Body bags? Check. Band aids? Check. A win? Not so fast.
For the Baltimore Ravens and their fans there are two weeks out of the season that are more exciting than the rest. Not that any football game isn’t exciting, but Steelers Week has a different feel to it.
The Pittsburgh Steelers and Ravens are mirror images of each other. The teams don’t like each other, but respect one another.
Moving on to the game, this is a tricky one to scout because of the similarities in each team. Pittsburgh gets the nod for their superior run defense, but the Ravens get the advantage with their pass defense. Sure the unit has had trouble at times, but the pass rush has been helping in recent weeks. A strong pass rush Sunday, which is a good possibility considering Pittsburgh’s banged up offensive line, should shore up the back end of the defense.
Offensively, each team is near identical as far as their production this season. The most glaring weakness on offense, for either team, is the Pittsburgh offensive line. They have struggled to stop pass rushers and have been dealing with injuries the past few weeks. This is a clear disadvantage for Pittsburgh because quarterback Ben Roethlisberger supposedly has a bad foot and Jarret Johnson and Cory Redding have been getting better at rushing the passer recently. Getting a rush from the other side of the line is important because Terrell Suggs is having a standout season.
One advantage Pittsburgh does have is their ferocious pass rush. In their last meeting, Pittsburgh was only able to sack quarterback Joe Flacco one time because left tackle Michael Oher and right tackle Marshal Yanda were able to contain James Harrison and LaMarr Woodley. This time, Oher will have to do the same thing on a sprained knee.
The game is going to be close, so chances are it will come down to special teams. So far this season special teams hasn’t been a strong suit for Baltimore, with the exception in one area. Baltimore has a superior kicking game with kicker Billy Cundiff and punter Sam Koch. Cundiff has been exceptional at kicking off, helping the Ravens lead the NFL in that category. In addition, Koch has placed 26 punts inside the 20 yard line. Pittsburgh has struggled in their kicking game, particularly kicking field goals. They let Jeff Reed walk and signed Shaun Suisham, but his NFL pas has been shaky. If this game comes down to a field goal, which it should, the Ravens have the advantage.
At the end of the night, the Ravens will have swept the Steelers for the second time in their history by a score of 24-21.
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