Baltimore Ravens: Unsung heroes step up in Wild Card win
Jan 3, 2015; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger (7) runs with the ball as Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Steve Smith (89) defends in the first quarter druring the 2014 AFC Wild Card playoff football game at Heinz Field. Mandatory Credit: Jason Bridge-USA TODAY Sports
Being a “fat, lazy, sorry couch quarterback” has its perks, particularly being able to be honest about players performing poorly. Ironically, the players who stepped up the most for the Baltimore Ravens in their Wild Card win over the Pittsburgh Steelers were the players who generated the most criticism.
Let’s take a look at some of these unsung heroes and what they did to help the Ravens win.
Darian Stewart (two passes defended, one interception, one fumble recovery)
Darian Stewart has been a target of scorn for much of the year both on this website and among fans. He has taken poor angles, gotten beat deep repeatedly and made zero impact plays. Until Saturday night.
Stewart defended two passes and notched an interception in the win. The interception was just a matter of fortuitous timing, but his impact otherwise can’t be overstated. Stewart was consistently around the ball in the passing game, making life harder for Ben Roethlisberger. Targeted three times, Stewart did not allow a completion.
The safety play in general was much better in this game (aside from that awful 44-yard catch by Antonio Brown), and Stewart was a big reason why.
Steve Smith (five receptions, 101 yards)
After an extraordinarily hot start to the season, Steve Smith was a hero. As the season wore on, though, Smith looked to be slowing down, looking less explosive and struggling with drops.
Those late season struggles were firmly in the past Saturday night, as evidenced by Smith’s five catches for a whopping 101 yards. He caught balls in traffic, gained yards after the catch and even caught a leaping bomb.
Smith put on a clinic, and most importantly, he didn’t drop a ball in the process. He overcame his late season struggles in a big way.
Brandon Williams (six tackles, one sack)
Unlike Steve Smith and Darian Stewart, Brandon Williams has not been the subject of scrutiny. In fact, outside of a few analysts, he hasn’t been the subject of anything, rarely being a topic of discussion. Williams has been quietly excellent this year though, and never more so than in a dominating performance against the Steelers.
Against the run, Williams was an immovable object, throwing around former All-Pro Maurkice Pouncey like a rag doll. And his sack, well, that was a grown-man sack. He simply pushed the offensive lineman back, back, back into Ben Roethlisberger’s lap. Then he shed the block and brought Ben down.
Williams deserves more press. Keep playing like he did Saturday night, and he will get it.
There are not many stats for the offensive line, unfortunately. John Urschel did only give up one pressure the entire night, so at least he has that number to his credit.
On a night where the offensive line largely struggled, Urschel was stellar. The fifth-round draft pick was arguably the Ravens most effective run blocker, as he and Marshal Yanda paired to provide decent blocking on the right side of the line.
Urschel has been excellent this season filling in at both guard spots. If his strength and technical skill is any indication, Urschel has a chance to challenge Jeremy Zuttah in the near future for the starting center job.
Next: Baltimore Ravens Wild Card win was franchise reaffirming