Ravens vs. Steelers 2016 picks and predictions: Experts think Pittsburgh will clinch

The Pittsburgh Steelers will clinch the AFC North division and a spot in the playoffs if they can beat the Baltimore Ravens on Christmas Day in Week 16. It will be a tough game, though, as the Ravens already beat the Steelers once this season and they themselves are clinging on to playoff hopes.

Pittsburgh plays the Ravens and then closes out their season with a game against the Cleveland Browns. The Ravens, if they beat the Steelers, would also need to beat the Cincinnati Bengals in their regular season finale.

In the first game between the two, Baltimore took a closely contested 21-14 victory. The Ravens won on the back of a 95-yard touchdown pass from Joe Flacco to Mike Wallace and a blocked punt returned for a touchdown, followed by a successful two-point conversion. The Steelers didn’t get on the board until there were eight minutes left in the game, and their two consecutive touchdowns to close the game were too little, too late.

The Ravens are coming off a narrow 27-26 victory over the Philadelphia Eagles, but they fell to the New England Patriots in the game prior to that. Still, they have won three of their last four, and are a far cry from the same team that lost four consecutive games earlier in the season.

Pittsburgh is also running hot, having won their last five games. Of course, before that streak, they too lost four consecutive games, including the showdown with the Ravens. Their last game was a 24-20 win over the Bengals, and their streak includes a win over the New York Giants and the same Browns that will be their final opponent of the regular season.

It’s worth noting that the Browns did manage to pick up their first win of the season on Saturday, so they might be a little more dangerous for the Steelers than previously thought. The Steelers would like to wrap up their playoff spot sooner rather than later.

As far as experts are concerned, most think the Steelers will indeed wrap it up.

Over at CBS Sports, all eight of their experts think the Steelers will win the game. It’s the same situation over at ESPN, where the nine-man panel is taking the home team.

Here at SB Nation, it’s a similar spread, though there is an outlier:

That’s seven of eight experts, plus the OddsShark computer, with SB Nation picking the Steelers, leaving just one who thinks the Ravens will win the game. Sunday’s action will begin at 4:30 p.m. ET on the NFL Network.