Even Without Big Ben, Steelers Offense Is Very Dangerous
By Samuel Njoku
After a tough loss to the Cincinnati Bengals, the Ravens have to quickly shift focus to their arch rivals in the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Ravens are still searching for their first win and realize that 0-4 start coupled with 2 straight losses in the AFC North won't bode well for their playoff aspirations.
Season Record
The Pittsburgh Steelers (2-1) are coming off a hard fought win against the St. Louis Rams and will look for their third straight victory when they defend their home turf against the Baltimore Ravens. After a loss against New England where they seemed to find it difficult to contain Rob Gronkowski, they've pulled it together and look to keep up with Cincinnati in the AFC North.
Steelers on Offense
A few days ago, the offense was considered to be one of the most electrifying units in all of football. But on Sunday against the Rams, Ben Roethlisberger injured his knee and will miss over 6 weeks of action. That severely hampers the capabilities of this offense, but if the Ravens think that this team isn't capable of putting points on the board, they will be in for a rude awakening come Thursday. Michael Vick may not be the same player that dazzled fans in Atlanta over a decade ago, but he still has the ability to make plays with his legs. He also has a plethora of receivers at his disposal, including All-Pro WR Antonio Brown. With the luck the Ravens had containing A.J. Green on Sunday, keeping Brown in check is the highest priority for a defense that has given up close to 400 yards passing in each of the past 2 weeks.
Even if Baltimore manages to contain Brown, they're front seven will be focusing their attention on Le'Veon Bell who came back last week after serving a 2 game suspension and basically carried his team to victory last week. Baltimore has done a great job of containing running backs so far this season, but none of their opponents possess the skills that Bell can display on the football field. The Ravens can not let the Steelers establish any type of running game in this one. Their best chance is to force the ball into the hands of Michael Vick and hope the defense can contain Brown and keep Vick inside the pocket.
Steelers on Defense
Similar to Baltimore, the Steelers defense is no longer the strength of their football team. But on Sunday they held the Rams to just 6 points on the day. Of course Baltimore's offense is playing at a higher level than that of St. Louis, but holding and NFL team to 6 points is still a great achievement. That can't be the case on Thursday for the Ravens. Baltimore has been inconsistent on offense and have fielded an inept running attack. Expect the Steelers to focus their attention on putting pressure on Flacco. This goes against their past focus of stopping the run, but times have changed in Baltimore.
The Ravens have leaned heavily on Flacco this year to carry them to victory and Pittsburgh is well aware of this. If the Ravens want any chance of pulling the victory, their offensive front must do a good job of keeping an underrated front 7 of Pittsburgh's in check and make sure Joe Flacco is comfortable in the pocket. If he has enough time to make plays in the pocket, the Ravens will be in business.
Steelers Players to Watch
Antonio Brown should be firmly on the mind of every defensive back on the Ravens football team. After they were embarrassed by AJ Green on Sunday, they will look to get that bad taste out of their mouth when they head to Pittsburgh. Brown is more elusive than Green and is considered to be one of the better route runners in the NFL. His presence should force Dean Pees to double or sometimes triple cover him in order to force Michael Vick to look for more options.
Steve Smith is 36 years old and is setting the world on fire during his retirement campaign. James Harrison is 37 years old, and you better believe the Ravens offense is preparing to deal with him on Thursday. It seems as any time these two teams meet, Harrison finds a way to make a big play for Pittsburgh. Maybe he's upset that Baltimore cut him when he first made his way to the NFL. Maybe he's upset that he wasn't given a chance in Baltimore when he was a free agent a few years ago. Whatever the reason, he appears to be extra angry whenever he plays Baltimore. The Ravens would be wise to keep both eyes on him on Thursday.
Outlook<
Throw away the records and the stats when these two teams meet. With Baltimore and Pittsburgh, these games usually go down to the wire. Don't expect for this one to be any different. But this game usually comes down to which quarterback can make the biggest play when it counts. I'll take Joe Flacco over Michael Vick.
Prediction: 27-24 Ravens.
Samuel Njoku was born and raised in Baltimore, MD and is a graduate of the University of Maryland Eastern Shore. Samuel has covered the Ravens for Examiner.com since 2010. Prior to 2010, Samuel was an avid blogger and radio personality in Salisbury, MD. Samuel Njoku is a freelance writer covering all things NFL. His work can be found on Examiner.com. You can also follow him on Twitter @Ravens_Examiner.