SNF Week 18 Parlay Picks & Player Props: Steelers and Ravens Play for the AFC North Title
Tonight's Sunday Night Football week 18 clash is simply the next chapter in one of the most storied rivalries in the NFL. It's the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Baltimore Ravens battling for the AFC North title and the final remaining playoff spot in the AFC.
It's a classic winner-take-all matchup in primetime, and the entire football world will be watching, as whichever of these teams makes the postseason has a great chance to cause problems against the rest of the AFC.
The first time these two teams met up in Baltimore, it was the visiting Steelers that walked out with a 27-22 win behind a stunning performance from Aaron Rodgers. The 42-year-old gunslinger went 23-for-34 for 284 yards and a touchdown, also running for his first score since 2022. However, 148 of those passing yards went to DK Metcalf, who won't play tonight as he serves the second game of his two-game suspension for his role in an altercation with a fan.
On the other end, Lamar Jackson is clearly far below 100% but will power through to start tonight's game. He missed last weekend's 41-24 win, with Tyler Huntley playing mistake-free football and constantly feeding the ball to Derrick Henry, who absolutely ate with 216 yards and four touchdowns on a jaw-dropping 36 carries. Those 36 carries were the most by any running back in a single game this season. Huntley will be ready to go in case Jackson cannot go the full 60 minutes.
As a result, there is a ton of value on our favorite sports betting sites, with several strong sportsbook promotions to choose from. Ahead of tonight's game, we'll give you our SNF Week 18 best bets. We'll provide our opinion on the game lines, list our favorite SNF Week 18 prop bets, and put together a juicy parlay to tail.
Stay up to date with all the latest NFL odds at our favorite NFL betting sites. Be sure to shop around and compare prices before you commit, in order to get the best deal.
Steelers vs Ravens Game Lines
Ravens -3.5 (-114)
📊 Odds via Caesars Sportsbook
We're not betting this with confidence, but if we had to choose, we would go with the better all-around team. Pittsburgh's run defense has been a different animal with Derrick Harmon starting at defensive tackle, and it looks to be another incredible draft pick made by the Steelers brass. In fact, whenever Harmon has been on the field, the Steelers have the best run defense in football.
The real X-factor though, could be Baltimore's ability to thrive, whether it's Lamar Jackson or Tyler Huntley behind center. It's tough to imagine that the Steelers offense can get anything going without DK Metcalf. Though they were playing one of the best defenses in football, they only mustered six points in last week's loss to the Cleveland Browns.
It all depends on how successful Derrick Henry is tonight, whether or not he can beat the stout Pittsburgh D-Line, and whether or not he's gassed. Henry, playing on his 32nd birthday tonight, has run the ball 54 times over the last two weeks, beasting for a combined 344 rushing yards and six touchdowns.
Under 40.5 (-105)
📊 Odds via FanDuel
We cannot slam this under hard enough. We have no idea where the yards or the scores are going to come from on the Steelers' end.
Last time out against Baltimore, the Steelers ran the ball a total of 17 times for 34 yards. That's right. 34 yards. Two yards per carry. DK Metcalf also accounted for 52% of the receiving yards on Aaron Rodgers' biggest yardage output of the season, and Metcalf is not playing tonight.
Beyond Metcalf, the prospects are very slim. Big tight end Darnell Washington also got injured last week, so Rodgers will have to rely on Pat Freiermuth, an injured Calvin Austin, his running backs, and a hodge-podge of dodgy talent like Marques Valdes-Scantling, Scotty Miller, and Adam Thielen. It's not looking great.
Steelers vs Ravens Player Props
Pat Freiermuth Over 31.5 Receiving Yards (-121)
📊 Odds via Caesars Sportsbook
The Ravens have allowed roughly 46 yards per game to tight ends, and, quite frankly, Freiermuth is going to be the number one receiving option for Aaron Rodgers tonight. Even though the Browns held Pittsburgh to six points last week, Freiermuth still had three receptions for 63 yards on five targets.
Without Metcalf on the field tonight, Freiermuth is the team leader in receiving yards. This is another one you can absolutely slam. We like him at 50+ receiving yards at +210 as well, though 60+ yards at +360 and 70+ yards at +650 are awfully tempting.
Derrick Henry Under 87.5 Rushing Yards (-114)
📊 Odds via FanDuel
Pro Football Focus did a fantastic piece earlier in the week about Pittsburgh rookie defensive tackle Derrick Harmon. When he plays, the Steelers have the best run defense in football. When he doesn't, Pittsburgh ranks 27th in the league in run defense. He's playing tonight.
On top of that, we'd think that Derrick Henry must be an exhausted guy after running the ball 54 times over the last two games. While Baltimore surely wants to win the game and clinch a postseason berth, they also can't continue to overuse him if they want to be a force in the playoffs.
We think they're going to tap Keaton Mitchell a few more times than usual, especially if the Ravens are ahead by multiple scores at any point in the game.
Keaton Mitchell 30+ Rushing Yards (+197)
📊 Odds via DraftKings
This is our sneaky play of the day, and we're confident it will get close. Mitchell has seen extremely limited duty this season, but has thrived whenever he's been able to get on the field. Mitchell is averaging 5.9 yards per carry, though he's only been given 57 carries this season. However, 32 of those carries have come in the last four weeks.
Last time against the Steelers, Mitchell only touched the rock six times but exploded for 76 yards, though most of his yardage came on a 55-yard chunk play. At the very least, smash the over, which DraftKings has currently set at 20.5 yards.
Our Steelers vs Ravens Top Parlay Pick (+1646)
📊 Odds via FanDuel
- Leg 1: Under 40.5
- Leg 2: Pat Freiermuth Over 31.5 Receiving Yards
- Leg 3: Baltimore Ravens ML
- Leg 4: Derrick Henry Under 87.5 Rushing Yards
- Leg 5: Keaton Mitchell Over 19.5 Rushing Yards
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