Prepare For the Worst and You Won't Be Disappointed
The Madden sim may be onto something this week. The sim Steelers looked almost too much like the Steelers that played last Sunday. If the Steelers take the field Sunday afternoon in the same fashion they did in Week 4, the score will be much worse than 23-10.
The game was ugly from the word 'go'. The Ravens ran for 171 yards in the game, 79 of which belonged to one play from Lamar Jackson to open the scoring. He wasn't quite as dynamic through the air, completing just 57% of his passes, but he made big plays when needed. That said, 77 of his 176 yards passing was on one play as well, that being the touchdown to Bateman.
The Steelers' offense in this sim was soul crushing. Kenny Pickett completed just 45% of his passes for 160 yards and so much of that yardage came in the fourth quarter. The Ravens created constant pressure despite not having Odafe Oweh, David Ojabo, or Tyus Bowser in the simulation. The return of Marlon Humphrey proved critical for the Ravens defense as he smothered George Pickens.
The early scores for Baltimore made Pittsburgh one-dimensional, taking Najee Harris out of the game almost entirely as he had just five carries for 37 yards. In case it hasn't been made obvious, Jaylen Warren doesn't get much use in these simulations. Regardless, if the Ravens can force Pittsburgh into a similar situation, then it's over for Pittsburgh. Matt Canada believes that's the case anyway.
Baltimore is getting healthy at just the right time and Pittsburgh seems to be collapsing in front of us. Maybe getting destroyed in this fashion is what Pittsburgh needs to make some actual changes, but nonetheless, this is just a simulation. The Steelers and Ravens are notorious for having the kind of rivalry where the records are truly thrown out and the struggles for each team seem to be forgotten for 60 minutes. Whether that aspect holds up Sunday in Pittsburgh may play the biggest factor in whether the Steelers can pull off an upset. That kind of thing, after all, is something Madden simulations can't account for.