Steelers vs. Ravens: Previewing Baltimore's Week 16 Matchup

The Baltimore Ravens will be look to spoil their division rival's playoff hopes this week when they host the Pittsburgh Steelers.

For the third straight week, Baltimore will host a playoff-contending team that needs to win out to clinch a postseason berth. So far, the Ravens are 0-of-2 playing the role of spoiler after losing by a combined 69-20 margin to the Seattle Seahawks and Kansas City Chiefs in the past two weeks.

Life isn't getting easier with the red-hot Steelers coming to town. The good news is Baltimore has won four of its past five meetings with Pittsburgh (including playoffs).

However, most of the players responsible for said wins are either gone or on injured reserve. This is going to be a tough game for Baltimore to win, but in this rivalry, anything is possible.

Game Time: 1 p.m. ET

Location: M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore

Date: Sunday

TV: CBS

Week 15 Results and Recap

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The Ravens had a promising start to their Week 15 clash with the Chiefs.

After Jimmy Clausen hit Kyle Juszczyk for a one-yard score to tie the game at 7-7, Baltimore appeared to be gaining control of the game. After forcing a Chiefs punt, the Ravens the drove the ball into Kansas City territory and looked poised to take the lead.

But then disaster struck, and the game quickly got away from Baltimore. Ravens running back Buck Allen fumbled the ball, and Chiefs safety Tyvon Branch recovered it and returned it for a touchdown.

That gave the Chiefs a 14-7 lead after the extra point, and that effectively paved the way for another Ravens meltdown.

On Baltimore's ensuing possession, the offense would go three-and-out deep in its own territory. But instead of punting the ball away, Baltimore ran a fake punt that the Chiefs stopped and got the ball at the Ravens 13-yard line. 

Three plays later, Smith hit receiver Jeremy Maclin for a 13-yard touchdown to give the Chiefs a 21-7 lead. They would go on to win 34-14. 

AFC North Standings

1. Cincinnati Bengals (11-3)
2. Pittsburgh Steelers (9-5)
3. Baltimore Ravens (4-10)
4. Cleveland Browns (3-11)

News and Notes

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2 Ravens Make Pro Bowl

The Ravens have had a disastrous season overall but have still managed to have a few bright spots. 

The brightest has been the continued great player of All-Pro guard Marshall Yanda. He's having another great season, and for his efforts, he was named to the 2016 Pro Bowl.

The NFL's annual all-star game is something Yanda is familiar with. This is the fifth time he's made the Pro Bowl as he's in the midst of another season in which he's been one of the NFL's best guards, if not the best. 

According to Pro Football Focus, Yanda is the top overall guard entering Week 16 after finishing 2014 as PFF's top guard. He's simply been one of the best offensive linemen in the game and someone the Ravens offense relies on. 

Also making this season's Pro Bowl is Ravens punter Sam Koch. He's quietly become one of the NFL's best punters over the past two years, as ESPN.com's Jamison Hensley writes: "He tops the league with a 44-yard net average, and he is fourth with a 47.7-yard gross average. Koch and St. Louis' Johnny Hekker are the NFL's only punters who rank in the top four in net and gross average."

Unfortunately, Koch has done plenty of punting this season as the Ravens offense has struggled due to injuries and a lack of capable pass-catchers. Still, it's good to see Koch getting this well-deserved honor. 

Crockett Gillmore to I.R.

Another week, another key Raven is heading to season-ending I.R.

This time, it's starting tight end Crockett Gillmore. His season is over due to a back injury. He's missed the past two games with the injury as the Ravens offense has mustered up a combined 20 points in losses to the Chiefs and Seahawks.

Before suffering the injury, Gillmore was the team's fourth-leading receiver this season with 33 receptions for 412 yards and four scores. The 2013 third-round pick out of Colorado State wasn't expected to contribute much this season with the potential return of Dennis Pitta and Baltimore spending a second-round pick on Minnesota tight end Maxx Williams.

But with Pitta not playing this year and Williams struggling to adjust to the NFL, Gillmore has been a reliable pass-catcher in the offense. With him out, Williams will be the top tight end over the final two games. 

Ravens Tabbed Historic Underdogs vs. Steelers

It's no secret the Ravens will be home underdogs this week when the Steelers roll into town. The annual AFC North clashes between these two teams usually come down to the wire, and Baltimore has managed to win four of the last five matchups with Pittsburgh.

However, Baltimore has been gutted this season on the injury front to the point it will have a new starting quarterback, running back, center, No. 1 receiver, tight end and several other starters compared to the Ravens team that won in Pittsburgh in Week 4. 

But as ESPN.com's Jamison Hensley writes, Baltimore will be a huge home underdog this week as oddsmakers view it as highly unlikely the Ravens pull off a win over the Steelers:

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The Ravens are double-digit home underdogs (10 points) for the first time against the Pittsburgh Steelers, an AFC North grudge match that is known as much for its close games as hard hits. The only time the Ravens were bigger home underdogs in their 20-year history was 2007, when they faced a 19-point spread against the undefeated New England Patriots.

