The Baltimore Ravens are going into their first game against the Pittsburgh Steelers with little momentum. They got the ugliest win imaginable against the Denver Broncos, while maintaining a narrow lead in the AFC North. There is a lot to talk about, so let’s dive right in. We’ve got four downs, let’s go for it.
First Down: This is when John Harbaugh can prove his mettle
The strongest selling point for John Harbaugh as a coach is that he keeps the train on the tracks during times of adversity. Outside of the 2019 season, the Ravens have rarely been in cruise control. Harbaugh has always found a way to keep the team competitive. Harbaugh got a lot of praise last year for keeping the Ravens fighting throughout an injury plagued season. Many believe it was his best work despite a six-game losing streak to end the 2021 campaign.
The 2022 season feels like it’s crumbling away. The offense has looked dreadful for the last several games, especially in the red zone. Lamar Jackson will likely miss multiple games due to injury. The Bengals just beat the Kansas City Chiefs and appear to have the momentum that Baltimore is simply lacking. If there was ever a time for John Harbaugh to prove himself this season, it’s right now. This is what he’s supposed to be good at, re-centering the team and finding a way through challenging times.
The Ravens have to go into Pittsburgh (presumably with Tyler Huntley) and take on a Steelers team that has suddenly won back-to-back games The landscape of this game has changed so drastically that the Ravens are suddenly the underdog. A month ago, that would have sounded crazy. The Bengals have the tougher path moving forward, at least on paper. Even if their wins are of the ugly variety, the Ravens have a chance to keep the division-winning pace. Harbaugh has to whip up some of his magic. He has to galvanize this team and find a way through the funk they are in. The number one reason to have hope is that this is the kind of game that John Harbaugh tends to be prepared for.
2nd down: Let the short throws roll
Huntley starting at quarterback shouldn’t be that bad of a deal for the Baltimore Ravens. Huntley has quickly become an experienced backup. He led the Ravens to victory last year against the Chicago Bears. The Ravens were a two-point conversion away from beating Aaron Rodgers and the Packers in a shocker last season. Huntley even kept the Ravens in a close battle against the eventual champion Los Angeles Rams. The Ravens don’t have Lamar Jackson but they do have a fighting chance. There are some bad backups in the NFL and Huntley isn’t one of them.
It’s important to know what you’re getting with Huntley. The one advantage you get with the former Utah Ute is that he is a very quick decision-maker. And because he doesn’t have the arm talent that Lamar Jackson has, you’re going to see more short passes. On plays where Jackson would be looking for the big play downfield, Huntley is looking for a high percentage completion. Tyler is essentially Jackson-Lite. He has the ability to impact the game as a runner, though he doesn’t have the elusiveness and speed of Jackson. The Ravens need their running backs to feast in this game. In addition, look for the Ravens to use their speed across the field instead of down the field. Look for short completions to Demarcus Robinson and DeSean Jackson with room to do something after the catch. T.J. Watt is back, getting rid of the football may not be a bad idea. Huntley’s quick throws could frustrate the Steelers pass rush.
The bad news is that going to the backup quarterback will get Greg Roman to cling tighter to his comfort zone. The offense probably won’t get any less predictable. The run game and the heavy sets are probably going to be leaned on even more than they already have been. If you’re desperately hoping that Stanford will solve the Greg Roman problem, you won’t be any less desperate after this game. Root for efficiency, hopefully, points will come with it.
Third Down: The Steelers aren’t a juggernaut
Kenny Pickett has four touchdowns and eight interceptions going into this game. If we’re being honest, Huntley may actually be better than the Steelers’ rookie quarterback. Pickett has played in nine games. He’s only had three games with over 200 yards in the air. It’s one thing when Lamar Jackson only has 180 yards in the air because he’ll put up 60-120 yards on the ground. It’s another thing to be held under 200 yards as a traditional pocket passer.
Pickett throws a pretty football and he’s accurate. That’s about the end of what you can praise him for. He hasn’t been a difference-maker at the quarterback position. The Steelers aren’t asking him to do too much. Meanwhile, Najee Harris only averages 3.8 yards per carry as Pittsburgh’s top running back. George Pickens is an exciting rookie but it’s not like he’s become the Steelers’ version of Ja’Marr Chase. Diontae Johnson and Pat Freiermuth are solid, but there’s nobody that should have Mike Macdonald losing sleep this week.
The Steelers are averaging just 17.8 points per game. It’s shocking how comparable the Steelers are on offense to the Denver Broncos. There is one big difference between the Broncos and the Steelers. The Broncos have a top-five defense. The Steelers have a bottom-10 defense giving up 362 yards per game. This is the most beatable team the Ravens have faced in years. It could be the worst Steelers team of the past decade. The Ravens are playing their worst football of the season. This is either going to be a get-right game for the Ravens or an embarrassing loss.
4th Down: A rivalry that doesn’t feel the same
The rivalry between the Ravens and the Steelers is intense. It always will be a heated rivalry, there’s too much history for that to ever calm down completely. Terrell Suggs vs. Ben Roethlisberger, Hines Ward vs. Ed Reed, Ray Lewis vs. Jerome Bettis…this rivalry has had legendary battles. It’s the rivalry that had Antonio Brown ruin Baltimore’s Christmas by reaching over the goal line. It’s the rivalry that saw Big Ben break his nose at the hand of Haloti Ngata. This is the rivalry where Torrey Smith caught his first game winning touchdown to cap off a 92-yard drive. It almost always comes down to one score and it’s never for the faint of heart. Ravens vs. Steelers has basically become a brand of football. The football world knows what’s coming in this rivalry. That said, the game lacks the electric vibe that was once synonymous with these battles.
It started to fade a little when Joe Flacco left town. Flacco’s career was defined by two things, playoff performances and iconic showdowns with the Steelers. He had his best and his worst moments against Pittsburgh. It’s a certainty that the commentators will find a way to talk about Roethlisberger, yet his retirement unquestionably changes this rivalry. The top gladiators are gone. The fight is in a new era, and the Bengals have emerged as the top threat to the Ravens. It’s never going to be a rivalry that goes unnoticed, it just doesn’t have the spark it once did.
On top of that, it looks like Jackson will miss a Steelers game for the fourth year in a row. In 2019, the season finale didn’t matter and he was rested. In 2020, Jackson missed the game because he tested positive for Covid-19. Last year, he was hurt for the second battle. The Jackson era has been a strange chapter in the history of this rivalry. Now Kenny Pickett joins the fray. That’s something to watch closely on Sunday.
Yet you still have to wonder, can the Ravens vs. Steelers rivalry ever reach the same level of intensity that once defined it?
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