Pittsburgh Steelers: 3 keys to a win over the Baltimore Ravens
The Pittsburgh Steelers take on the Baltimore Ravens with three things putting them ahead of any competition.
The division race in the AFC North is in full swing this weekend as the top two teams play with circumstances that aren’t very high yet. Pittsburgh’s red hot Steelers take on the sneaky yet powerful Baltimore Ravens.
This game year in and year out proves to be more and more violent yet showcases some of the best football this league has to offer. Three things will determine how this game goes today. Without further ado, let’s get things started with my first key, Replacing the Leader of the Defense.
As we all know, Ryan Shazier will not be playing today after such a gruesome injury last week (All of our thoughts and Prayers here at Still Curtain go out to you, Mr. Shazier). But with the signing of Sean Spence, and the hot hand of Vince Williams, we all will look to see how the Steelers play without their leader.
Shazier has top end speed that cannot be replaced, but hopefully this tandem of good inside linebackers can display some of the best teamwork and football intelligence this league has seen! Stopping Joe Flacco will be a must by these two guys, but the Ravens defense has someone to fear, themselves.
The league leader in rushing this season looks to break off another big game today, as Le’Veon Bell has always had big games against the pesky Ravens. Last year when they played, he had 20 attempts for 122 yards, and a touchdown. This season, he ran for 144 yards on 35 attempts. We need to see similar stats from him today, as he is what this offense considers to be the constant success.
I believe Bell could see 150 yards today against a defense that holds some of the best pass rush in Terrell Suggs and CJ Moseley. But with that pass rush, calls for the leagues leading receiver to be covered, which is harder than it sounds.
Another season goes by, and Antonio Brown is not slowing down a bit. Brown is responsible for the league’s leading receiving stats, with 88 Receptions and 1,296 yards. This needs to continue today as Baltimore’s pass coverage is not as great as it was a few season’s ago. We’ll look today to see how well this Steeler Offense can play against the Ravens defense and vice versa.
This division seems to run through Pittsburgh this year, but Baltimore always plays tough when it comes to the Steel City. Here We Go Steelers!