The 2010-11 AFC divisional playoffs will begin on Saturday when the vs Baltimore Ravens vs Pittsburgh Steelers kick-off at 4:30pm EST on CBS television to be followed by the Packers vs Falcons at 8:00pm EST on FOX. Online sportsbooks have opened with the Steelers as a 3-point home favorite in NFL playoff predictions vs the Ravens with a low scoring over/under betting total of 37 for the game at Heinz Field. Sportsbooks also favor Pittsburgh -180 in money line AFC playoff odds for Saturday’s divisional game vs Baltimore +160. The Steelers had a first round bye in the NFL playoffs finishing behind the New England Patriots in the AFC conference while Baltimore easily defeated the Kansas City Chiefs 30-7 in the wild card round.
The is no question at online sportsbooks or in Vegas NFL playoff odds that Saturday’s match-up will be a defensive battle with the Steelers finishing the season ranked 1st in holding opponents to 62.8-rushing yards per game while the Ravens finished 5th (93.9) overall. The two teams combined for an average of 27-points in each of their meetings this year with Baltimore winning on the road 17-14 in October while Pittsburgh returned the favor in December with a 13-10 victory at M&T Bank Stadium. Heading into NFL playoff predictions as home favorites, Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger has won six straight games vs the Ravens, thrown for 10-touchdowns in those match-ups and owns the most recent betting trends going 9-2 overall.
Baltimore last played on January 9th vs the Chiefs and dominated Kansas City at Arrowhead to win by 23-points and easily covered the spread as 3-point road favorites to go 8-7-1 ATS for the season heading into AFC playoff odds once again as road underdogs. The Ravens have won five straight games heading into Saturday’s divisional AFC playoff round and have gone 4-1 for their past five games on the road. QB Joe Flacco has thrown 306-489 for 3,622-yards and 25-touchdowns this season but has had problems facing the “Steel Curtain” in their past seven meetings throwing only 6-touchdowns and 7-interceptions for a 69.5-passer rating. RB Ray Rice will also need to have a big performance on the ground if the Ravens are to pull off the upset in AFC playoff odds after carrying the ball 307-times for 1,220-yards and 5-touchdowns this season.
NFL Playoff Predictions: Pittsburgh Steelers -3