NFL Expert Picks: Very few believe the Steelers have a shot vs. the Ravens, and rightfully so

The Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Ravens are slated to face off in Week 13 of the 2021 regular season, and there are a lot of narratives between these two teams. For the Ravens, they are trying to remain the top team in both the AFC and AFC North, while the Steelers are a team trying to find a way to right the ship and remain relevant in both the AFC North and AFC Playoff Picture.

For those who follow the current betting lines, the Steelers opened as 3.0-point home underdogs, and, according to DraftKings Sportsbook, that line has moved from 3.0-points to 4.0-points, largely due to players like T.J. Watt being placed on the Reserve/COVID-19 List, and others missing due to injury.

(Odds/lines subject to change. T&Cs apply. See draftkings.com/sportsbook for details.)

At this point, it is time to check in and see who the pundits who call themselves experts like in this showdown in Pittsburgh this Sunday.

For those new to this article, there are two types of experts when it comes to NFL picks. There are those who just pick the overall winner, and those who expound on their picks and give a reason for their prediction.

As for the former of the above types of experts, there are many sites who have their experts just plug in a winner and move on with their day. Of those sites, the majority, if not all, of experts at Yahoo!, ESPN and FOX like the Ravens to win, and this should surprise no one. You have to search pretty hard to find an expert who still believes the Steelers can pull off the upset.

As for the experts who actually put some thoughts, and explanation behind their picks, like Pete Prisco of CBS Sports, he likes the Steelers to find a way to beat the Ravens in Week 13.

This has become a great rivalry known for physical play, but the Steelers have hardly looked physical the past two weeks. They are struggling in a big way, while the Ravens are coming off a tough home victory over Cleveland. Even so, the Ravens offense isn’t good right now. The Steelers will find a way to win this late playing in a survival game.

Pick: Steelers 23, Ravens 20

At ESPN, there is one expert, Jeremy Fowler, who believes the Steelers beating the Ravens can be the upset of the week.

Fowler: Steelers (+3.5) over the Ravens. I know, I know, the Steelers are a mess. They can’t run the ball. They struggle to go deep. Players are questioning Pittsburgh’s practice methods. Ryan Clark obliterated his old team’s defense on Get Up! the other day. But this is typically when Mike Tomlin does his best coaching — when things are messy and team culture wins. I’m expecting a bounce-back. And Baltimore might just be the team that a struggling defense needs to face. The Ravens haven’t eclipsed 17 points since Week 6.

For Bill Bender of The Sporting News, he sees a game which goes down to the very end, but the Ravens to come away with the victory.

The Steelers are suddenly in desperation mode against the Ravens, who can take command of the AFC North with a convincing road victory. Baltimore can rely on the running game against a shaky Pittsburgh run defense, but the Ravens must protect the football better. Pittsburgh could steal an upset here, but we like Lamar Jackson to shake off the turnovers in a close one.

Pick: Ravens 27, Steelers 26

These are just a few sites who make weekly NFL picks. When you think about all those sites not listed above, this is when we turn to our friends at NFL Pick Watch, a site dedicated to tracking NFL expert picks by the week. They take all expert picks and put them into an easy-to-read graph for fans to enjoy. When it comes to the Steelers vs. Ravens game, 92% of NFL experts like the Ravens to go into Heinz Field and win on Sunday.

What do you think about the upcoming game? Will the experts have it right? Or are they way off? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section below, and be sure to stay tuned to BTSC for the latest news and notes surrounding the black and gold as they prepare for the Ravens in Week 13.