Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Baltimore Ravens: Keys to Gain AFC North Supremacy
The most physical rivalry in the NFL will be under the nation’s spotlight when the Pittsburgh Steelers travel to Baltimore to battle the Ravens to gain control of the AFC North.
In what is the most meaningful game to date for both teams, the Steelers and Ravens, tied atop the division with 8-3 records, will compete in a hard-hitting matchup that will not be for the faint of heart.
These two teams have some of the most physical players in the league, including star linebackers James Harrison of the Steelers and Ray Lewis of the Ravens.
Only these two can overshadow the best two safeties in professional football, Troy Polamalu and Ed Reed.
But the winner of Sunday night’s game will likely come not from the performance of a defensive player, but rather the quarterback.
Joe Flacco has the Ravens rolling at home but Ben Roethlisberger has dominated the Ravens over the course of his career.
Winning the first game of the season gives Baltimore the edge heading into the game, but Pittsburgh will be out for revenge and look to take control of the AFC North.
Contain Ray Rice
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December 27, 2009, is a significant date for the Pittsburgh Steelers defense. That was the last time an individual running back rushed for over 100 yards against them. Who holds this distinction? None other than Ray Rice.
Rice not only surpassed the 100-yard mark, he demolished it, rushing for 141 yards on 30 carries.
In his last three games against the Steelers, Rice has rushed for an average of 83 yards per game while averaging 4.37 yards per carry. To put that in perspective, the Steelers held their opponents to 3.9 yards per carry in 2009 and only 3.0 yards per carry so far this season.
The Ravens have also used Rice in the passing game as well. He has 90 receiving yards over the past two seasons against the Steelers.
Pittsburgh is susceptible to allowing big plays off of short passes, as evidenced by Fred Jackson’s 65-yard touchdown last week, and Baltimore can exploit this weakness with Rice.
Earlier this season the Steelers did not have to face a healthy Rice, who only had 20 yards on eight carries playing on a bruised knee. Despite containing him, the Ravens were still able to manage a win—granted, the Steelers were without Ben Roethlisberger.
To stop Rice, Pittsburgh’s defensive ends will have to occupy blockers along Baltimore’s physical offensive line, allowing the linebackers to fill the lanes and prevent potential cutback runs by Rice.
If Rice gets into open space it is important that Pittsburgh defenders wrap up and tackle the stout running back low. They cannot afford to give Rice a second chance; he will make the most of it.
Playing Troy Polamalu near the line will be big as well. He can disrupt runs in the backfield and will also be able to run stride for stride with Rice on passing plays.
Lawrence Timmons would be another option to shadow Rice.
By stopping Rice, the Steelers will force the Ravens’ hands, making them put the game on Joe Flacco’s arm.
Bring Blitzburgh to Baltimore
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In his six games against the Steelers, Joe Flacco has thrown for only five touchdowns while he has been intercepted seven times and sacked 20 times. In fact, he has only thrown for more than one touchdown in a game once against Pittsburgh’s defense. Simply put, Flacco has had some struggles when matched up against the Steelers.
Flacco has a 2-4 career record against Pittsburgh, including his first victory ever at Heinz Field this season. However, those two wins were by a combined six points with the Steelers starting their third-string quarterback—Dennis Dixon in 2009 and Charlie Batch earlier this season.
Pittsburgh cannot feel too comfortable, though, as Flacco shook some demons when he drove Baltimore down the field for a fourth-quarter comeback, throwing a laser to T.J. Houshmanzdadeh with only seconds to spare.
Part of the reason Flacco was so successful was that the Ravens offensive line protected him well, allowing only one sack. This enabled Flacco to make plays in the clutch.
While the Steelers have not put much pressure on quarterbacks lately, it does not mean they aren’t capable of it.
Though it may be hard to believe, Pittsburgh ranks second in the league in sacks with 32, and their third-down defense is one of the best in the league, allowing teams to convert only 34 percent of their third-down attempts.
Dick LeBeau cannot have his defense sit back in coverage this week. He will have to attack the Ravens offense with more than four pass rushers as was seen in Buffalo.
James Harrison and LaMarr Woodley will be expected to win one-on-one match ups with the tackles but this will not be enough. LeBeau will need to get creative and go deep into the playbook, but there are also some blitzes that have been effective and others that he should avoid.
The cornerback blitz has been dangerous this season, particularly when the Steelers overload one side of the defense. William Gay and Ike Taylor have both successfully executed this blitz.
