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For just the second time since 1949, there will be an NFL game played on a Wednesday.
Originally scheduled for Thanksgiving, the Ravens and Steelers will kick off today at 3:40 p.m. ET/12:40 p.m. PT from Heinz Field.
Both teams are dealing with positive COVID-19 cases on their roster, with the biggest absence from today’s contest being Ravens star quarterback Lamar Jackson. Robert Griffin III will handle duties under center for Baltimore.
“It’s impossible to gauge what the drop-off will be here between Lamar and RG3,” said Nick Bogdanovich, Director of Trading for William Hill US. “If it was just Lamar’s out with a bad knee and now RG3’s in there with the rest of the team, who knows what the line would be. But it’s Lamar out and so many other Ravens out with COVID. So there’s really no fair gauge in this spot.
“Obviously at one point RG3 was pretty damn good, but he’s been on ice for years. He was still good enough to win the backup role to Lamar, so he must have something left. So coming up with a point value between Lamar and RG3 for this game is tough because Lamar hasn’t been great this year and there’s so many other people out that it’s like a whole new offense in general.”
The Steelers opened as 3-point home favorites back when NFL Week 12 lines were first released at William Hill. The spread quickly moved up to Steelers -4.5 a day later following the news that a few Ravens players were placed on the COVID-19/restricted list. Once it was announced that Lamar Jackson tested positive for COVID-19, the line rose to Steelers -8.5.
Now the spread is at double digits, as the Steelers are currently 10.5-point favorites (-600 moneyline) over the Ravens at William Hill. Baltimore is +450 to win the game outright and the total resides at 42.5.
How have William Hill bettors been approaching this AFC North rivalry clash, though?
“We’re a little high on the Steelers,” Bogdanovich said. “The action isn’t where a typical standalone game would be at this point, and that’s not surprising given all of the uncertainty with both teams. But it’ll pick up closer to kickoff.”
The Steelers are receiving 67% of the total number of tickets and 78% of the total dollars wagered for all spread bets vs. the Ravens, as well as 70% of the total number of tickets and 71% of the total dollars wagered among all moneyline bets.
The largest wager placed on this Wednesday affair thus far is one Indiana bettor putting down $24,000 on Steelers -10 (-110) for a total potential payout of $45,818.20.
For the total, the majority William Hill bettors are also aligned on one side. The over is attracting 76% of the total number of tickets and 72% of the total dollars wagered.
Check out William Hill’s latest odds and trends for Ravens vs. Steelers below.
