Ravens vs. Steelers odds, spread, line: 2023 Week 18 NFL picks, Saturday predictions by expert on 47 18 roll

The Pittsburgh Steelers (9 7) will try to increase their chances of making the NFL playoff bracket when they face the Baltimore Ravens (13 3) in an AFC North battle on Saturday. Pittsburgh can clinch a postseason berth with a win and a loss by either Buffalo or Jacksonville this week. The Steelers are coming off back to back wins over the Bengals and Seahawks, while Baltimore clinched the top seed in the AFC with a 56 19 win over Miami last week.

The Ravens are resting many key starters on Saturday, including star quarterback Lamar Jackson. Kickoff is at 4:30 p.m. ET in Baltimore. The Steelers are three point favorites, while the over/under, or total number of points Vegas thinks will be scored, is 34.5 in the latest Ravens vs. Steelers odds from the SportsLine consensus.

Before you make any Steelers vs. Ravens picks, . A veteran sportswriter whose work appears periodically in The New York Times and Los Angeles Times, Mike Tierney has covered the NFL for decades and reported from seven Super Bowls. He is coming off a typically strong 2022 NFL season in which he went 68 54 6, returning $815 to $100 players.

In addition, he is an amazing 47 18 2 on his last 70 in games involving the Ravens, returning a whopping $2,710. Anyone who has followed him is way up. Now, the Tierney has his sights set on and just revealed his picks and predictions. . Now, here are several and trends for Steelers vs. Ravens: While Baltimore has emerged as the clear favorite to win the AFC, it has nothing to play for on Saturday.

The Ravens are not only resting Jackson, but they will also be without wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr., cornerback Marlon Humphrey, guard Kevin Zeitler and linebacker Malik Harrison, among others. This has given Pittsburgh a more optimistic path to the NFL playoffs, especially since the Steelers are coming off a pair of impressive victories.

Quarterback Mason Rudolph has averaged more than 280 passing yards in his last two starts and is facing a banged up Baltimore secondary. The Steelers have held the Ravens under 20 points in six straight meetings between these teams, and that feat will be even easier to accomplish with Jackson on the sidelines.

Pittsburgh has covered the spread in four of its last five games against Baltimore, and it has covered in 13 of its last 20 games overall dating back to last season. . The Ravens rank fourth in total defense (302.1), sixth in pass defense (195.6), and first in scoring defense (16.4). Furthermore, they lead the league in total takeaways with 29.

Baltimore has covered in three straight games, including an outright victory as a 6.5 point underdog against the 49ers two weeks ago. Baltimore is 11 5 against the spread overall this season and 5 3 against the number in the friendly confines of M&T Bank Stadium. The Ravens have consistently covered against winning teams, going 7 1 against the spread versus teams with a 55% or better win record.

. Tierney has analyzed Steelers vs. Ravens and while we can tell you he's leaning over the point total, he has also discovered a critical X factor that has him jumping all over one side of the spread. ..