Baltimore Ravens vs. Pittsburgh Steelers 2019: Prediction Against The Spread, Week 5 Betting Odds

The AFC North might end up being a different kind of three-team race than what was expected before the 2019 NFL season began. The Cleveland Browns, Baltimore Ravens and Pittsburgh Steelers are all within a game of each other in the division, though none of them have established themselves as a legitimate Super Bowl contender.

Yes, that includes Baltimore, who has not been overly impressive through four games. The Ravens dropped to 2-2 after two consecutive losses. Baltimore has yet to beat a quality opponent.

Both of the Ravens’ victories have come against winless teams. Baltimore will visit Pittsburgh, who just picked up their first win of the season, in Week 5.

The Steelers haven’t beaten a team with a win either. That’s why Pittsburgh is a 3.5-point home underdog, according to the latest betting line at OddsShark. The over/under is 44.5.

With Ben Roethlisberger done for the season, Baltimore is the better team. Still, the Ravens haven’t proven that they should be favored by more than a field goal on the road against their No.1 rival.

The Ravens destroyed the Miami Dolphins in the season opener, winning 59-10 on the road. Lamar Jackson forced the rest of the league to take notice, completing 17 of 20 passes for 324 yards, five touchdowns and a perfect passer rating. Baltimore forced three turnovers, recorded three sacks and surrendered 200 yards of total offense.

Miami has since shown that a win against them means next to nothing. The Dolphins have been defeated by at least 20 points in every game, making the case to be considered among the worst teams the league has seen in recent memory.

Baltimore’s second win was a 23-17 victory at home over the now 0-3-1 Arizona Cardinals. The Ravens were nearly upset, forcing the Cardinals to kick three field goals from within the five-yard line.

When the Ravens finally faced real competition, they were beaten comfortably. Baltimore lost on the road to the Kansas City Chiefs 33-28 in a game that was more one-sided than the final score indicated. The Browns won in Baltimore 40-25 in Week 4 to move into first place in the AFC North.

Jackson has turned into a good NFL quarterback. He’s certainly better than Mason Rudolph, who has replaced Roethlisberger under center in Pittsburgh.

But Baltimore’s signal caller probably isn’t the MVP candidate he appeared he might be to start the year. He completed just 51.2 percent of his passes in Week 3 and was picked off twice in Week 4.

Pittsburgh’s pass rush has been one of the NFL’s best, recording 14 sacks. Jackson has been sacked 10 times.

This isn’t the same Ravens’ defense that the NFL has become accustomed to seeing. Baltimore has only generated eight sacks, including two in the last two games. The Steelers’ quarterbacks have only been sacked four times.

Mike Tomlin and the Steelers put Rudolph in a position to succeed in Monday night’s 27-3 win over the Cincinnati Bengals. The quarterback completed 24 of 28 passes for 229 yards and two scores after a very poor showing in his first career start the week prior.

A lot of the players might be different, but this should be another AFC North battle that comes down to the wire.

Prediction: Baltimore over Pittsburgh, 27-24