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When the Baltimore Ravens host the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 9 NFL action, there is a lot on the line.
With Pittsburgh sporting a 4-3 record, and Baltimore 3-4, having sole possession of the AFC North is on the table for the black and gold. Advance to 5-3 and you not only send the Ravens further below you, but also further below the Cincinnati Bengals. It would be an uphill climb for Joe Flacco and company to right the ship, all while the Steelers would be holding a nice lead, and head-to-head win over Cincinnati as the second half of the season unfolds.
So, yeah, this is a big game.
In Las Vegas, they are still giving a slight nod to the Ravens in regards to the point spread, but if Ben Roethlisberger is active for the game you have to wonder how that could impact the overall swing of points in Pittsburgh’s direction.
The Steelers haven’t been underdogs often in 2016, and they are “road dogs” in Week 9, but who do the experts think will win this AFC North game Sunday?
Time to take a look...
Believe it or not, but many sites are almost split down the middle in this game. Some are actually favoring the Ravens, and some are thinking the Steelers will come out of Sunday’s game victorious.
The folks here at SB Nation are very pro-Ravens this week. Of their 9-person expert panel, six think Baltimore will hold serve at home, causing a horrible log jam in the AFC North standings.
A similar tune can be sung at FOX Sports, where three of their five experts who submit weekly picks are taking Baltimore on Sunday.
With that said, the folks at ESPN and CBS Sports are both very pro-Steelers in their selections. Only one expert from CBS, and two from ESPN, think the Ravens have a chance at winning in Week 9.
Thanks to our friends at NFL Pick Watch, a website which correlates all NFL online expert picks into one easy location, they were able to show us this game is pretty much a toss up in regards to the overall percentages. 62-percent of the experts like the Steelers, but that is anything but certain in this rivalry game.
Vegas is leaning towards Baltimore, and the experts seem undecided. Only time will tell if the Steelers take a stranglehold on the division, or if the Ravens become relevant again with a win at M&T Bank Stadium Sunday.