5 Matchups to Watch in Steelers' Wild Card Playoff Showdown

The Pittsburgh Steelers secured another AFC North crown Sunday with a 27-17 win over the Cincinnati Bengals. With that win, they also secured a home game this Saturday against the Baltimore Ravens. The Steelers and the Ravens are heated division rivals, so the level of intensity and familiarity will certainly have an impact on the outcome of the game.

However, looking at this game on a macro level, the outcome could be decided on some very specific individual/unit matchups. Let’s take a closer look at five of the most important individual matchups between the Steelers and the Ravens in Saturday’s playoff showdown.

Steelers Receivers vs. Ravens Secondary

Don Wright/Associated Press

With the status of running back Le’Veon Bell in limbo, the onus for the offense is going to fall on quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and his group of talented wide receivers. The Ravens recognize this, and so, the Baltimore secondary has to go into Saturday’s game with the understanding that Roethlisberger is going to take a lot of shots downfield.

The key to the Steelers' passing attack is wide receiver Antonio Brown. Brown finished the regular season as the league leader in both receptions and yards; however, no team can focus too heavily on Brown, because when they do, Roethlisberger finds one of his other reliable targets.

Pittsburgh is going to lean even heavier on guys like Martavis Bryant and Markus Wheaton in order to account for the 83 receptions that Bell was responsible for during the season. Roethlisberger targeted Bell around 6.5 times per game, so those will likely go to one of the aforementioned wide receivers or tight end Heath Miller.

What the Ravens secondary has to be prepared for is the deep throw after all of those short throws. One thing Roethlisberger and the Steelers offense has been very effective with this season is working the short middle of the field, drawing safeties up and then taking the top off.

Jacoby Jones vs. Steelers' Coverage Teams

Gene Puskar/Associated Press

If Pittsburgh wants to win this game, it must force long fields for the Ravens offense. That means the coverage teams of the Steelers must be diligent when it comes to dealing with wide receiver Jacoby Jones. Jones is averaging 9.2 yards per punt return and 30.6 yards per kick return.

The Steelers already struggle with their kicking game, especially punting, so it is going to be vital that players like safety Ross Ventrone and linebacker Vince Williams continue to make big stops on special teams.

All season, the Steelers have done well when they can limit splash plays. This includes minimizing the frequency and the length of kick and punt returns. The defense is playing much better in recent weeks, so there is no reason to put them in a hole by giving the Ravens short fields.

Josh Harris/Dri Archer vs. the Ravens Defensive Front

Don Wright/Associated Press

I am writing this under the assumption that even though there is no structural damage in Bell’s knee, his availability for Saturday’s game is still very much in doubt. If Bell is able to play, it’s safe to assume he will not be 100 percent, and that means more carries for running backs Josh Harris and Dri Archer.

Pittsburgh offensive coordinator Todd Haley has to be smart about how often he works Harris and Archer into the game. Harris is the more traditional of the two running backs, but his ceiling is very limited. The Ravens defensive front is only giving up 88.2 yards per game as it is, so don’t look for a breakout game from Harris under any circumstances.

Archer, on the other hand, could see some success. The Ravens are going to have to commit linebackers to covering Archer out of the backfield. His speed is just too much not to. This could give the Steelers a nice mismatch for Archer on those swing passes and wheel routes, but it also pulls a defender from the middle of the field where Brown and Miller make their money.

Brandon Williams vs. Maurkice Pouncey

Don Wright/Associated Press

If Pittsburgh wants to get the run game off the ground, it all starts right up-front. Ravens nose tackle Brandon Williams should see an increase in reps with defensive tackle Haloti Ngata serving a four-game suspension after testing positive for Adderall.

Williams isn’t much of a pass-rushing interior defensive lineman, but he is an exceptional run-stuffer. His one-one-ones with center Maurkice Pouncey will be something to watch if you love battles in the trenches. Whether it is Bell, Harris or Archer, the Steelers are not going to go away from trying to run the football on the inside. Williams is no Ngata, so this is a spot the Steelers could exploit.

Torrey Smith/Steve Smith vs. William Gay/Brice McCain

Patrick Semansky/Associated Press

It seems that every week, the Pittsburgh cornerbacks are in the spotlight and not for good reasons. The Pittsburgh secondary combo of William Gay and Brice McCain have been much maligned for giving up far too many long passes.

However, against the Ravens' top wide receivers, this group has done well. It's hard to believe that in two games, Steve Smith has 11 receptions for 107 yards and no touchdowns. The speedy Torrey Smith only has five catches for 73 yards. These are wins for the Pittsburgh cornerbacks.

It will take another effort like this by McCain and Gay (along with cornerback Antwon Blake), if Pittsburgh wants to advance in the playoffs.