The heated series between Baltimore and Pittsburgh has typically gone down to the final minutes. Since John Harbaugh became Ravens coach in 2008, 11 of the past 15 regular-season games between the rivals have been decided by three points or fewer.

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This simply isn't the same Ravens team we've seen for much of the past seven years under head coach John Harbaugh. Retirements, free agency defections and an onslaught of injuries have made this one of the worst Ravens teams we've seen since the franchise's birth in 1996.

Speaking of, if the Ravens don't win another game this season, they'll tie the 1996 Ravens for the worst record in franchise history (4-12). 

InJury Report

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CB Jimmy Smith

The Ravens can't get a break on the injury front, so it only seems fitting that their top cornerback could be out this week against arguably the NFL's best passing offense.  

Smith was knocked out of the Week 15 loss to the Chiefs after one drive thanks to a thigh injury. He did not return, and Baltimore went on to lose, though it wasn't because of Smith's absence. 

The other corners managed to step up as the Ravens secondary played well and limited the Chiefs to just 164 passing yards. Still, Baltimore isn't going to contain the pass-happy Steelers offense without Smith, so his return is vital.

Smith didn't practice Wednesday, per the team's official injury report. That doesn't bode well for his chances of playing this week.

RT Ricky Wagner

The Ravens offensive line doesn't need another injury with the Steelers defense on deck.

Pittsburgh has already accounted for 40 sacks this season, the fourth-most of any NFL team. That includes five sacks against the Ravens in the Week 4 matchup that Baltimore narrowly won in overtime.

The good news is right tackle Ricky Wagner has only allowed one sack this season after allowing just two in 2014, per Pro Football Focus. The bad news is a knee injury sidelined Wagner for Wednesday's practice.

However, this injury has been bothering Wagner for several weeks now and caused him to miss the first practice before he ultimately played in the game. In fact, he has played and started in every game this season, so we should expect him to play versus Pittsburgh. 

Matchups and X-Factor to Watch

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Ravens CBs vs. Steelers WRs

The Ravens secondary has a tall task ahead of it with the Steelers featuring arguably the best group of receivers you'll find. 

All-Pro receiver Antonio Brown gets most of the attention, as he should. Brown is up to 116 catches for 1,586 yards and nine touchdowns. However, fellow receivers Martavis Bryant and Markus Wheaton have had monster games this season when teams focused on stopping Brown. 

From Weeks 11- to 13, Bryant caught a combined 15 passes for 361 yards and scored three touchdowns. Wheaton has just one game over 100 yards this season, but it was a 201-yard effort against the Seahawks in Week 12. 

Slowing those three down is the key to beating the Steelers, and the Ravens corners will have to do so if they are to have any hope of pulling off the upset. 

Ravens O-Line vs. Steelers Front Seven

As mentioned before, the Steelers defense is one of the NFL's best when it comes to rushing the passer. 

Most of the pressure comes from the stout front seven that features a host of different players who thrive at rushing the passer. Defensive end Cameron Heyward leads the way with seven sacks this season, an impressive mark for a 3-4 defensive lineman. 

The ageless James Harrison has been terrorizing the Ravens for much of the past decade at outside linebacker. He's racked up five sacks this season to go with two forced fumbles. 

Second-year defensive lineman Stephon Tuitt is having a breakout season with 4.5 sacks. Rookie outside linebacker Bud Dupree has racked up four sacks this season. 

In all, members of the Steelers front seven have accounted for 35 of Pittsburgh's 40 sacks this season. Keeping them blocked consistently will be critical to Baltimore's offense finding any rhythm amidst all of the injuries. 

X-Factor: Jimmy Smith

The Ravens pass defense will be in a world of hurt if Jimmy Smith is out.

He's been the team's best cornerback this season, not that the pass defense has been particularly great. Smith ranks as Pro Football Focus' 59th-ranked corner out of 80 eligible corners this season.

However, Smith ranks as PFF's 31st-best corner since Week 8 as he's played better as this season has progressed. It was clear earlier this season he was still getting back to his old self after suffering a season-ending foot injury in 2014. 

He's played much better as of late and is a big reason why the Ravens pass defense has also played significantly better after struggling early on this year. If Smith is out this week, it's a big drop-off between him and the next guy. 

Jumal Rolle, who was just called up from the practice squad last week, would likely join Shareece Wright as the boundary corners with Lardarius Webb in the slot. 

Going against the Steelers with a recent practice-squad player (Rolle) and a corner who was on the street until the Ravens signed him in October (Wright) is not a plan that will end well. 

Prediction

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Any time these two division rivals face off, we've come to expect both teams to bring their best effort and make this a competitive game. 

However, the Ravens are too depleted to hang with the Steelers for four quarters. Pittsburgh also cannot afford to lose this game if it wants to make it to the playoffs, so it's unlikely it will be overlooking the Ravens. 

In the end, Baltimore will do just enough to stay within striking distance going into the fourth quarter, but Pittsburgh pulls away for a comfortable win to keep its postseason hopes alive.

Prediction: Steelers 31, Ravens 16