NFL Wild Card Weekend Betting Picks and Predictions for Steelers at Ravens

Even within a single NFL game, betting markets are abundant.

You've got everything from spreads and totals to touchdown scorers and player props at your disposal. It can be a lot to sort through.

Using the NFL odds at FanDuel Sportsbook as a guide, here are the best bets for the Wild Card Round matchup between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Ravens, which starts at 8 p.m. ET on Saturday.

All NFL projections via our numbers at FanDuel Research, and NFL odds references are to FanDuel Sportsbook. Lines may change after this article is published.

Steelers at Ravens Betting Picks

Ravens -9.5 (-110)

My first reaction upon seeing the spread for this game was, "Oh, that's a big number for a Ravens-Steelers game," but once I dug into the numbers, everything kept coming up Ravens.

Historically, it feels like these two play a lot of low-scoring, dogfight-type games. That's mostly been true of late, but this year's Ravens offense is different. Per numberFire's schedule-adjusted metrics, Baltimore's O is ranked first overall, including first in passing and third in rushing.

They've been scorching-hot down the stretch, too, scoring 35, 34, 31 and 35 points over their past four contests. One of those games was a 34-17 home win over the Steelers in Week 16, and I think we could see a similar type of game on Saturday.

Simply put: if Baltimore's league-best offense plays well, I don't think the Steelers' offense can keep up.

While the Ravens ended the year flying on O, the Steelers went the other direction. Pittsburgh failed to top 17 points in any of its last four games, all of which were losses. It doesn't help their case this week that Baltimore's defense -- a unit that struggled at times earlier in the campaign -- improved over the second half of the season and finished 11th in overall D, including first versus the run.

A game against an elite offense where the Steelers can't run the ball is not the kind of game Pittsburgh wants to play, but I think that's the game they're in for this weekend.

Russell Wilson Over 15.5 Rushing Yards (-114)

This line has been inching up so far this week, but I still like the over.

This bet makes a lot of sense if you think the Ravens jump out front and force the Steelers to play from behind. Time and time again this year, Russell Wilson has run considerably more in losses than in wins. In the five losses where he was the starting QB, Wilson has rushed for 24.7 yards per game, compared to 5.7 rushing yards per game in six wins.

That's staggering, and it makes a two-leg Same Game Parlay of Wilson over 15.5 rushing and a Ravens win a solid bet at +118 odds.

In the aforementioned loss at Baltimore in Week 16, Wilson ran three times for 27 yards. He's had a long run of at least 12 yards in each of his last three games, and with everything on the line, we can rest assured Pittsburgh will keep its foot on the gas all game if they get into a big hole.

A Steelers upset win where they play most of the game with a lead would be a bad thing for this bet, but it's unlikely the game unfolds in that manner.

numberFire's NFL projections have Wilson running for 23.6 yards.

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The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author's advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.