They may want to avoid an all-out blitz. The Steelers linebackers stand right at the line and are stonewalled by the offensive line. If they want to do this, it will have to be based on timing and from a running start to give Pittsburgh’s linebackers momentum.
Using Timmons' speed to blitz up the middle may be something to revisit. He was expected to put up big numbers rushing the passer this year, but instead has sat back in coverage.
If the Steelers give Flacco time to throw, they will once again get shredded through the air, particularly considering that he has thrown 10 touchdowns and only one interception at home this year.
Spread the Field
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When it comes to rushing the ball against the Ravens, the Steelers just cannot do it.
In Rashard Mendenhall’s four starts against the Ravens, he has just 240 rushing yards, averaging 3.2 yards per carry, with three touchdowns and one fractured shoulder. Let’s just say he has not had his most productive days against Baltimore’s tough defensive front seven.
With Haloti Ngata manning the middle, Maurkice Pouncey will have his hands full, and with three backups starting on the line, Pittsburgh will have trouble generating push.
By no means should the Steelers abandon the run, but they should put the game in the hands of Ben Roethlisberger.
Sprained foot and all, Roethlisberger will be ready to go Sunday night and he has the support of his teammates.
“We have our quarterback back and usually we have a lot of success when Ben starts against Baltimore,” said Hines Ward.
Ward is spot-on, as the Steelers have a 7-2 record against Baltimore when Roethlisberger starts.
If Bruce Arians can get it right, the Steelers should be able to spread out the Ravens and beat them with a mix of short and long passes, avoiding what should be a dangerous pass rush.
To account for the rush, a mix of screens, draws and quick slants should be used. It is not Roethlisberger’s or Arians’ style to have quick-hitting plays, but it will be necessary.
With a slowed pass rush, the Steelers will be able to use their speed at the wideout position to make big plays.
Mike Wallace will be hungry after having little impact against Buffalo. Emmanuel Sanders will also want to make up for a dropped pass that may have resulted in a touchdown.
Pittsburgh also expects to have Antonio Brown back in the lineup as the fifth receiver. His speed and ability to make plays after the catch make him valuable in this role.
That leaves the Steelers with Ward and Heath Miller as the chain-movers. It will be important that Roethlisberger looks their way often to keep his team out of third-down situations.
This game will be about matchups, and the Steelers do not match up well against the Ravens defensive front and must exploit the weaker secondary.
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Spotlight Player: Offense
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Maurkice Pouncey will be going up against his toughest opponent for the second time this season when he lines up opposite Haloti Ngata.
Ngata is an elite defensive tackle, maybe the best in the league. He is an excellent run defender and can get to the quarterback, as he is very athletic for his size.
Given the troubles along the offensive line, Pittsburgh will depend on Pouncey to single-block Ngata as much as possible to free up the other linemen.
If other members of the line have to double-team Ngata, it opens pass rush lanes for the Ravens linebackers and will likely result in a plethora of holding calls, something that Pittsburgh, particularly Chris Kemoeatu, is all too familiar with.
Pouncey has had a great rookie season, and a solid performance against the league’s best could help propel the Steelers to a win.
Spotlight Player: Defense
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LaMarr Woodley has been very quiet this season. An already streaky player is in the middle of a cold streak with only three sacks in the past six games.
Pittsburgh will need more from Woodley this week if they expect to get to Flacco. With Harrison virtually always coming up big against the Ravens, they are sure to pay extra attention to him.
Traditionally, Woodley has played well against Baltimore. He has 8.5 sacks in eight games against Baltimore, but was shut out earlier this season.
If he can win his individual matchup and apply pressure, it will mean that Flacco is in for a long night. Pittsburgh will need at least one sack out of Woodley, but more importantly, consistent pressure.
Game Notes
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- Pittsburgh is 19-12 all-time against the Ravens, including 7-7 playing in Baltimore.
- Baltimore defeated Pittsburgh 17-14 at Heinz Field earlier this season.
- Baltimore’s only season sweep of Pittsburgh came in 2006.
- Pittsburgh has four season sweeps of the Ravens, including two three-game sweeps, with the last being in their 2008 Super Bowl season.
- Ben Roethlisberger has missed three Ravens games due to injury.
- Brett Keisel, Nick Eason and Antonio Brown have positive injury outlooks for Sunday.
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