The Steelers were robbed of another advantageous situation. Here’s why they have even more cause to beat the Ravens now.
Steelers players, coaches, and fans have a right to be upset with the way things have conspired against Pittsburgh this week. After being robbed of their Week 8 bye because Titans players and coaches tested positive for COVID-19, Mike Tomlin’s team faces a similar situation against the Baltimore Ravens.
The game that was initially set to be played on Thanksgiving night was moved to Sunday, then to Tuesday night. If players continue to test positive, this game could be moved to the end of the season or the Ravens could be forced to forfeit. Obviously, this isn’t what anyone wants, but Steelers aren’t pleased that they lost their competitive edge, as they were set to host a tired Ravens team just days after Baltimore’s overtime loss.
But despite this series of unfortunate events, there is now even more reason to believe that Pittsburgh will take care of business against the Ravens on Tuesday night. Here are four reasons why the Steelers will win:
Ravens practice schedule
If Steelers fans thought the Ravens were going to have it bad traveling to Pittsburgh just three days after their overtime loss to the Titans, I’m not sure it has gotten any better for them. After numerous players and personnel tested positive for the virus, Baltimore was forced to shut down their practice facility.
Obviously, the team can still prepare by watching game film, but not being able to come together to practice unit the walkthrough before the contest is going to hurt them this week. Expect some rust on their end.
Baltimore will be without quarterback Lamar Jackson
Following the COVID-19 outbreak in the Ravens locker room, it was discovered on Friday that quarterback Lamar Jackson would not be able to suit up this week after testing positive. While Jackson hasn’t been spectacular this year, this is a huge advantage for the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Jackson is quite arguably the best running quarterback we have ever seen. He has an innate ability to make plays out of nothing with his legs, and moving the chains comes easy to him as he is lethal in making the first man miss. The last time these two teams played, the Steelers completely sold out to stopping Lamar Jackson from running the football as T.J. Watt and Bud Dupree abandoned the running back to crash down on him in every read-option play.
Now, the Ravens will be led by former first-round draft choice, Robert Griffen III. However, Griffen hasn’t started a game since last year when he faced the Steelers at the end of the season. Despite a Baltimore win, Griffen did not look good – completing 11 of 21 passes for 96 yards to go with an interception and 3 sacks. Prior to this game, Griffen has not started a game since he was a member of the Cleveland Browns in 2016. The Steelers have a massive advantage here.
Ravens have a large portion of their roster out against Steelers
In addition to losing Lamar Jackson, the Ravens list of available players this week has been utterly decimated. In all, there are 14 players who are currently out on the Reserve/COVID-19 list, according to Ravens Wire. Some of the big names include RB J.K. Dobbins, RB Mark Ingram, DT Brandon Williams, DE Calais Campbell, and DT Justin Madubuike.
These combined losses will prove to have an astronomical impact as Baltimore tries to take down the 10-0 Steelers at Heinz Field. While Pittsburgh recently discovered that they would be without three players who tested positive this week – including defensive lineman Stephon Tuitt – their losses don’t compare to the ones the Ravens will have.
The last time these two teams met, the Steelers gave up 265 yards on the ground, despite the win. With Jackson, Dobbins, and Ingram all out this week, the threat of the run will only be a fraction of what it once was. Additionally, Baltimore’s defensive line was one of the strengths of its team, but the Ravens will be without three of their top defensive lineman. Pittsburgh will have immensely more talent in this contest.
The Steelers are in terrific shape
When it comes to injured players or those who are forced to sit on Reserve/COVID-19 this week, the list runs very short. While it’s never good when the Steelers are missing one of their best players (Stephon Tuitt) in a matchup against their most hated rival, Pittsburgh is in terrific shape in Week 12.
Ben Roethlisberger is healthy and rearing to go against a Ravens team that will be forced to promote at least 14 players for this week’s matchup, and the Steelers are pretty healthy across the board. Apart from a season-ending ACL tear from Devin Bush earlier this season, Mike Tomlin’s team really has been remarkably healthy (which is probably part of the reason why they are 10-0 at this point as well).
This good report doesn’t seem to be changing prior to the Ravens game, but more players being added to the Reserve/COVID-19 list could throw a curveball at the team if more positive tests pop up before Tuesday.
While it initially looked like the Steelers were going to be robbed of another competitive advantage, it seems that advantage has now doubled or even tripled in size. Let’s hope nobody else tests positive and this game can be played on Tuesday night.