Ravens vs. Steelers: Final Odds, TV Schedule, Predictions for 2015 AFC Wild Card

Heinz Field will be rocking on Saturday night, as the Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Ravens will renew their playoff rivalry at 8:15 p.m. on NBC.

These teams last met in the postseason in Jan. 2011. The Steelers won that game, 31-24, on the strength of Ben Roethlisberger's arm and Rashad Mendenhall's legs. Who will lead the way for the winning team on Saturday?

There are a ton of factors in this AFC Wild Card Game, especially given the fact that one of the game's biggest weapons will miss the contest with an injury. Without running back Le'Veon Bell—who won't play, according to the team's official site—who will steal the show in the Steel City?

Continue reading on for predictions as to who must step up, as well as all necessary viewing information for what is sure to be a compelling matchup.

When: Saturday, January 3 at 8:15 p.m.

Where: Heinz Field, Pittsburgh

Watch: NBC

Live Stream: NBC Sports Live Extra

Odds (via OddsShark.com on Friday, January 2 at 8 p.m. ET):

• Spread: Steelers, -3
• Over/Under: 45

Analysis and Prediction

Things seem to be stacking against the Steelers. Already without their top rusher, Pittsburgh's wide receivers might have a hard time running and catching consistently thanks to this bit of information from Yahoo Sports' Jason McIntyre:

With rain in the forecast, Roethlisberger must be extra careful with the football. He has thrown just one pick in his past four games, but none of those contests had the weather that is expected for Saturday.

Baltimore's pass defense wasn't particularly strong this season—it ranked 23rd in terms of passing yards allowed—but it did rank sixth in touchdowns allowed (just 22).

An emphasis will be put on the passing game with Bell out of the game. ESPN.com's Scott Brown reports that Josh Harris is expected to start with Dri Archer waiting in the wings as his backup, but neither will provide anything close to what Bell could have.

Just how valuable is Bell to the Steelers? ESPN Stats & Info did its best to show it with a string of tweets Friday afternoon:

That's bad, bad news for Pittsburgh fans.

Harris slid up the depth chart when the team rid themselves of LeGarrette Blount on Nov. 18, but he has only carried the ball nine times for 16 yards this season. Regardless, Bell has confidence in his teammate, via ESPN.com:

"I’ve been watching him all year and I know what he’s capable of. You got a little glimpse of him (in) the Bengals game. He’s explosive. He knows all of his assignments. He’s not out there thinking any more. He’s just playing football. He’s only going to get better."

Don Wright/Associated Press

Harris hasn't had any success this season (his longest run went for four yards), and the Ravens were the fourth-best team against the run in the regular season (88.2 yards per game). Ball-carriers averaged just 3.6 yards per carry against them. That's not a recipe for success.

That means the Steelers will finish with nowhere near 100 yards on the ground. Harris should settle in around 45 yards on 15 carries, with Archer contributing five or so carries for 15 yards.

Don't expect the Steelers to run the ball more than 25 times given their depth issues at the position, even in a potential downpour. Their passing attack is better than their rushing attack as things stand today, even in a monsoon.

Unfortunately, that's bad news for Pittsburgh.

The Ravens have won three of their last four contests, and are hardly your typical wild-card team. They only snuck into the playoffs because of the strength of their division, and losing one against the Steelers on Nov. 2 didn't help.

They're primed for victory on Saturday, however.

Joe Flacco is coming off a strong game against Cleveland (312 yards, two touchdowns), and the team has unearthed a gem in running back Justin Forsett. The seventh-year back has rushed for over 1,200 yards and eight touchdowns on the year.

Given how one-dimensional the Steelers will be, all the Ravens have to do is defend the pass and keep doing the same thing they've been doing offensively.

Games at Heinz Field between these two teams are rarely blowouts—six of the past seven have been decided by three or fewer points, according to NFL.com—but this one could be one of the rare occasions in which one team dominates.

Look for Baltimore to roll with the absence of Bell really limiting what Pittsburgh can do offensively.

Prediction: Ravens 24, Steelers 16

Follow Kenny DeJohn on Twitter: @kennydejohn