Ray Lewis has instilled the mantra of anybody, anytime and anywhere for the Baltimore Ravens but the one team they probably would have rather avoided was their division rival Pittsburgh Steelers.

Sportsbook odds have the Steelers favored by six points in the contest but you have to wonder how much the previous bye week will help the Steelers.

The two teams met up in Week 15 in which the Steelers won the game by controversial decision. But in winning the game, the Steelers ended up not only winning the division, but also securing a bye and home-field advantage throughout the playoffs against anyone in the AFC except for the Tennessee Titans.

In this Ravens vs Steelers matchup, you know it’s going to be another physical contest. If that’s the case, it’s hard not to side with the team that should be more fresh.

The Ravens have played football for 17 straight weeks, which will be taxing on the body. If you recall, the Ravens were supposed to have a Week 10 bye but it was bumped up to Week 2 because of Hurricane Ike in Houston, where the Ravens were supposed to play.

Online betting handicappers know that the Steelers are similarly a very smash mouth team but they had a second by week two weeks ago, and then faced the San Diego Chargers last week in a not-so-physical matchup.

On the flipside, the Ravens duked it out with the Tennessee Titans.

The Ravens vs Steelers matchup will be a blood and guts game but as the sportsbook odds indicate, with the Steelers holding an edge in home-field advantage and in freshness, it’s hard not to side with them. I expect them to represent the AFC in Super Bowl XLIII.