at some position, and we've had injuries all year in different positions, and you just have to step up. It's not something we talk about. We don't make a big deal about it. It's not a point of emphasis for us."

Baltimore will have to hope its pass defense unit steps up, as it has allowed 256 yards through the air per game—22nd in the league. 

The Baltimore secondary is great at stopping touchdowns, allowing an NFL-best seven through the air in 2014. But keeping yardage totals down has been tough, as you can see in their recent performances:

Opposing QB	Stats
Week 1: Andy Dalton	25/38, 308 yards, TD
Week 2: Ben Roethlisberger	22/37, 317 yards, INT
Week 3: Brian Hoyer	19/31, 217 yards, TD, INT
Week 4: Cam Newton	14/25, 197 yards, TD
Week 5: Andrew Luck	32/49, 312 yards, TD, 2 INT
Week 6: Mike Glennon	24/44, 314 yards, 2 TD, INT
Week 7: Matt Ryan	29/44, 228 yards, TD
Week 8: Andy Dalton	21/28, 266 yards, INT

The Ravens had Roethlisberger's number the first time these teams faced each other, but he's clicking at a level that we haven't seen from the two-time Super Bowl winner in some time. It will be a tall task for Baltimore to try to stop this runaway train.

Home-Field Advantage

Joe Sargent/Getty Images

The Steelers entered the season having gone 6-6 in their last 12 games at Heinz Field dating back to late 2012, and they needed to turn that around with a three-game home stand following their 31-10 loss to the Browns.

That's exactly what they did. Pittsburgh outlasted the Texans at home before throttling the Colts with Roethlisberger's historic game, and they now have a chance to make it three in a row at home against the Ravens.

Head coach Mike Tomlin and the Steelers are happy to be staying home for a third consecutive game, and why wouldn't they be? Per the team's Twitter:

The Steelers are a strong 3-1 at home this season, with the only loss being the head-scratcher to Tampa Bay. 

Sunday's game takes on an even bigger meaning when Pittsburgh's upcoming schedule is taken into account . After Sunday, the Steelers will only have three more home games—two being in Weeks 16 and 17.

Pittsburgh will be looking for every advantage possible after being soundly beaten by Baltimore earlier in the season, and playing at home will undoubtedly be a big one.

Team Injury Reports

Player	Pos.	Status	Injury
Michael Campanaro	WR	Questionable	Hamstring
Owen Daniels	TE	Questionable	Knee
Justin Forsett	RB	Questionable	Ankle
Jimmy Smith	CB	Out	Foot

Player	Pos.	Status	Injury
Ryan Shazier	LB	Probable	Knee
Shamarko Thomas	SS	Probable	Hamstring
Marcus Gilbert	OT	Probable	Concussion
Steve McLendon	DT	Probable	Shoulder

Injury reports are courtesy of ESPN.com, updated as of Oct. 31 at 12 a.m. ET

Prediction: Steelers win, 30-27

The Baltimore Ravens were leaps and bounds better than the Steelers when these two teams faced off in Week 2, and the Ravens have improved since then. But Roethlisberger is slinging at the moment, and the Ravens are banged up in the secondary.

Smith's playing against Brown was huge in these two teams' first meeting, and Brown still found a way to make seven catches for 90 yards. With 223 yards and three touchdowns—one of which was passing—in the last two games, Brown will go off, as there will be no answer for him in the Baltimore secondary.

The Ravens' surprisingly efficient rushing attack will have its way against the Steelers, but Roethlisberger will outduel Flacco and keep his team rolling.

Stats courtesy of Pro-Football-Reference.com unless otherwise noted.