Baltimore Ravens Must Stop Le’Veon Bell to Beat Steelers
I hate to make a game as complex as football so simple, but when the Baltimore Ravens host the Pittsburgh Steelers on Thursday Night Football, it really is simple. Stop Le’Veon Bell, win the game.
That’s easier said than done, of course. The Steelers are starting to re-develop a power running identity with an improving offensive line that features two former first-round picks, and it worked to the tune of 109 yards for Bell and 127 yards total.
Now for the truly impressive numbers: Bell had 84 of his 109 yards after contact. That’s an average of four yards per carry after contact, which is approximately the league average for total yards per carry! Further, Bell forced six missed tackles.
Bell is a throwback. Though he has good lateral agility, he gains most of yards with power, not fancy moves.
And he’s remarkably effective at doing so. Simply put, Bell cannot be arm tackled. Lunge at Bell, and you’ll whiff, guaranteed.
That’s a problem for a Ravens team that struggles with form tackling. The Ravens’ defense as a unit missed a whopping nine tackles against the Cincinnati Bengals, and their form is a huge reason for that.
The Ravens’ defensive backs especially don’t wrap up, more often electing to leave their feet, throw a shoulder and hope the ball carrier goes down. Even one of the teams best tacklers, Terrell Suggs, falls victim to this shoddy tackling technique, as seen in the picture below.
Dec 16, 2013; Detroit, MI, USA; Detroit Lions running back
Reggie Bush(21) breaks a tackle from Baltimore Ravens outside linebacker Terrell Suggs (55) and scores a touchdown during the first quarter at Ford Field. Mandatory Credit: Tim Fuller-USA TODAY Sports
Watching the Steelers game against Cleveland, one thing became readily apparent: They have a lot of creative ways to get Bell the ball in space, hence Bell’s monster six catch, 88 yard performance through the air.
So expect a healthy dose of Bell, both in the power running game and in the screen game. The Ravens need to find a way to stop it, and if they can’t, they will fall to 0-2.