Wild Card Same Game Parlay Picks – Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Baltimore Ravens

Wild Card Same Game Parlay Picks – Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Baltimore Ravens Recap

The Baltimore Ravens surged past the Pittsburgh Steelers, 28-14 over Wild Card Weekend, putting the game away early by taking a dominant 21-0 lead into halftime. In the process, the first leg of the same-game parlay stood no chance with Mike Tomlin’s troops never once being in a position to win the game let alone cover the 10-point NFL odds. I knew full well that we would be up against it as poorly Pittsburgh entered the playoff losers of four straight both straight up (SU) and against the spread (ATS), but taking back double digits in the third go-round of what had been a highly competitive division rivalry was simply just too attractive a price point to pass on.

I regretted staking the position immediately after Baltimore’s first drive which saw Lamar Jackson casually lead the offense 95 yards up the field and hit pay dirt on the 14^th play to get the Ravens out to a 7-0 lead. Derrick Henry played a big role in the opening drive as well as the game gouging what proved to be a porous Steelers run D for 186 yards and a couple scores on 26 total carries. Lamar added another 81 yards on his 15 overall totes of the rock which allowed the home team to hold a dominant 19 minute advantage in the time of possession battle.

While Russell Wilson attempted to stage a comeback throwing a pair of touchdown passes in the third quarter to cut the deficit to 14 on a pair of occasions, the offense proved to be largely impotent. Though it combined for 280 total yards and went for 6.2 yards per play, the unit only accrued 11 first downs and never once penetrated Baltimore’s red zone. The SGP’s second leg on the under looked ominous heading into the fourth quarter with 42 combined points on the board, but neither team tallied a single point in the fourth and final quarter allowing us to earn a split at BetMGM Sportsbook with the final score falling just under 43.5 points as well as the closing 45.5-point impost.

The Pittsburgh Steelers enter the playoffs in rarified air: never once in the history of the NFL has a team entered the second season in the midst of a four-game losing streak. Per current action reports, NFL bettors have let it be known they expect the losing streak to increase over Wild Card Weekend when they invade the “Charm City” to battle the Baltimore Ravens for the third time this NFL betting season. Mike Tomlin’s troops dropped a tough one last week falling 19-17 to a surging Bengals team it hung 44 points on back in Week 13. As for John Harbaugh’s troops, they rattled off a fourth straight win and cover toying with the Cleveland Browns along the way before locking down the 35-10 win and cover.

BetMGM Sportsbook opened the NFL odds for this division rematch up with the Ravens installed lofty 8.5-point favorites and the total lined 46. Each market has been corrected by the NFL betting market since with Baltimore now laying 10-points with the Ravens aligned with 64% of the bets and 74% of the money. Though these teams combined for a high scorer on this field when they last met back in Week 16, total bettors have pushed the number to beat down to 43.5 with 80+ percent of the tickets and handle in favor of the line move.

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Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Baltimore Ravens NFL Same Game Parlay:

Week 18 capped a disappointing finish for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Despite covering as 2.5-point underdogs per the closing NFL spread, they fell 19-17 to a Cincinnati Bengals team they had dominated with a 40-point outburst a month prior. Pittsburgh’s late-season collapse has been severe, with four straight losses knocking them out of the AFC North title race in favor of the Baltimore Ravens and dropping them to the sixth seed in the AFC playoffs. The narrow margin of defeat against the ‘Natti was deceptive with the Steelers thoroughly outplayed. Their offense generated under 200 total yards, lost the time of possession battle by 16 minutes, and converted just 4 of 12 third downs. 

Even holding Cincinnati to 1 of 4 red-zone efficiency wasn’t enough to save them from defeat. Pittsburgh now enters the postseason on a four-game skid, failing to score more than 20 points in any of those contests. Their reward for this slump? A third showdown with Baltimore, this time on the road. The teams split the regular-season series, with the Steelers managing one win against Lamar Jackson and company. 

The Baltimore Ravens kept their momentum rolling in Week 18, notching their fourth consecutive 30+ point performance and rewarding bettors once again by covering the NFL 20-point NFL betting line. This time, they delivered a commanding 35-10 victory over the Cleveland Browns, avenging one of their five regular-season losses. The Ravens dominated from start to finish, piling up over 430 total yards and winning the turnover battle 2-0. The impressive 25-point win easily covered the hefty 20-point spread. After surrendering over 400 yards to a Jameis Winston-led offense earlier in the season, Baltimore’s defense responded by limiting Cleveland to just 230 total yards. 

The Browns, led by Bailey Zappe and Dorian Thompson-Robinson, managed only 13 first downs and converted 1 of 3 red-zone opportunities. While the Ravens’ postseason hopes rest largely on the play of Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry — the latter posting another standout performance against Cleveland — their defense has been a game-changer. Since their home loss to Philadelphia, Baltimore’s defense has locked down opponents, allowing fewer than 11 points per game over the last month. This defensive resurgence, combined with their offensive firepower, has made the Ravens a popular pick among bettors heading into the wild-card round.

While I get that Pittsburgh enters this tilt in a major rut, the betting line for this third go-round is simply absurd. That’s coming from someone who cashed both the side and total of the first two matchups. We hammered the Steelers and under when the rivals collided in Heinz back in Week 11, and then hit another same-game parlay on the Ravens minus the points paired with the over in the rematch at M&T Bank Stadium a month later. Remember, that tilt was tied at 17 late in the second half when Russell Wilson fumbled at Baltimore’s two-yard line. With the teams seeing their eight-game under streak just get snapped, I think both defenses come to play in this one making the Steelers and all those points paired with the under my recommended legs for this wild-card SGP.

• PITTSBURGH STEELERS +10
• PITTSBURGH/BALTIMORE UNDER 43.5

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