Steelers host Ravens with AFC North title up for grabs
MEMORABLE SERIES MOMENT
Steelers 43, Ravens 23
Nov. 2, 2014, at Heinz Field
If the Ravens jump out to an early lead, Steelers fans needn鈥檛 worry because they jumped up 7-0 in this game two years ago and it became a runaway Steelers win, their only win in the last seven meetings between the teams. Ben Roethlisberger went on a rampage that day, completing 25-of-37 passes for 340 yards and six touchdowns as his main target, Antonio Brown, caught 11 passes for 144 yards to overcome the lack of a running game.
Le鈥橵eon Bell rushed 10 times for only 20 yards, just off the pace of leading rusher LeGarrette Blount鈥檚 10 carries for 23 yards. The Steelers went on to win the AFC North Division that year with an 11-5 record, which would be the same result and likely the same record if the Steelers win today. But keep in mind the Steelers today don鈥檛 have the array of weapons Roethlisberger had at his disposal here two years ago. Bell, Brown, Heath Miller, Markus Wheaton and Martavis Bryant were all in the starting lineup.
TALE OF THE TAPE
鈥淚鈥檓 more afraid of their defense than I am their offense. The key for the Steelers is controlling Brandon Williams. He is a load. For a very large nose tackle he鈥檚 very athletic. He鈥檚 got a great first step, his hands are great. All of their down linemen bring their hands from the ground into the chest of the offensive linemen so they have great lockouts, and when you lock out you keep the offensive lineman off your body. So they play really well with their hands. The key鈥檚 going to be the guys up front because if Ben鈥檚 got time, it鈥檚 going to be one of those big games for him.鈥� 鈥� Steelers Radio analyst Tunch Ilkin.
TOP QUESTION
Will the Steelers be able to run the ball?
Without Ladarius Green and Sammie Coates, the Steelers will be forced to run better than they did the last time they played the Ravens (18 carries, 36 yards). To that end, the Steelers鈥� offensive line is playing much better as a unit now and will also be playing at home. Firing off the ball with a cadence is much easier than relying on timing and the slap of the hand on a silent count. The Steelers shouldn鈥檛 be flat-footed coming off the ball this time, and the run game, or threat thereof, should also open up the passing game.
THREE QUESTIONS: WITH CB ROSS COCKRELL
Q: The starting outside cornerbacks have 25 passes defensed this season, or three more than last season and matching 2014 with two games to play. The PDs on the last two third downs last week were very big. Is it a different coaching philosophy?
RC: 鈥淚t鈥檚 just different players. Obviously, I鈥檓 new, Artie (Burns) is new. Coach (Carnell) Lake has been here for a while and he鈥檚 been coaching the same way for a long time. He wants people playing aggressively on the football. Whether that鈥檚 in off-coverage, man coverage, zone coverage, he wants us making plays on the football, whether it鈥檚 interceptions 鈥� which I鈥檓 still searching for 鈥� or pass breakups.鈥�
Q: You keep bringing up that you don鈥檛 have an interception this season. It鈥檚 in your head, isn鈥檛 it?
RC: 鈥淥h, it鈥檚 in my head. It鈥檚 in my head.鈥�
Q: Mike Tomlin says he doesn鈥檛 teach playing the ball or playing the man, that the player is the player. Do you like that?
RC: 鈥淵es. I do appreciate that. That鈥檚 the good thing about being here. What our coaches and the players care about most is the result. Honestly, there鈥檚 a process that we like to do things, but the result is the ultimate matter and however that happens it鈥檚 gonna be cool, as long as it鈥檚 positive.鈥�
GAME BREAKDOWN
What to look for from the Steelers at 4:30 p.m. today at Heinz Field:
ON OFFENSE:
Terrell Suggs at 34 is still getting after it. He has eight sacks and remains a handful as a pass-rusher. He鈥檚 spelled more, as is 32-year-old Elvis Dumervil, but when the game鈥檚 on the line those two will be on the field trying to close it out. The Ravens ILBs 鈥� playmaker C.J. Mosley and underrated tackling machine Zachary Orr 鈥� will also try to pressure Roethlisberger, and safety Eric Weddle will also blitz at times. The key will be picking them up and finding Antonio Brown, Eli Rogers and Cobi Hamilton against average cornerbacks (Jimmy Smith out) and safety Lardarius Webb. Of course, much will depend if the Steelers can root out NT Brandon Williams and getting Le鈥橵eon Bell and DeAngelo Williams rolling.
