By Sean Geddes
This Sunday the Steelers take on their Rivals from crab country, the Baltimore Ravens. Steelers and Ravens weeks are by far my favorite two weeks of the season. No team tests the mettle of our teams like no one else can. An always imposing defense always brings their A-games for the Men of Steel. And offensively, despite a slow start that may have been sparked last week, they now have weapons that can challenge you on all levels from all over the field.
Who to Keep a Closer Eye On:
Maurkice Pouncey
The rookie center, who early on has been nothing but impressive, gets his biggest test(s) to date… literally. Haloti Ngata is as strong as any player in the whole league and more agile than any man his size anywhere as far as I’m concerned. Second round draft pick Terrence Cody will make his first NFL start, and looked good in his preseason appearances. Pouncey matched up with Cody for a few years in college, both playing in the SEC. The two Ravens combine for 700 pounds of human.
What is The Key to Victory:
The Play of Charlie Batch
He doesn’t have to put up 300 yards passing and three TD’s (but it wouldn’t hurt) he just has to make smart decisions and not turn the ball over. This will most likely be a low scoring game, and we can’t surrender both possessions and possibly field position.
Where The Best Battles Are:
Pretty Much Everywhere, All the time
Admittedly a cop-out, but this game is played with more intensity than any other game in the NFL all year (except maybe the second time they play [or the occasional third]). Both defenses will be flashing all over the field and popping pads in every pile.
When We Need To Be More Successful:
Late in the Game
Part of this can be attributed to either vanilla or prevent defenses, but the Steelers seem to allow teams back into late a little too often. Of course this wasn’t the case, scoring wise, last week. This is a trend that goes back a few seasons.
Why We Will Win:
By Running the Ball, Playing Steeler Defense and Forcing Turnovers
The Steelers defense has been stifling this year. Against the run, we rank third against the run. An expected potent Ravens running attack has been fairly pedestrian, and when you factor in the deep bruise to the dynamic Ray Rice, we should be able to continue stopping the run. Joe Flacco doesn’t appear to be totally on the same page with his receivers as of yet, which should help our seventeenth ranked pass defense.
The Ravens defense has also played well this season, ranking first against the pass, but struggling against the run allowing 127.7 rushing yards a game (23rd in the NFL) and 4.7 yards per attempt (26th in the NFL). We should try and take advantage of that early on if we can.
The clearest difference so far this season between the two defenses has been turnovers. The Steelers have benefited from 5 interceptions, and 7 forced fumbles while recovering a league leading 5 of them. Conversely, the Ravens have yet to make an interception and have forced 2 fumbles recovering only one. Let’s look for this trend to continue on the way to a Black and Gold victory over the Birds of Baltimore in Da Burgh this Sunday.
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