Hello, all. It's Steelers-Ravens. It's a rivalry game that the Steelers need to win, especially coming off
a crap effort at Soldier Field. Here is what Pittsburgh can do to ensure a W over its most hated foe.
1. Pressure Joe Flacco
For a professional football team to lose to another professional football team, 44-7, a lot of things have to go wrong.
One of the many issues that plagued Baltimore last Sunday was the Jaguars ability to rush Joe Flacco. So far this season, Flacco is by far the worst quarterback in the league when under pressure. According to Pro Football Focus, his passer rating is just 7.9 against the rush, which is horrific.
Although Flacco has not played well this season, he is still by far the best quarterback the Steelers will face to this point, and for the Steelers to pick up the win Sunday, it essential to not let him be a factor. An excellent way to do that would be for this defensive line- which features a returning Stephon Tuitt, to not give Flacco enough time to do his job.
#2: Win the battle in the trenches
Last week, Marcus Gilbert was dearly missed.
The Steelers right tackle, who has evolved into one of the best in the NFL, was out with a hamstring injury in that awful loss to the Bears, and that is a big reason why the Steelers lost the battle up front. Gilbert is listed as questionable for this Sunday, and his status could make a huge difference in how the offense performs.
Whether Gilbert or Chris Hubbard starts at offensive tackle, the Steelers need to improve up front to come away with a win tomorrow. As my buddy Donny pointed out in his breakdown of last week's game, the trenches are a huge part of what happens in a football game. Hopefully, the big uglys will step up Sunday. If not, Big Ben could hit the canvas quite a bit courtesy of the Dirty Birds.
#3: Le'Veon Bell.
Shocker: A piece about the Steelers has Le'Veon Bell's name in it. I know we are tired of talking about number 26, but he is the second most important player on this offense.
Pittsburgh has lost its last two games in Baltimore, and lack of offensive power was a huge cause for both of those debacles. In 2015, Bell was injured. Last year, Bell rushed for just 32 yards. Given how important Bell is to this team, how underwhelming he's been this season and how little he has contributed at M&T Bank stadium recently, it's safe to say that how loose "juice" is will go a long way in determining what happens Sunday afternoon.
Prediction
Before the season, I thought that the Steelers would split with the Ravens, with the loss coming in Baltimore. But after doing some thinking, I decided that, while Mike Tomlin's history against lesser teams is well documented, I don't see the Steelers playing down to their competition two weeks in a row. It's a rivalry game, Pittsburgh needs a win and they are the better team. I think that last Sunday's fiasco in the Windy City will be a wakeup call, and the Steelers will respond. The Dirty Birds will keep it close, as they always do, but Ben Roethlisberger will make more big plays than Joe Flacco, Le'Veon Bell will get his act together, and the Steelers will get the W.
Steelers 24, Ravens 17
 |
| Photo creds to Russel Sheet Report |
For a professional football team to lose to another professional football team, 44-7, a lot of things have to go wrong.
One of the many issues that plagued Baltimore last Sunday was the Jaguars ability to rush Joe Flacco. So far this season, Flacco is by far the worst quarterback in the league when under pressure. According to Pro Football Focus, his passer rating is just 7.9 against the rush, which is horrific.
Although Flacco has not played well this season, he is still by far the best quarterback the Steelers will face to this point, and for the Steelers to pick up the win Sunday, it essential to not let him be a factor. An excellent way to do that would be for this defensive line- which features a returning Stephon Tuitt, to not give Flacco enough time to do his job.
#2: Win the battle in the trenches
 |
| Photo creds to CBS Pittsburgh |
Last week, Marcus Gilbert was dearly missed.
The Steelers right tackle, who has evolved into one of the best in the NFL, was out with a hamstring injury in that awful loss to the Bears, and that is a big reason why the Steelers lost the battle up front. Gilbert is listed as questionable for this Sunday, and his status could make a huge difference in how the offense performs.
Whether Gilbert or Chris Hubbard starts at offensive tackle, the Steelers need to improve up front to come away with a win tomorrow. As my buddy Donny pointed out in his breakdown of last week's game, the trenches are a huge part of what happens in a football game. Hopefully, the big uglys will step up Sunday. If not, Big Ben could hit the canvas quite a bit courtesy of the Dirty Birds.
#3: Le'Veon Bell.
Shocker: A piece about the Steelers has Le'Veon Bell's name in it. I know we are tired of talking about number 26, but he is the second most important player on this offense.
Pittsburgh has lost its last two games in Baltimore, and lack of offensive power was a huge cause for both of those debacles. In 2015, Bell was injured. Last year, Bell rushed for just 32 yards. Given how important Bell is to this team, how underwhelming he's been this season and how little he has contributed at M&T Bank stadium recently, it's safe to say that how loose "juice" is will go a long way in determining what happens Sunday afternoon.
Prediction
Before the season, I thought that the Steelers would split with the Ravens, with the loss coming in Baltimore. But after doing some thinking, I decided that, while Mike Tomlin's history against lesser teams is well documented, I don't see the Steelers playing down to their competition two weeks in a row. It's a rivalry game, Pittsburgh needs a win and they are the better team. I think that last Sunday's fiasco in the Windy City will be a wakeup call, and the Steelers will respond. The Dirty Birds will keep it close, as they always do, but Ben Roethlisberger will make more big plays than Joe Flacco, Le'Veon Bell will get his act together, and the Steelers will get the W.
Steelers 24, Ravens 17
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