y Brian Covert
Sat, Nov 19, 2005

It was your typical AFC North slugfest when the Pittsburgh Steelers narrowly beat the Baltimore Ravens 20-19 as 13-point favorites Halloween night: tough, gritty and dirty.

Now these teams clash again today with the Steelers pegged as 3 ½-point favorites and players on both sides are anticipating a battle similar to the one waged on Oct. 31.

“We know that they are going to come out and play well because it`s Pittsburgh, and we will do the same because it is Baltimore,” said Pittsburgh wide receiver Hines Ward.

“You got a bloody nose, you keep coming. Right now we`ve got a bloody nose, teeth knocked out, but I`m going to keep fighting,” Ravens offensive tackle Orlando Brown told the Washington Post.

Pittsburgh and Baltimore come into the game on opposite paths, however. The 7-2 Steelers (6-3 ATS) are looking towards the playoffs and the 2-7 Ravens (3-6 ATS) are looking to draft.

That`s why Covers Expert Bryan Leonard is anticipating a more toned-down game today.

“Baltimore’s season is done and they know it,” says Leonard. “That first game they were in a must-win situation and they brought it. Unfortunately I don’t think they’ll have that emotion this time.”

With that in mind doesn’t it seem strange the sportsbooks would make the Steelers just 3 ½–point favorites after favoring them so heavily the first time? But Leonard says the fact that Tommy Maddox is starting at quarterback for the Steelers instead of Ben Roethlisberger is enough to justify the spread.

“Maddox has looked so bad, oddsmakers have no confidence in him” says Leonard. “The line would be at seven points if Ben was playing and then factor in the home-field advantage (three points) and you’re closer to the difference.”

Today will be Maddox’s first start since his 154 yard, three-interception performance in Pittsburgh’s 23-17 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars Oct. 16. Despite that and the books` lack of confidence, the nine-year veteran is looking forward to the game.

“It`s nice for not only me, I think it`s nice for everybody [to know I`m starting],” Maddox told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. “It`s good for me, it`s good for the team, just to get ready to go out there and play.”

Oddsmakers have set today’s total at 33 points.
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