ON DEFENSE:
With Cam Heyward on IR, there鈥檚 a lot on Stephon Tuitt to 鈥渟uck it up鈥� and play with the sprained knee that knocked him out of last Sunday鈥檚 game in the first series. Behind him, Ricardo Mathews is struggling with an ankle injury. The Steelers may have to promote and play practice-squad player Johnny Maxey, the undrafted Division II rookie from Mars Hill. The Ravens have been running the ball well, 4.8 yards per carry in their last five games, or since they moved Marshal Yanda to LG and had five players in the same spots. Much will fall on NT/DE Javon Hargrave and ILBs Ryan Shazier and Lawrence Timmons to stop RBs Terrence West and Kenneth Dixon.
PREDICTION
The way the Steelers are playing now, and with the revenge factor and how well they play at home, this game has the makings of a Steelers rout 鈥� except, of course, for the major holes due to injuries. The Ravens will be able to run the ball, and that of course will set up a few big plays for Joe Flacco and Steve Smith. The Steelers will run the ball better this time around and Ben Roethlisberger will find just enough outside of Antonio Brown and Le鈥橵eon Bell to pull out a close win. Steelers, 26-23.
BY THE NUMBERS
0: Number of Christmas Day games the Steelers have played in past years.
1: Field goals of 50-plus yards needed by Ravens K Justin Tucker to set an NFL single-season record of 11 in one season.
2: Touchdown passes needed by Ben Roethlisberger for his 300th to tie John Elway for ninth most in NFL history.
5: Longest current win streak in the NFL coming into the weekend, shared by the Steelers and New England Patriots.
37: Receiving yards needed by Ravens WR Mike Wallace for the third 1,000-yard season of his career.
DOWNLOADS
n The Steelers will clinch the AFC North championship with a win. The Ravens would tie the Steelers for the lead with a win and would clinch the division with another win next week at Cincinnati.
n The Steelers will debut their Color Rush uniforms in the game. The uniforms will be all black with gold numbers.
n The last eight regular-season games between these teams at Heinz Field are almost exactly even. Each team won four games and committed 11 turnovers. Seven of the games were decided by three points. The Ravens had 23 sacks, the Steelers 25. The Ravens averaged 100 rushing yards and 302 total yards per game, while the Steelers averaged 96 rushing yards and 295 total yards. A big difference: Joe Flacco played in all eight games, Ben Roethlisberger played in five.
n In light of last Sunday鈥檚 misadventure by Jeremy Hill, following his team鈥檚 last touchdown, Baltimore reporters asked Roethlisberger if it鈥檚 bad karma to mess with the Terrible Towel. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 know,鈥� said Roethlisberger. 鈥淕ive it a shot. We鈥檒l see what happens.鈥�
n Marcus Gilbert does not like Vontaze Burfit and the Bengals, and in rolling from one heated rival to another he was asked if there was a cheap-shot artist with the Ravens to keep an eye on: 鈥淣ah, nah, everybody plays the game of football the way it鈥檚 supposed to be played. You hit, you go back to the huddle. You don鈥檛 try to twist anybody鈥檚 ankles or anything like that,鈥� and with that Gilbert laughed heartily, almost psychotically. 鈥淎ll that crazy stuff, hands to the face, stuff like that. That鈥檚 all over with. There鈥檒l be a new story next year.鈥� And then he let loose with the laugh again.
PARTING SHOT
鈥淐hristmas, Ravens, December football, man, it鈥檚 awesome.鈥� 鈥� Steelers Pro Bowl guard David DeCastro.