Baltimore Ravens: Le’Veon Bell ruled out for Wild Card weekend

There was about a 60-percent chance of starting running back Le’Veon Bell missing this game against the Ravens. However, the percentage has now gone up to 100. The Pittsburgh Steelers have ruled the Pro Bowl running back out of Saturday’s game.

Bell finished the year second in the league in rushing yards and led all running backs in receptions and receiving yards.

He was likely the best all-purpose back in the NFL this season. This will obviously be a huge blow for Pittsburgh, especially in a matchup between them and the Baltimore Ravens. Because as we all know, you want any advantage you can get in these games, and unfortunately for Pittsburgh, they will be starting at a disadvantage.

However, Ben Roethlisberger and this explosive receiving corps is more than capable of making up for the loss and leading the Steelers to victory in the first round of the 2014 postseason. This injury just adds more excitement and anticipation to a game that already had loads of that.

Nov 30, 2014; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Minnesota Vikings running back Ben Tate (33) carries the ball during the fourth quarter against the Carolina Panthers at TCF Bank Stadium. The Vikings defeated the Panthers 31-13. Mandatory Credit: Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY Sports

This loss for Pittsburgh will not only remove their biggest offensive threat, but it could also make the Steelers offense one-dimensional. The reason that this is true is due to who the Steelers have as a backup plan to Bell. Keeping in mind that there was strong possibility of not having Bell for this game, the Steelers signed fourth-year running back Ben Tate earlier this week.

The 2010 second-round pick out of Auburn will now be playing for his third team this season. That is surprising considering that he spent the first three years of his career on one team; the Houston Texans. He actually performed pretty well backing up Arian Foster, as he rushed for over 700 yards in two out of his three seasons there.

However, it has been a struggle for him since. He started the year with the Cleveland Browns, where he played in eight games, got 106 carries, and totaled just 333 yards (3.1 yards per attempt). After Cleveland let him go, Tate was picked up by the Minnesota Vikings, where he spent only three games.

Now, he finds himself the presumptive starter in a playoff matchup between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Baltimore Ravens. None of us could have seen this coming, especially Ben Tate himself.

At the end of the day, the absence of Bell will dearly hurt the Steelers. However, it should not hold them back from winning this game.

Next: Baltimore Ravens vs Pittsburgh Steelers: Wild Card Preview