The Baltimore Ravens go into Pittsburgh looking for a commanding lead in the AFC North. They are 3-1 and a win against the 2-2 Steelers would give them a third win within the division. The Steelers game requires no extra motivation. This is the most important road game every single season. With that in mind, let’s dive into it.
First Down: If the Steelers don’t force turnovers they are not beating the Ravens
The Pittsburgh Steelers are entering the fifth week of the season, and what do they have to show for it? They have nothing going offensively, two ugly wins propelled by their opponents’ turnovers, and two losses that quite frankly, are not characteristic of a Mike Tomlin-coached team. The Ravens could find themselves facing in Pittsburgh for the second year in a row.
Whether the Ravens face the bone-bruised Kenny Pickett for the entire game, or the risk-taking Mitchell Trubisky comes in in relief (as he did last year), the Steelers offense will aim to stay out of the way. T.J. Watt and the Steelers’ defense is still formidable and most importantly they are opportunistic. The Steelers were gifted with four turnovers from the Browns and three interceptions from the Raiders. With seven takeaways in two wins, you’d think the wins would be more impressive than a 23-18 win over the Raiders and a 26-22 win over the Browns.
If the Steelers are going to beat the Ravens they are going to have to do it by taking the football away. The Steelers rank fourth worst in yards per game and their offensive coordinator is about as popular in Pittsburgh as Greg Roman was in Baltimore. Lamar Jackson has had some inexplicably bad turnovers this season and he also has a history of costly mistakes against Pittsburgh.
Protecting the football is a glaring concern for the Ravens. Everything that’s been good for the Steelers this season is on the back of takeaways. It’s their lifeblood. The Ravens have to protect the football at all costs. Ugly wins are always on the table against the Steelers (They are almost the expectation) but giving the game away would be an unforgivable sin to the football gods.
2nd Down: The Ravens can run the division with a win in Pittsburgh
Winning this game would complete a near dream start for the Ravens. Let’s walk through what a win would mean in the AFC North. If the Ravens start the season 4-1 with three wins in the division, it would be the best start to the season that fans could have realistically asked for. The only two undefeated teams are in the NFC; the Ravens may want a mulligan against the Colts but they are doing just fine in the grand scheme of things.
Should Baltimore beat the Steelers, they are in the driver’s seat in the AFC North. The Steelers would move to 2-3. Two teams in the AFC North would have three losses, as the Bengals come into Week 5 with three losses on their hands. The Ravens would be 3-0 in the division with Pittsburgh and Cincinnati needing to go back to the drawing board completely. The Ravens have every incentive in the world to keep the Steelers spiraling in the dark.
The Ravens can put themselves in the driver’s seat, give themselves a little bit of a cushion, and will have a chance to run away with the division if they keep winning. This is a big opportunity. The Ravens need to capitalize.
Third Down: Run, Baltimore, Run!
The Baltimore Ravens offense came alive against the Cleveland Browns when the running game got going. The Ravens were able to slow down the Cleveland pass rushers and keep them busy doing other things than rushing at Lamar Jackson. Running the ball may be the best thing the Ravens can do in this game. We already talked about how takeaways are the lifeblood of the Steelers season. Many of those takeaways are caused by the Steelers’ tenacious pass rush. Watt is a generational talent off the edge and Alex Highsmith is a player the Ravens are all too familiar with. The Ravens know that the Steelers have the players to come get their MVP quarterback in the backfield. The Steelers are giving up an average of 4.7 yards per rushing attempt. This game simply screams Gus Edwards.
Last week, Edwards had 48 yards on the ground and had some impressive runs after being bottled up early in the game. Don’t sleep on the running-the-ball by-committee approach of the Ravens though, as it worked against Cleveland. Jackson had nine runs for 27 yards and two touchdowns, Justice Hill picked up 33 yards and Melvin Gordon had 21. The Ravens didn’t revert back to the Greg Roman approach but were able to show some power on offense and it changed the course of the game. The goal for the Ravens should be to run for 150 yards on the ground. If they can manage to do this – against a defense that is susceptible to a little bully ball, good things will happen.
Fourth Down: Expect an ugly low-scoring game… because it’s Ravens vs. Steelers
Last season the two teams split the series. The Steelers got a 16-13 win less than a month after the Ravens won 16-14 in Pittsburgh. Let’s look at the two games before that. The Steelers won 16-13 in a season finale overtime game, and 20-19 in Pittsburgh. If you’re noticing a trend, how about the 2020 games? The Steelers won one of those games 19-14. The other game was a 28-24 Steelers win that might as well count as a barnburner in this series. History strongly suggests a smashmouth football game where points are earned through grueling battles on the gridiron.
The context of the season doubles down on this narrative. The Ravens’ defense is one of the best in the league despite missing a couple of key players. The Steelers’ defense hasn’t been dominant but they have a great pass rush and again they are annoyingly opportunistic. The Ravens played sloppy football against the Texans and the Colts. Things are looking up for the Ravens after the Browns game, but let’s not act like we know the Ravens as an offensive juggernaut yet.
This game has a good chance to be a tough football game to watch for both fanbases.
In other words: its Ravens vs. Steelers.
