1-11-2025 4:19am

'EXPERTS' PREDICT WIN

What Pundits Expect in Ravens-Steelers Playoff Game

By Kevin Eck, Baltimore Ravens

Ravens Are Near Unanimous Pick to Eliminate Archrival

If having momentum entering the playoffs means anything, the Ravens should feel good about their chances in Saturday night's AFC Wild-Card round game against the Pittsburgh Steelers at M&T Bank Stadium.

The surging Ravens have won four straight by an average of 23 points, including a 34-17 victory over Pittsburgh three weeks ago. The struggling Steelers have lost four straight and averaged just 14.3 points during that span.

The overwhelming consensus is that the teams will continue their respective trajectories.

All but two of the 58 pundits we sampled predicted a victory for the Ravens, who are 9.5-point favorites. ESPN's Jeremy Fowler and Seth Wickersham were the dissenters.

Here's what pundits are saying about the game:

The Ravens will win convincingly.

Bleacher Report’s Ian Hanford: "The Steelers typically find a way to muddy things up enough to stay close, but the vibe around this team couldn't be more off. Ravens win and send a message that this year's team may finally put its best foot forward in the postseason."

The Steelers will keep it close, but the Ravens will prevail.

CBS Sports John Breech: "If there's one game where I could see a big upset happening this weekend, it's this one. On one hand, that sounds absolutely ridiculous because the Steelers have forgotten how to play football over the past four weeks. On the other hand, it doesn't sound ridiculous at all because Lamar Jackson always seems to forget how to play football during the postseason. … If the Steelers had shown any signs of life during their four-game losing streak to end the season, I might have picked them to pull off the upset, but instead, I'm going to take the Ravens in a nail-biter."

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