The Pittsburgh Steelers got their first win of the season in Week 4,and as a bonus it was a division win as well. But this week Pittsburgh amps up the challenge in their second AFC North game of the year when they take on the 2-2 Baltimore Ravens. We reached out to our friends at Ravens Wire to get the inside scoop on this week’s opponent.
Did the Browns figure out how to defend Lamar Jackson?
I don’t think they did completely. He still completed 70.6% of his passes, threw for 247 yards and three touchdowns, while running for 66 yards on nine attempts. His two interceptions were more on the game getting out of reach and needing to spark a big play rather than him getting figured out. But both the Browns and Chiefs did a good job limiting him by applying pressure up the middle and locking down his two favorite receivers in tight end Mark Andrews and wide receiver Marquise Brown. That forced Jackson to look elsewhere, which took more time and ultimately put him more in danger of being sacked. That, combined with a more conservative game plan against Cleveland, saw Jackson come back down to earth a bit.
We all know about Jackson, but who is a Raven not getting enough pub right now?
(AP Photo/Nick Wass)
He’s getting plenty of press in Baltimore after his tussle with Browns wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr., but cornerback Marlon Humphrey is deserving of even more positive publicity outside of that. He’s been the true definition of a shutdown cornerback this season, playing physically and mentally tough football in every game. He is the only cornerback to ever hold Beckham catchless through three quarters, and limited him to two receptions on seven targets for just 20 yards through the entire game — a career low for Beckham. It’s largely being ignored because the rest of the Ravens secondary has struggled so much this season, but Humphrey is having an All-Pro-caliber year in just his third season.
Which Baltimore positional unit are you the most concerned with?
Jay Biggerstaff-USA TODAY Sports
Right now, the entire defense is struggling, so I’d expand your question to an entire phase of the game. But being more specific, the play from the Ravens’ linebackers has been downright atrocious at times. Both inside and outside linebackers have struggled to do even the basic things right this season. Coach John Harbaugh believes the defense is simply trying to do too much, which fits with what I’ve seen from the linebackers especially. Everyone is trying so hard to make the play that they end up putting themselves out of position and getting beat. With Baltimore heading back to the free-agent market this week to bolster the units, the play probably isn’t going to get much better immediately. Over the middle on play-action will undoubtedly and rightfully be the focal point of Pittsburgh’s attack this week as they also look to shut down outside linebacker Matthew Judon to keep Mason Rudolph upright often enough to make the right reads.
Any chance the Ravens have a letdown after last week’s loss?
Mitch Stringer-USA TODAY Sports
With the defensive woes this team is currently going through, I’m not taking anything off the table. They could easily win by 30 points or lose by 20 just about every week and I wouldn’t be shocked. Short-term is simply to stay competitive each week and find ways to win on offense. Long-term goals should be to figure out the issues on defense and patch them up as best as is possible in order to get back into the running for the top of this division and conference. Regardless of if they achieve either of those goals, the Ravens have good leadership both in veteran players and well-respected coaching staff, and they’ll play hard football for all 60 minutes. The bigger question now is just how often will they shoot themselves in the foot each week and can they win in spite of it.
Give us your prediction for the game.
Philip G. Pavely-USA TODAY Sports
I can’t see Baltimore dropping two division games in a row this season, regardless of their issues. It might take breaking open a new part of the playbook or getting gimmicky and holding nothing back, but the Ravens are going to try everything they can to win this week against their biggest rival. The defense isn’t going to get better overnight but they should improve some just by getting rid of some dead weight and continuing to jell together. The offense is dangerous on every play, even if they are no longer surprising anyone en route to crazy 500-plus yard efforts and should be able to take advantage of a still-weak Steelers defense. I’m going with Baltimore this week, not because I’m overly confident in them winning but more because I just can’t see them losing this one, out of sheer necessity. Ravens 30, Steelers 28
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