Steelers vs. Ravens: What's the Game Plan for Pittsburgh?

While the Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Ravens are two NFL teams forging ahead in different directions, Sunday's 1 p.m. ET game at M&T Bank Stadium should bear a similar resemblance to past matchups between these two AFC North teams.

There will be plenty of pushing and shoving after plays, plenty of big hits and plenty of bad blood, but there will also be plenty of points—at least on the side of the Pittsburgh Steelers.

In the last meeting between these two teams back in Week 4 on Thursday Night Football, the Steelers lost an overtime heartbreaker, 23-20, with Michael Vick under center.

Fortunately for Pittsburgh, Ben Roethlisberger is playing at a ridiculously high level as the regular season winds down. Now, he'll get to take on a banged-up Baltimore secondary that has had trouble stopping anyone through the air in 2015.

The game plan offensively is pretty clear, but much like it has been week-to-week, the game plan for how to stop the opposing offense changes snap to snap, let alone week-to-week.

Offensive Game Plan:

Although the Steelers won't have to throw the ball 55 times in this game, the Steelers will rely on Roethlisberger to hit Antonio Brown, Markus Wheaton and Martavis Bryant in space to get the offensive moving.

However, I expect the Steelers to try and get back to running the ball well with DeAngelo Williams.

Look for a lot of Georgia counters, draws and stretch runs to try and get out on the edge against the Ravens defense.

Williams didn't have much of a role in the previous matchup between these two teams, but Le'Veon Bell did run for 129 yards on 22 carries back in Week 4. Williams should be able to put up similar numbers.

Last Sunday against the Denver Broncos the Steelers had a very difficult time running the football, which forced the Pittsburgh offense to become one-dimensional. Fortunately, that wasn't a problem for Roethlisberger and Co., but it would be nice to see the Steelers come out early and pound the rock with Williams. That could force the Ravens to come up against the run, opening them up to big plays through the air.

With the way Roethlisberger is playing since he returned from his foot injury, the Steelers should be able to put up 30-plus points for the seventh consecutive game. But I wouldn't be surprised if Baltimore's defense were to come up with a few turnovers to keep Pittsburgh under 30 points for the first time in seven weeks.

Defensive Game Plan:

Unfortunately, Antwon Blake will still be in the cornerback rotation this week, which could be an issue for the Pittsburgh defense.

However, there's not much to work with for Baltimore out wide.

Kamar Aiken is a slippery receiver who can make plays against the zone coverage of Pittsburgh, thanks to his ability to work open in space and sit down to show the QB his numbers in the soft spots of the zone coverage.

Opposite of Kamar Aiken, Chris Givens is a big-play threat who has had six catches go for 20-plus yards since coming over to Baltimore from the St. Louis Rams in a trade.

With the vertical attack offense that Ravens offensive coordinator Marc Trestman and the Ravens offense deploys, Givens could give the Steelers secondary some fits with deep shots down the field.

Pittsburgh has to be careful against the vertical attack offense, which is very similar to what the Seattle Seahawks run. Steelers fans remember what happened in that game.

Outside of tackling well, the Steelers need to get back to putting pressure on opposing quarterbacks.

Baltimore's offensive line is banged up across the board. Kelechi Osemele, John Urschel and Ryan Jensen are all playing out of position, making up the entire left side of the offensive line.

That should bode well for the Steelers pass rush.

By getting pressure on Jimmy Clausen and forcing him to get rid of the ball quickly to Aiken, Givens and rookies Maxx Williams and Javorius Allen, the Steelers could force some turnovers and give their explosive offense a short field to work with.

Prediction:  Steelers 27, Ravens 13

DeAngelo Williams rushes for 130 yards and two scores against Baltimore, while Ben Roethlisberger hooks up with Antonio Brown for a touchdown as the Steelers offense racks up 400-plus yards of total offense against Baltimore.

Jimmy Clausen throws two interceptions as the Steelers offense forces Baltimore's offense to be one-dimensional.

Kaelin Clay returns a kickoff for a touchdown for the Ravens' lone touchdown of the game. Pittsburgh moves to within one game of Cincinnati with one game left in the regular season.