Ravens Offense
1) Run right: With Willis McGahee out of the lineup due to a rib injury, the tandem of Musa Smith and Corey Ross will have to carry the load against Pittsburgh. Clearly neither player has the big play ability of McGahee, but Smith is a hard-nosed runner who thrives on inside runs.
Normally against Pittsburgh, running the ball is nearly impossible. However, since the defense lost right end Aaron Smith, teams have had more success pushing the pile.
If the Ravens are to have any semblance of a ground attack on Sunday, they will need to test the right side of Pittsburgh’s line. And instead of counting on its zone blocking scheme to open up holes, the offensive coaches should turn to more man-to-man blocks to spring the backs loose.
2) Operating from the Shotgun: Troy Smith will face a stern test on Sunday, when he tries to lead the offense against the No.1 ranked defense in the league. Smith will see no shortage of blitz looks before the snap.
What Smith will need to do is figure out when the Steelers are blitzing and when the Steelers are bluffing. Their entire pass-rush scheme is predicated on forcing quarterbacks to make the wrong checks at the line-of-scrimmage before the snap, only to be attacked by an entirely different rush after the snap.
Perhaps the best chance for Smith to discern Pittsburgh’s multiple looks is to pass the ball out of the shotgun set. By lining up off the line, Smith will have an extra split second or so to get rid of the ball and have more space to maneuver to avoid the rush. In addition, spreading out from the shotgun set would force the Steelers to blitz fewer defenders.
3) Going deep: One positive to take away from the Seattle game is that the Ravens did attempt a couple of deep strikes. Smith displayed tremendous arm strength and touch on those pass attempts, especially on the touchdown toss to Derrick Mason near the end of the game.
While attempting to throw deep will be tough against the aggressive Pittsburgh front, the Ravens will have to try to work in a few downfield shots off of play-action. If Smith has enough time to deliver the throw, he may be able to hit on a couple of big plays, especially given that Pro Bowl safety Troy Polamalu will be out of the game.
The other safeties are more susceptible to biting on play-fakes, and if they do, the middle of the field will be wide open.
Ravens Defense
1) Old school game: The Ravens have the chance to finish the season without giving up 100 yards to a single rusher. The odds are even better that they will keep the streak going against a Willie Parker less Pittsburgh rush attack.
In all likelihood, the Steelers will try to run the ball using a combination of Najeh Davenport and Verron Hayes. Whereas Parker bounced to the edges off of counters and stretch runs, Davenport and Hayes will stay inside on most of their carriers.
It will be a challenge for the Ravens to stuff the Steelers’ new look ground game. Davenport and Hayes will do a better job of breaking tackles and leaning forward than Parkers does. Plus, the Steelers will be able to push the ball up the middle, allowing the interior offensive line to play more physical and fire into their blocks.
If the Ravens are to control the line and hold either back from topping the century mark, they will need to plug the middle and force the backs to cut to the outside. This is the opposite strategy they use to contain Parker.
2) Adjusting to the audibles: The point was made a week ago in this column that the Raven defenders would need to make the proper counter adjustments to Matt Hasselbeck’s audibles before the snap. Without Ray Lewis in the lineup, the backers struggled to keep pace with Hasselbeck, and the result was that he routinely burned the defense once he changed the plays.
A similar circumstance could arise against Pittsburgh. Charlie Batch is a veteran quarterback who will have the authority to switch to a run or pass call if he doesn’t believe that the original play call will work against a given defensive formation.
In these instances, the defense will need to do a better job of snuffing out Batch’s audible than they did a week ago against Hasselbeck.
3) Stay in the game: If the Ravens have any chance to stay in this ball game, they will at least need to keep the Steelers from scoring quickly.
In the previous contest between these two teams, Pittsburgh burned the young Raven corners repeatedly through the air, grabbed an early lead and sat on it through the second half.
There is little doubt that the Steelers will try to do the same thing in Baltimore, especially given the fact that they have a wildcard game to play next week. This is the Ravens last chance to end their miserable losing streak until next season. If they want the W, they will need to prevent the big play from occurring and force the Steelers to score methodically.
One-on-one Matchup to Watch: Heath Miller versus Bart Scott: Although Miller doesn’t get the attention that players like Antonio Gates, Dallas Clark and Tony Gonzalez receive from the press, he is a talented tight end in his own right. Miller is dangerous pass-catcher in the middle of the field and in the end zone. He is especially good at locating the ball, no matter where it is placed by the quarterback. Scott has had more responsibility in pass coverage this season, and he has had his ups and downs. If he stays true to his assignments, Scott has the athleticism and range to stick with most tight ends.
Photo by Sabina Moran
