2011 NFL Playoff Picks: Top 5 Reasons Why The Steelers Beat The Ravens
This is without a doubt the most difficult pick for the weekend's slate of games.
Both teams are evenly matched and near mirror images of each other, even splitting their earlier matchups by a combined six points, but I'm going to give Pittsburgh the edge by the slimmest of margins for this weekend's game.
The Baltimore Ravens will be a worthy adversary, but like all things at this time of year, someone has to win.
No. 5: Baltimore Ravens Secondary
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There's no doubt that the strength of the Ravens defense is its defensive line and linebacking corps. While having All-Pro safety Ed Reed hovering in the defensive backfield is an added luxury, the rest of the defensive backfield leaves a little to be desired.
The Ravens rely heavily on their pass rush and blitz packages to put pressure on quarterbacks and their linebackers do a good job of re-routing receivers in the middle of the field.
This style of play allows the opportunistic Ed Reed to pick his spots to capitalize on turnovers. During the regular season, Reed accounted for eight of the 15 interceptions made by members of the defensive backfield.
The rest of his backfield teammates leave quite a bit to be desired, though, and won't have the good fortune of facing the weak pass blocking of the Kansas City Chiefs and Matt Cassel again this week, and given Roethlisberger's escapability, they'll have to stay in coverage for longer periods of time.
Needless to say, Dawan Landry, Chris Carr, Josh Wilson, LarDarius Webb and Haruki Nakamura will all have their hands full with the tenacity of Hines Ward, the speed of Mike Wallace and all-everything receiver Antwan Randle-El.
No. 4: Heath Miller
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When these teams met on Dec. 5, 2010, Ravens linebacker Jameel McClain delivered a hit with his forearm that snapped Miller's head back and knocked him out of the game. Before the hit, Miller had been targeted four times and had one catch for nine yards.
If the Steelers decide to get Miller more involved with the gameplan, he could exploit the seams of the Ravens defense with his size and help keep the chains moving. Revenge is also not a bad motivator.
No. 3: Rashard Mendenhall
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In both games against the Ravens this season, Mendenhall rushed for a combined 124 yards on 44 carries for two touchdowns and added five receptions for 27 yards.
As far as stats go, those really aren't eye-popping numbers. But when you're competing against an opponent with a three-point average margin of victory, all you care about is that the ball is moving forward.
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No. 2: Troy Polamalu
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It goes without saying that Polamalu is the heart and soul of the Steelers defense. The unit plays a lot differently without him.
He's currently listed as "probable" for the game but coming off a bye week with plenty of rest he should be ready to go.
If he is, expect him to be all over the field making plays with his freakish athleticism and reckless style of play. His presence on the field will also keep Ravens QB Joe Flacco honest with his passing decisions.
No. 1: Ben Roethlisberger
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When he's not groping young women off the field or apologizing for other questionable off-field behavior, he's arguably the most clutch quarterback in the NFL. His combination of size, strength and escapability have long frustrated pass rushers and defensive coordinators.
His past off-field behavior aside, there are few other QBs in the NFL better suited for a big-game performance under pressure.
If this game comes down to a final drive or overtime, I like the Steelers' chances with Big Ben at the controls.
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