Baltimore and Pittsburgh have been one of the greatest rivalry’s in the league and will now square off in the first round of the AFC Wildcard playoff. These two divisional foes will meet for the 3rd time this season after splitting the first two contests. Both teams were able to secure 20 point victories on their home field. This game will be played in Pittsburgh with a high chance of participation. The expected weather conditions are expected to be a deterrent on both teams passing game. Ravens wide receiver Torrey Smith had already complained about the expected conditions of Heinz Field.
“It’s terrible. They need to go ahead and put some turf up there or something,” Smith said Thursday. “Apparently the field gets a lot of use. That’s good for them [as a business], but it’s terrible for us [as players on both teams] playing this late [in the season]. I’m sure they’ll do a great job prepping it.”
Below are some keys to this fascinating game.
WHY Baltimore WILL WIN
1. The Ravens have been a great road playoff team.
The Ravens since Joe Flacco became the starting quarterback have an impressive 6-4 record in road playoff games. The bad news is two of those loses came via the Steelers. Is 3rd time the charm for Flacco and company? As bad as Joe Flacco looks some games he usually saves his best performance for the post season. Joe cool has a sort of Eli Manning composure during the playoffs finding ways to win. During the 2012 Superbowl run Flacco posted a 12-0 touchdown to interception ratio. Coach John Harbaugh will also have his guys geared up a ready to go. Harbaugh has a admirable 9-4 playoff record making it very plausible for the Ravens to be a serious playoff sleeper. Both number 6 seeds won their games last post season so there is no reason to count Baltimore out by any means.
2. The Baltimore pass rush is among the leagues best
The Baltimore Ravens were number two in the NFL with 49 sacks as a team. The group is lead by Elvis Dumervil and Terrell Suggs who collectively had 29 sacks. Pernell McPhee is the forgotten man in this unit recording 7.5 sacks on only playing 47% of the teams defensive snaps. This is a deep group that also includes Courtney Upshaw who laid a massive hit on Ben Roethlisberger during their week two match up. Defensive Tackle Haloti Ngata will also be returning to the team this week after finishing up his suspension. Ngata was suspended taking adderall but his return will absolutely make life easier for the relentless Ravens pass rush. Pittsburgh also had a pair of shaky tackles in Mike Adams and Marcus Gilbert. If they fail to provide Big Ben time to throw the game could get ugly for Pittsburgh.
3. Le’Veon Bell will not play
This may be the biggest reason why the Ravens can steal this game in the steel city. Bell is the teams most important player and their are multiple stats to prove this. Le’Veon accounts for 77.7% of the teams rushing offense and nearly 34% of the Steelers entire offense. Bell managed to set a single season Steeler record with 2,215 yards from scrimmage. Undrafted rookie Josh Harris will be the lead back after the team released LeGarette Blount earlier in the season. Harris is very unproven to say the least. Dri Archer a rookie third round pick will be the secondary back but is unlikely to do much running. Archer is more of a receiving threat only weighing about 170 soaking wet. The team did sign Ben Tate but he doesn’t appear to have much left in the tank after being cut twice this season by Cleveland and Minnesota. If the Steelers become a one dimensional passing offense their postseason could be cut short. The blitz pickups should be another concerning part for Steeler fans as Le’Veon Bell was often the 3rd down back. Harris is unlikely to give a proficient performance from a blocking standpoint after not having to do it all season.
WHY Pittsburgh WILL WIN
1. In Ben We Trust
Ben Roethlisberger is the youngest Superbowl winning quarterback ever. Ben has yet to lose to Baltimore in the playoffs compiling a 3-0 record. The previous three games were also home games. Roethlisberger has lead the Steelers to three Superbowl’s winning two. There is no reason to believe Roethlisberger cant will his way to victory even without Le’Veon Bell. After all trusted side kick Antonio Brown will of course be by his side and will be the go to target as always. Brown will also have the luxury of playing the game without cornerback Jimmy Smith shadowing him the entire game. Smith limited Brown for much of week 2 Thursday Night Game becoming a big reason for the Raven victory. As for Roethlisberger, Ben managed to have a career year. Big Ben had career highs in yards, touchdowns, and attempts leading Pittsburgh to an 11-5 record. Roethlisberger will need some help to pull off a victory but there are not many other quarterbacks you would rather have in this situation. It also helps to have Coach Mike Tomlin on the sidelines, he is about as good as it gets managing the team.
2. Martavis Bryant is the X factor
The Ravens have a staggering 17 players on injured reserve including six corners. With a decimated secondary Bryant could have an opportunity to break out and become an X factor. Raashan Melvin is the teams second corner back being signed off of the Vikings practice squad earlier this year. If the Steeler receiving core can manage to find ways to get open Pittsburgh should find their way in the second round of the playoffs. Markus Wheaton, Lance Moore and Heath Miller are the teams other potential receiving options.
3. The pass rush could have a field day vs. a new offensive line
The Ravens offensive line is in serious shambles right now. Both starting tackles will miss the game. Eugene Monroe the teams left tackle is out while Rick Wagner the right tackle was place on IR. Timmy Jernigan the stud rookie defensive end will also miss the game. Baltimore is banged up in the worst way. The offensive line should concern Ravens fans as undrafted rookie James Hurst will start on the left side. John Urschel, Jeremy Zutah, Kelechi Osemeli, and Marshal Yanda will round out the group. If rejuvenated James Harrison and the rest of the zone 3-4 defense can get to Joe Flacco early and often it could be a wrap for the birds. Pittsburgh will need to mitigate runningback Justin Forsett in order to have a successful pass rush. Forsett has had a breakout season following the zone running scheme of offensive coordinator Gary Kubiak. If the Steel Curtain can stop the running game of the Ravens it would allow for a more successful pass rushing effort.
In the end I believe the Ravens will become victorious in this heated rivalry. The loss of Le’Veon Bell is simply to much to over come for Pittsburgh. Baltimore is also due to get a win having failed to do so in the other previous playoff contests. The third time will be the charm for Flacco and the Ravens. If Steelers offensive coordinator Toad Haley abandons the run early, which I believe he will the Raven pass rush will become a nightmare. I expect it to be a close hard fought defensive showdown eventually won by the visiting Ravens.
