IT’S GAME DAY!!

That means while we all wait for the Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Ravens to kickoff at 8:00pm EST in the Wild Card Round of the AFC Playoffs on Saturday, it’s time to take a look at who the SCN staff likes in this game. The current line for the game is PIT (+9.5) with a Total of 43.5.

But these picks are vs. the spread, or based on an over/under. These are straight up picks. So, let’s get to the prognostications…

Jeff Hartman

I don’t know how this will happen. I can’t justify the reasoning behind this selection. I realize I’m probably in the minority for picking the way I am. But I know there are weird things which happen in these games, and this time I think the ball bounces the Steelers way.

Prediction: Steelers 29, Ravens 27

Dave Schofield 

The Steelers losing three games in a row did not surprise me as they were the three most difficult games on their schedule. Losing the last one hurt, but the defense got back on track. The big fear is the offense. Can the Steelers win this game against the Ravens? Absolutely. I wouldn’t be shocked at all. But if I had to predict what’s going to happen, which is exactly what I’m supposed to do here, I think the defense does well enough to keep the Ravens off of 30 points, but the offense can’t do enough to win the game.

Prediction: Ravens 27, Steelers 20

Jeremy Betz

How does Pittsburgh pull of this major upset? With defense. I know many will point to the offense’s struggles as to why this game will be hard to win, but we’ve seen plenty of bad Steelers offenses beat the rival Ravens. Why? Because the defense has always been able to wrangle Lamar and co. enough to stay in the game. They have to figure out how to do that again after Derrick Henry ran them over and Lamar picked them apart in critical moments.

I will be at this game, and I think it will be a closer affair than their last clash, but this is a motivated Ravens team riding another MVP campaign from their All-World QB. Unfortunately I see another 1st Round exit for the Black and Gold.

Prediction: Ravens 23, Steelers 19

Anthony Defeo

I would like to find comfort in the sentiment that the Steelers know the Ravens better than anyone. But the two teams are simply trending in opposite directions. I look for a dominant Baltimore victory.

Prediction: Ravens 30, Steelers 13

Big Bro Scho

I don’t think the Steelers have a lot of confidence in their game and in their team right now. The fans don’t have a lot of confidence in them either. For the Steelers to win this game it’s going to take a perfect gameplay with perfect execution and no mistakes. I don’t see the Steelers being able to play that kind of game. The Ravens will start out and get a little bit of a lead and they will increase it and the Steelers will chip back in a little and the Ravens will increase it and towards the end of the game the Ravens will pull away.

Prediction: Ravens 31, Steelers 17

Corey Eckenroth

The Steelers once again look lost and confused at the worst possible time. Sure, the defense held CIN to 19 points, but the offense has been stuck in neutral for weeks. Looking at the box scores, you’d think that the Steelers were misusing every aspect of their offense.

The blueprint to beat the Ravens is there, I’m just not sure how the Steelers pull it off. We’ve seen stranger things happen before though. The defense HAS to show up, the Oline HAS to win their battles, and the special teams needs to be, well, special.

#RideOrDieCrew has a different meaning this week. The Steelers didn’t get this far just for me to pick the other team, and if the Steelers ship is going down, well, I’m riding it down all the way.

Wizard of Boz for the win.

Prediction: Steelers 26 Ravens 24

Jason Murphy

As bad as the results have been these last four games, there were moments in each where the Steelers had a chance to make a play that could have changed the game. Of all the true contenders in the playoffs, the team they most likely can upset are these Ravens. It will take ditching the ultra conservative gameplan and using aggression in smart circumstances. Throwing quick slants and crossers on first down to break tendencies is smart aggression. Throwing a desperation bomb down the sideline on a 3rd and 1 situation is dumb aggression. Unfortunately, the coaching staff has shown the latter approach for the most part.

The opening drive for both teams will tell us how this game will go. Are the Steelers stuffing Henry in the backfield or is he ripping off five plus yard runs? Are the Steelers throwing on first down or running Harris on an outside zone for no gain? Getting those answers will let us know right away if there is hope or not.

I have no faith right now in the coaching staff to make the right decisions, but the players have shown they can at least put themselves in a position where one or two plays can swing the game. The ball always bounces funny in these match-ups, and if it bounces the Steelers way, they can leave Baltimore scratching their heads wondering how they wasted a good regular season yet again. It’s not enough for me to pick the Steelers to win, but I sure hope that happens.

Prediction: Ravens 26, Steelers 19

Sadie Hubler

With the run the Steelers have been on lately, it will be a tough task to slow down Lamar and company. The Ravens have been playing extremely well over the past few weeks and have not had an issue putting points on the board.

Although the Steelers tend to have the Ravens’ number, I unfortunately don’t think a black and gold victory will be the outcome this weekend. The Steelers offense will not be able to keep up points wise with Baltimore, and defenders will be tired late due to the slow starts of Pittsburgh’s offense and Baltimore’s rushing attack. I’m picking the Ravens here.

Prediction: Ravens 27, Steelers 17

What is your prediction? Let us know in the comment section below, and be sure to stay tuned to SCN for the latest news and notes surrounding the upcoming Wild Card game between the Steelers and Ravens.