Over the course of the season, it has looked at times as if neither the Steelers (9-7) nor the Ravens (8-8) wanted to win the AFC North. The result is a showdown Sunday Night on NBC and Peacock for the division title and the last berth in the playoffs.
The Ravens opened the season as Super Bowl favorites but won just once in their first six games. Lamar Jackson and co. then ripped off five straight wins. They became the favorites to win the AFC North. Not so fast. Baltimore then lost at home Thanksgiving Night to Joe Burrow and a banged-up Bengals’ team and followed that poor showing with another losing at home the next week to Pittsburgh. They blanked the Bengals in Cincinnati and were leading the Pats by 11 midway through the fourth quarter. Back on track…but no. Lead blown. Game lost. Last weekend with Jackson sidelined, they turned to Derrick Henry and the veteran workhorse responded with 216 yards rushing and four touchdowns in a win over Green Bay. Its logical to think the Ravens are poised to win Sunday night and take the division, but what has gone according to the script to this point for Baltimore?
The Steelers opened the season the opposite of the Ravens. They won four of their first five to jump to an early lead in the North. They then lost five of seven. Aaron Rodgers looked old. Mike Tomlin’s message no longer seemed to resonate with his players. The Steel Curtain was leaky. In typical Tomlin fashion, though, the Steelers rallied for three straight wins including a 27-22 win in Baltimore on December 7. The result? A win over Cleveland in Week 17 and the AFC North belonged to the Steelers. Just as with the Ravens, the script got lost and Pittsburgh looked like anything but a playoff team let alone a division champion losing 13-6 to the Browns.
Seems in a twisted way fitting that these two teams have to play each other to decide who is going to the playoffs.
*** Lamar Jackson News: Coach John Harbaugh told reporters Jackson’s status for Sunday is TBD, but the MVP is expected to be at practice Wednesday. ***
Lets take a look at the matchup including a few key stats and trends, the quarterbacks, and those listed on the injury report.
NBC Sports has all the latest info and analysis you need, including how to tune in for kickoff, odds from DraftKings, player news and updates courtesy of Rotoworld, and of course our predictions and best bets for the game from our staff of experts.
Game Details and How to Watch the Ravens and Steelers LIVE Sunday
- Date: Sunday, January 4, 2026
- Time: 8:20PM EST
- Site: Acrisure Stadium
- City: Pittsburgh, PA
- Network/Streaming: NBC/Peacock
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Game Odds: Ravens at Steelers
The latest odds as of Wednesday courtesy of DraftKings:
- Moneyline: Baltimore Ravens (-180), Pittsburgh Steelers (+150)
- Spread: Ravens -3.5
- Total: 40.5 points
This game opened at Ravens -3 with the Game Total set at 43.5.
Be sure to check out DraftKings for all the latest game odds & player props for every matchup this week on the NFL schedule!
Quarterback Matchup: Ravens at Steelers
Ravens Starting QB: Lamar Jackson
Last Game: 12/21 vs. New England – 7-10, 101yds, 0TDs, 0INTs, 0 Sacks, 2 carries for 7yds rushing
Season: 12GP, 181-284, 2311yds, 18TDs, 6INTs, Sacked 33 times, 63 carries for 340yds rushing- Steelers Starting QB: Aaron Rodgers
Last Game: 12/28 at Cleveland – 21-39, 168yds, 0TDs, 0INTs, Sacked 2 times, 1 carry for 6yds rushing
Season: 15GP, 296-451, 3028yds, 23TDs, 7INTs, Sacked 27 times, 20 carries for 41yds rushing
Ravens at Steelers: Team Stats and Betting Trends
- This is the first winner-take-all meeting between the two teams in the final week of the season in their history
- Derrick Henry has rushed for over 100 yards in three straight games (65 carries for 444 yards and 6 TDs)
- Zay Flowers caught 8 balls for 124 yards against the Steelers on December 7
- The Ravens are 6-10 ATS this season
- The Steelers are 8-8 ATS this season
Steelers Player Injuries
- WR DK Metcalf (susp.) is ineligible to play Sunday
- WR Calvin Austin III (hamstring) is listed as questionable for Sunday’s game
- LG Isaac Seumalo (triceps) is listed as questionable for Sunday’s game
- LB T.J. Watt (chest) is listed as questionable for Sunday’s game
- CB James Pierre (calf) is listed as questionable for Sunday’s game
- CB Brandin Echols (groin) is listed as questionable for Sunday’s game
Ravens Player Injuries
- QB Lamar Jackson (back) is listed as questionable for Sunday’s game
- DT Taven Bryan (knee) is eligible to be activated from the IR for Sunday’s game
- RB Justice Hill (neck) is eligible to be activated from the IR for Sunday’s game
- LB Adisa Isaac (elbow) is eligible to be activated from the IR for Sunday’s game but Coach Harbaugh said Monday it is unlikely to be ready to play
Rotoworld Best Bets
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Our model calculates projections around each moneyline, spread and over/under bet for every game on the NFL calendar based on data points like past performance, player matchups, stadium information and weather forecasts.
Once the model is finished running, we put its projection next to the latest betting lines for the game to arrive at a relative confidence level for each wager.
Best bets our model is projecting for this week’s game between the Ravens and the Steelers
- Moneyline: Rotoworld Bet is leaning towards a play on the Ravens on the Moneyline.
- Spread: Rotoworld Bet is recommending a play on the Ravens -3.5.
- Total: Rotoworld Bet is leaning towards a play on the Game Total UNDER 40.5.
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