Baltimore Ravens Will Win Black and Blue Battle with the Pittsburgh Steelers

In a black-and-blue battle, the Baltimore Ravens take on the undefeated Pittsburgh Steelers. The latest NFL odds as released by BetMania have the Steelers as a small one-point home favorite. These two teams usually engage in a slugfest when they face one another and this meeting should be no different.

The Steelers have started the season undefeated which is impressive in its own right, but it becomes more impressive when a team does it without the services of their starting quarterback. The Steelers starting quarterback, Ben Roethlisberger, is serving a four-game suspension and has yet to play in a regular season game.

The Steelers embraced the adversity, silenced the critics, and have yet to lose a game. The wins include an overtime game against Atlanta, defensive domination in Tennessee, and a blowout of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Steelers will face their toughest opponent yet when they run into the Baltimore Ravens.

The Ravens have been slated as a preseason super bowl favorite, but they have not been consistent throughout the year. After a big win over the Jets in Week 1, they stumbled against the Bengals in Week 2, and needed a late rally to beat Cleveland in Week 3.  The Ravens sit at 2-1, but with one loss in-division already, a loss to Pittsburgh would be a severe setback in the AFC North.

Quarterback Joe Flacco seems to be the difference maker for the Ravens.  In Cincinnati he struggled and was forced into making bad plays and had four turnovers in the game resulting in a loss. However, in the game against Cleveland, he connected three times in the end zone with newly acquired Anquan Boldin and won the game. Flacco will get a true test when he faces the aggressive defense of the Pittsburgh Steelers.

For football fans that appreciate a defensive game, this is a must-see game. Both teams believe in defensive football as the cornerstone of their success. Baltimore will have the gimpy Ray Rice in the lineup and that will help to establish the run.

The Ravens are 18-7-1 against the spread (ATS) in their last 26 games as a road underdog of 0.5-3.0 and that is due to a solid defense and kicking game. The Steelers on the other hand seem to struggle as small favorites as they are 7-19-1 ATS in their last 27 games as a favorite of 0.5-3.0.

The Steelers offense performed well last week, but they will face a much tougher defense. Charlie Batch played decently, but his touchdown passes to Mike Wallace were just Hail Mary tosses that Wallace made a great play on.

That will not be open against a Ravens defense that puts pressure on the quarterback. The road team is 3-1-1 ATS in their last five meetings and the underdog is 4-1-1 ATS in their last six meetings in this AFC North rivalry.

For the first time this season, the Steelers will miss Ben Roethlisberger and lose against the Ravens.

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Matt Regaw is a B/R Featured Columnist and the founder of BookieBlitz.com, your one-stop shop for sports articles, previews, and predictions. Feel Free to contact Matt at [e-mail]