Pittsburgh Steelers vs Baltimore Ravens preview, predictions, betting odds, live stream info

Nov 28, 2013; Baltimore, MD, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers center Fernando Velasco (61) prepares to snap the ball against the Baltimore Ravens during a NFL football game on Thanksgiving at M&T Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Evan Habeeb-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 28, 2013; Baltimore, MD, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers center Fernando Velasco (61) prepares to snap the ball against the Baltimore Ravens during a NFL football game on Thanksgiving at M&T Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Evan Habeeb-USA TODAY Sports

Pittsburgh Steelers vs Baltimore Ravens

The Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Ravens kick off Week 2 of the 2014-15 NFL regular season, with a matchup between the two AFC North rivals at M&T Bank Stadium.

More from Baltimore Ravens

Known as one of the best rivalries in the NFL today, the Steelers and Ravens seem to always put on an exciting performance for the fans who are lucky enough to get the hard to come by tickets.

Entering Thursday night’s game, the Steelers hold an all-time series lead of 23-16.

Details for Sunday’s game are below:

Date: Thursday, Sept. 11
Start Time: 8:25 p.m. ET
Location: Baltimore, Maryland
Stadium: M&T Bank Stadium
TV Info: NFL Network, CBS
Live Stream: Stream 1 |  NFL Game Rewind following the game
Radio: For Pittsburgh Steelers affiliates, click here. For Baltimore Ravens affiliates,click here.
Ticket information: For Steelers ticket info click here. For Ravens ticket info click here.

Keys to Victory

As AJ Green and the Cincinnati Bengals showed last week, the Ravens can be susceptible to big plays in the passing game. When you have game-breaking wide receivers like Antonio Brown and Markus Wheaton, it is the perfect opportunity to come up with a big play.

Baltimore will need to be disciplined in the secondary.

The Ravens will also need to put the Ray Rice distractions behind them this week, as they play their first game since Rice was released from the team following the video evidence of the running back punching his then fiancee unconscious in an Atlantic City hotel elevator.

If Baltimore is distracted or not at the top of their game, it could be a very long night for the Ravens in front of their home fans.

Betting Odds

Point Spread: Ravens -2.5
Moneyline: Steelers +120, Ravens -130
O/U: 44.5 points

Prediction

With the way that Le’Veon Bell performed in the opening weekend of the season, it would be a surprise if the Steelers did not once again rely on him in the ground and passing game to get the Ravens planning for the run or short passing attack before going on to bomb a big play over the defensive backfield.

If Baltimore is unable to hang on to the ball and put together long drives, the Steelers could end up winning by multiple scores.

Of course, Pittsburgh will need to keep there focus which is something that they were unable to do against the Cleveland Browns a week ago.

Final Score: Steelers: 20, Ravens: 13