Steelers vs. Ravens: Breaking Down Pittsburgh's Game Plan

In most cases, when an NFL team has a short week after a tough game, it is viewed as a bad thing. However, for the Pittsburgh Steelers, playing a Thursday night game against the Baltimore Ravens might be the best thing that could happen to them.

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Pittsburgh played a tale of two halves against the Cleveland Browns before stealing a 30-27 win. It wasn't pretty, but a win is a win, and in the AFC North, every division win is magnified.

So, what the Steelers get this week is to travel to Baltimore to take on a Ravens team coming off a home loss to the Cincinnati Bengals and reeling from the week's events.

What events, you say? A new, graphic video of the Ray Rice incident was leaked by TMZ.com, showing an even more horrific angle to what was already an ugly event. The Ravens and the league acted quickly in releasing and suspending Rice without hesitation.

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The #Ravens have terminated RB Ray Rice's contract this afternoon.

— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) September 8, 2014"

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Roger Goodell has announced that based on new video evidence that became available today he has indefinitely suspended Ray Rice.

— Greg Aiello (@gregaiello) September 8, 2014"

Now, the Ravens might not have been counting on Rice to be a part of the offense Thursday, but that doesn't change the distraction that this sort of event causes for a team. All these factors together could mean a short week is the time to strike for the Steelers. Let's break things down.

When the Steelers are on offense

Pittsburgh racked up 490 yards of offense against a good Browns defense last Sunday with a balanced attack. Against the Ravens, it needs to be more of the same. The Steelers came out early and attacked the Cleveland defense with speed. 

Whether it was wide receiver Antonio Brown, running back Le'Veon Bell or wide receiver Markus Wheaton, Pittsburgh used plenty of shifts and movement to create situations where these players could get the football in space.

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The Ravens defense did a great job of stuffing the run against the Bengals, so look for the Steelers to be aware of that. Pittsburgh ran that tight end counter with very little success against the Browns. They moved the football the best when they used the shotgun and those bunch sets. Running the delayed handoffs to Bell out of this set is a perfect setup for the play-action passing game and should serve to freeze an aggressive Ravens defense. 

With a short week, Pittsburgh doesn't need to alter its game plan much. It should come out fast with the short passing game and let the speed pull the Baltimore defenders out of the box, then attack the gaps that are created with Bell. 

Pittsburgh used the no-huddle offense on 39 percent of its total plays on Sunday. I look for not only more of that, but for a quicker pace in an attempt to do to Baltimore what Cleveland did to the Steelers.

When the Steelers are on defense

No one wants to see it, but you can bet the Ravens are going to come out and force the tempo with the hurry-up offense. When Cleveland went to it last Sunday, it absolutely gassed the Steelers' defensive front. Not only did they struggle to stop the run during that stretch, but they also became quite vulnerable to the play-action pass. 

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So, how do the Steelers counter this? First, just knowing it could be coming is a plus. However, from a schematic point of view, Pittsburgh needs to get more beef up front in the nickel package.

Pittsburgh experimented with a "big" nickel in the final preseason game, utilizing a defensive line that consisted of Brett Keisel and Stephon Tuitt at defensive end, along with Cam Thomas and Steve McLendon at defensive tackle.

I'd love to see the Steelers trot out Keisel and Cameron Heyward at defensive end, paired with Thomas and McLendon on the inside. This would hopefully neutralize the Ravens' ability to gash the line in the run game. If they can't run it at will, even in the hurry-up, quarterback Joe Flacco and the Baltimore passing attack will be much less effective.

The other side of that debate has to do with the Ravens and their running back options. Looking at last week's game, it appears that the speedy Justin Forsett is going to be doing the heavy lifting in the run game.

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This decision could tempt defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau to stick with more traditional nickel defense, staying smaller and faster on the defensive side of the football. I think this would be a mistake.  

On the opening drive of the second half, you could tell the Steelers were not prepared for the hurry-up. They looked lost, assignments were missed and the Browns just marched down the field. However, the defense went to the sidelines and got itself together. When it came back on the field, it was as much a case of poor technique and execution as any novelty about what Cleveland was doing on offense.

All other things aside, the Steelers got very little pressure on quarterback Brian Hoyer, and it made him look like a star. Pittsburgh might need to sell out more on the pass rush, or Joe Flacco, who threw for 345 yards against the Bengals, will have a field day.

X-factor on offense: Markus Wheaton, WR

It looks like the Steelers have their next great wide receiver. Second-year player Markus Wheaton put on an impressive show in Sunday's game. Wheaton only had six catches in all of 2013, and he matched that against the Browns. In particular, two key catches on the final drive to get the team in field-goal range really opened eyes. 

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With the status of running back Dri Archer and wide receivers Martavis Bryant and Lance Moore still in question for Thursday's game, Wheaton will once again be the Elwood to Antonio Brown's Jake on this journey. Look for his role to be expanded even further this week.

Oh, and then there is this: The Ravens allowed running back Giovani Bernard to catch six passes for 62 yards. This could mean big things for Bell in the passing game.

X-factor on defense: Jarvis Jones, LB

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Let's go with linebacker Jarvis Jones on this one. Jones got a sack last Sunday, which is exactly how this young player needed to start the season. Jones still doesn't show a great burst off the edge, but he continues to work hard, using his upper body strength to manipulate blockers.

The Baltimore offensive line did a nice job keeping Flacco clean. The best thing the Steelers can do is get Flacco on his heels and under duress.

Understand, however, that Jones isn’t going to be an X-factor by coming off the edge and racking up sacks. Jones’ strength is in his pursuit and motor. Look for him to work down on a play and force a fumble or two and maybe pull in another sack on a broken play.

Prediction

The Steelers have a chance to start the season 2-0—and 2-0 in division, at that. This would be huge. The front half of Pittsburgh’s schedule is very manageable. If they can get past this road test, they could very well string together five or six wins to start the year.

Last week’s game was a wake-up call. Don’t assume that any team is better than any other. If Cleveland had come out in the hurry-up offense, it would have been the Steelers trying to claw back in the second half.

This game will be close and physical. However, in the end, the Steelers keep that winning streak alive, and the Ravens can linger at the bottom of the AFC North for another week.

Steelers 35, Ravens 24

Unless specified, all statistics courtesy of NFL.com.