NFL picks against the spread: Which way to go on Thursday Night Football?

Week 1 was a disaster for me and my picks. With all the upsets, I ended up 4-12 ATS. Hopefully in the weeks to come I can pull out of that hole.

Tonight there is a classic matchup on Thursday Night Football -- the Pittsburgh Steelers are on the road playing the Baltimore Ravens.

The line has the host Ravens with the edge -2.5.

There are conflicting trends with this game. Coming off a loss as Baltimore is this week, they beat the spread 57 percent of the time. However, recent history says avoid taking the Ravens. The have covered only one of their last six games.

Pittsburgh is 7-2 against the spread in its last nine contests and entering a road game as an underdog following a win, they cover 58 percent of the time.

Straight up, Baltimore is 20-5 in its last 25 home games.

What is my pick? Thursday night games always favor the home team and since the spread is small, I like the Ravens -2.5. The whole Ray Rice thing being over should be a weight listed off the collective shoulders of the team and they will want to come out and have people talking about football instead of a horrible video.