Oldfaithful
Hall of Famer
Just when you think the Ravens season could not get maddening enough, they come out and get blown out again. This is easily the worst game we have played all season. Some pundits have declared the season being over. I disagree, I still think we have a chance at the wild card game. But we need to win this week. Now we come to our division rivals at home. A victory before the bye week would be very advantageous. We need to beat the Steelers to own the tie breaker so if it comes down to that for the wild card, we are a playoff team. John Harbaugh’s job depends on it. So how do we match up?
Ravens Passing Attack vs. the Steelers Defense
This is the matchup I am not nearly as concerned about. Joe Flacco has had three games this season but has been money at home. The Steelers secondary is a swiss cheese unit, they have one good pass rusher, and a pathetic linebacking corps. We have the advantage when it comes to the personnel. The question will be Marty. The Steelers are going to key in on our wide receivers, and if there is a game where you need to get the rookie tight ends involved, it’s this one. Flacco has established his rapport with Andrews, and Hayden Hurst needs to continue to knock the rust off. He was an unpopular pick mostly due to age. This is the game to prove that he has value. This is more than Ravens receivers vs. Secondary. If the Ravens come out aggressive and pushing on, and Mary does not go conservative again (which was our big mistake the first time we played them), we should win this game. Otherwise, prepare for a very long game This is the one chance the team has for redemption.
The Ravens Pass Rush vs. The Steelers Offensive Line
The Ravens pass rush has been wildly inconsistent this season. That 11 sack game was obviously a fluke but they were totally shut down against the Panthers. I am not too worried but a guy outside of Suggs needs to emerge as a consistent threat. While Za’Darius Smith has turned in a quality season, we need to find a consistent starter. This would be a good game for Matt Judon to show up. Martindale has been fantastic this season, but on the very possible chance that Marlon Humphrey is not ready to play, we really need the pass rush to show up. Otherwise, that vaunted Steelers passing attack is going to carve us like a turkey.
Will the Ravens rushing attack get going?
Recently the Ravens rushing attack has been less than stellar. This has been due to porous offensive line play. Rather than addressing the obvious problem with the offensive line, the Ravens have chosen to acquire an upgrade for Buck Allen by acquiring Ty Montgomery, who recently just ruined a game for the Packers. Montgomery is a really good fit for this team but is not going to solve our running game woes. But, the Steelers defense is not a particularly good unit, even if they have a solid run defense. If there is a game to get it going, we really need to see what we have.
Score Prediction: Ravens 24, Steelers 21 I have no faith in this team week to week anymore, and if Humphrey, Hurst, and Stanley are not good to go, I have us getting blown out. But the fact of the matter is, we are a game out of first place, approaching the bye week, in a must win game. If we have everyone good to go, I have us winning in a nail biter. We win before the bye week, we get a week to prepare for the Bengals, which is just another week for us to get healthier. If not, then our season is likely over. It’s about time for us to get over hump. I’m an optimist, so I would say Harbaugh decides to live up to the pressure for once in his career. But overall, we are a more complete team and at full health do have one of the best defenses in all of football.
Ravens Passing Attack vs. the Steelers Defense
This is the matchup I am not nearly as concerned about. Joe Flacco has had three games this season but has been money at home. The Steelers secondary is a swiss cheese unit, they have one good pass rusher, and a pathetic linebacking corps. We have the advantage when it comes to the personnel. The question will be Marty. The Steelers are going to key in on our wide receivers, and if there is a game where you need to get the rookie tight ends involved, it’s this one. Flacco has established his rapport with Andrews, and Hayden Hurst needs to continue to knock the rust off. He was an unpopular pick mostly due to age. This is the game to prove that he has value. This is more than Ravens receivers vs. Secondary. If the Ravens come out aggressive and pushing on, and Mary does not go conservative again (which was our big mistake the first time we played them), we should win this game. Otherwise, prepare for a very long game This is the one chance the team has for redemption.
The Ravens Pass Rush vs. The Steelers Offensive Line
The Ravens pass rush has been wildly inconsistent this season. That 11 sack game was obviously a fluke but they were totally shut down against the Panthers. I am not too worried but a guy outside of Suggs needs to emerge as a consistent threat. While Za’Darius Smith has turned in a quality season, we need to find a consistent starter. This would be a good game for Matt Judon to show up. Martindale has been fantastic this season, but on the very possible chance that Marlon Humphrey is not ready to play, we really need the pass rush to show up. Otherwise, that vaunted Steelers passing attack is going to carve us like a turkey.
Will the Ravens rushing attack get going?
Recently the Ravens rushing attack has been less than stellar. This has been due to porous offensive line play. Rather than addressing the obvious problem with the offensive line, the Ravens have chosen to acquire an upgrade for Buck Allen by acquiring Ty Montgomery, who recently just ruined a game for the Packers. Montgomery is a really good fit for this team but is not going to solve our running game woes. But, the Steelers defense is not a particularly good unit, even if they have a solid run defense. If there is a game to get it going, we really need to see what we have.
Score Prediction: Ravens 24, Steelers 21 I have no faith in this team week to week anymore, and if Humphrey, Hurst, and Stanley are not good to go, I have us getting blown out. But the fact of the matter is, we are a game out of first place, approaching the bye week, in a must win game. If we have everyone good to go, I have us winning in a nail biter. We win before the bye week, we get a week to prepare for the Bengals, which is just another week for us to get healthier. If not, then our season is likely over. It’s about time for us to get over hump. I’m an optimist, so I would say Harbaugh decides to live up to the pressure for once in his career. But overall, we are a more complete team and at full health do have one of the best defenses in all of football.