The time is here and we are just 3 short weeks away from crowning a new Superbowl Champion.  This years AFC championship should pan out to be one the best in years as the Ravens led by Rookie QB Joe Flacco and the daunting Ravens Defense head to Pittsburgh to take on Big Ben and the Steelers who recently pimp slapped the Chargers and reestablished their dominance in the AFC.  Based on the odds to win the Superbowl you can make a fairly educated guess that the winner of this game is looking real sweet to win the whole shabang.  Below are the current betting lines for the AFC Championship as well as my pick. 

Heinz Field
Pittsburgh, PA
Sunday, January 18th, 6:30pm  EST
CBS

Baltimore Ravens
Pittsburgh Steelers  -5.5    33.5    -260

My Pick:  Ok so we know that both Flacco and Big Ben toss up a turnover or 2 every now and again and they both have top rated defenses so whoever wins the turn over battle will most likely win the game, but each team has an offense to make things very interesting.  For Baltimore, they will again rely on McGahee and McClaine to shoulder the heavy load and help setup the pass for Flacco.  If they can’t get anything going on the ground then it could be a long day for the Ravens who really couldn’t get anything going against the Titans and instead could only protect their tie score instead of building on a lead.  They will not have any such fortune this week in Pittsburgh.  Flacco will have to convert in the air if he wants to keep up offensively, not an easy feet against a defense that on average has only allowed 156 passing yards per game. 

For the Steelers, they have alot more options on offense in the 2 headed dragon of “fast” Willie Parker and Mewelde Moore.  And when push comes to shove as it most certainly will, they have Santonio Holmes and Hines Ward in the air.  The Ravens secondary is up to the challenge, but the sheer variables that they have to work with should keep the Ravens spread out and guessing.  Big Ben has been here before and he and his crew don’t get shaken very easily, especially at home.

At -5.5 it is still a pretty sweet deal for the Steelers.  Most of the bookies are counting on a defensive stalemate where the deciding score could come down to a couple of field goals, but I think all this time on the road for the Ravens may have them a bit tired and with the way they got stalled out in Tennessee last week it is looking very good for Steelers fans.  The line will move to 6 if it hasn’t already and thus I believe in the home team and Big Bens ability to get the W, plus I think their defense has the edge when it comes to stopping the run which is Baltimores main weapon.  Give the points before it goes up!        

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