Steelers report card: Grading Pittsburgh’s win over the Ravens
By Tommy Jaggi
The Steelers advance to their seventh straight win after defeating the Ravens. Here are my grades from Week 8.
Steelers fans went on quite the rollercoaster ride in Week 7 against the Tennessee Titans. After confidently holding a 24-7 lead heading into halftime in what appeared to be a lopsided affair, the Titans clawed their way back into the game, as Pittsburgh nearly lost control by the time the clock struck zero seconds.
As you know, the Steelers were able to hang on to secure their 6th straight win of the 2020 season. They faced an even more daunting task this past weekend against a Baltimore Ravens team that ranked first in the league in both rushing yards and points allowed per game.
This contest was almost an inverted copy of their Week 7 performance. Instead of blowing away the Ravens from the gate, the Steelers trailed 17-7 at halftime. Fortunately, and to the surprise of many, their offense was finally able to get things going in the second half as they outscored the Ravens 21-7 in quarters three and four – eventually sealing a 28-24 win.
This performance was far from pretty for the Steelers on either side of the ball. A Pittsburgh rush defense that gave up just 68 yards on the ground per game prior to Week 8 surrendered a whopping 265 rushing yards to the Ravens on Sunday.
Likewise, a Ben Roethlisberger-led offense was held under 25 passing yards in the entire first half. Fortunately, some of these odd statistics didn’t prove to be fatal to the Steelers chances on Sunday.
Still, a win is a win, and it’s hard to complain too much after coming behind from a double-digit deficit to defeat one of the best teams in the National Football League. Here is my report card from the win: