Baltimore Ravens vs Pittsburgh Steelers: 3 Bold Predictions
Nov 2, 2014; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers tackle Kelvin Beachum (68) blocks at the line of scrimmage against Baltimore Ravens outside linebacker Terrell Suggs (55) during the third quarter at Heinz Field. The Steelers won 43-23. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
Without question, the hardest NFL games to predict are divisional games. When two teams gain such a strong sense of familiarity with one another, it has a huge impact on their game plans and mentalities. That makes coaching much more important in these kinds of games, especially in the Playoffs. The game plans the Baltimore Ravens and Pittsburgh Steelers come up with will decide this game, as will their execution of those game plans.
So let’s play a game of pin the tail on the donkey and try to make some predictions for the Ravens’ Wildcard matchup.
The Ravens’ offensive line will implode at the wrong time
The Ravens’ transformation along the offensive line this year has been a tremendous story, but with one starting tackle on IR and the other’s status up in the air, the Ravens can’t feel good about their chances against the Steelers’ tough pass rush. Though they rank 26th in sacks with 33, the Steelers excel at pressuring quarterbacks into incompletions.
Jason Worilds and Cameron Heyward form a respectable one-two punch, one that is more than good enough to give James Hurst and either Marshal Yanda or Eugene Monroe trouble. And don’t forget, James Harrison had one of the best games of his career in the Steelers’ most recent thrashing of the Ravens.
Forget the sack numbers. Joe Flacco‘s improved pocket presence has cut down on sacks, but the Ravens have given up a ton of pressure at times this year. This could be another one of those times with Rick Wagner out and Monroe on the fence, and it would be a most inopportune time.
The Ravens will throw for more yards than Pittsburgh
This is a bold prediction, especially what happened last time these two teams met (Pittsburgh had 321 passing yards, Ravens 269), yet the Ravens should out-pass the Steelers. The weather is the main reason.
In cold, rainy, windy conditions, both teams will probably run the ball quite a bit. In a battle of ground games, give me Justin Forsett over Ben Tate or a hobbled Le’Veon Bell.
That sets up the play-action pass, something both of these teams use well. With Torrey Smith magically regaining his speed against the Cleveland Browns, the Ravens appear poised to pick up some big gains through the air in the play-action passing game.
The Ravens will need to sell out to stop Big Ben Roethlisberger and the Steelers’ passing game. Just slowing them down, though, should be enough for the Ravens to win that battle.
These two teams will finally play a close game this season
In a series that is usually very close, the Ravens and the Steelers managed to split the season series, each winning once in a blowout. In each game, the margin of victory was 20. Fans of both teams are overdue for a hard-nosed, close game between these two powerhouses.
Talent-wise, these two teams are very evenly matched. The Ravens are better in the ground game on both sides of the ball, the Steelers better in the passing game on both sides of the ball. With the weather expected to be messy, the Ravens do have a slight advantage in that regard, though the Steelers being at home negates that.
This year’s brutal loss aside, the Ravens usually play reasonably well in Pittsburgh. Their road struggles don’t seem to follow them to Pittsburgh, which should also help keep this game close.