Pittsburgh Steelers @ Baltimore Ravens - Recommened Bet

[Betfair]

This all-important showdown could well decide the AFC North - Andy Richmond sets the scene and picks the best bets

Match Odds: Pittsburgh [2.6], Baltimore [1.62]

The NFL have been trying to clamp down on over-physical play, well they could be very interested in what is always one of the most physical and fiercest rivalries in the entire league. The AFC North co-leaders square off with a division title and a likely first-round bye on the line.

As the standings suggest, there is very little between these two teams and five of their last six meetings have been decided by four points or fewer, so it's certainly worth checking out the odds on the winning margin markets. This is a very important game with a huge bearing on the post-season - in addition to sole possession of first place, the Ravens would gain a huge edge with a victory considering they beat Pittsburgh 17-14 at Heinz Field on October 3 - the Steelers' last game before Ben Roethlisberger returned from his suspension.

But, for me, the presence of Roethlisberger appears to swing the contest in favour of the Steelers - he has missed four games against Baltimore due to injury or suspension since entering the league, and the Steelers have lost all four. With him starting, they're 7-2 - although keep an eye on the team news before placing your bets as "Big Ben" is rather banged up at the moment with a foot injury but is expected to start on Sunday. Roethlisberger is sure to be in the sights of Ravens line backers Terrell Suggs and Ray Lewis and he'll need all the protection but establishing the running game via Rashard Mendenhall will help with keeping the Ravens defence honest and avoid the Ravens being overly aggressive on defence.

Roethlisberger's opposite number Joe Flacco will also need to be strong in the face of the dangerous pass rush that the Steelers can bring and the offence will fall on Flacco's ability to stand tall in the face of the blitz and make smart decisions downfield. Injuries to a few of his chief protectors could make that more difficult and may just tip the scales in favour of the Steelers, especially with Roethlisberger's record against the Ravens.

Other small question marks against the Ravens' secondary makes me favour the Steelers narrowly with Pittsburgh's Mike Wallace particularly interesting in the touchdown scorer markets.

Recommended Bet:
Back Pittsburgh Steelers +2.5 @ [2.2] or better to beat the Baltimore Ravens

[arenee]

i was thinking of going with the steelers, but ben's fractured broken whatevah ankle made me switch to the ravens. honestly i think the steelers did better with dixon and batch this year. too bad they're both hurt. sigh

[Raymatsu]

Over!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[secondbase]

gl