This week the Pittsburgh Steelers travel to the Baltimore Ravens with the playoffs on the line for Pittsburgh and nothing on the line for the Ravens. So we reached out to our friends at Ravens Wire to see what they think will happen this week.
What should we expect from the Ravens offense this weekend?
I wouldn’t expect much, to be honest. While Robert Griffin III can run the same scheme as Lamar Jackson, he’s not nearly as dynamic as a rusher to pull it off to the same level of success. With Pittsburgh also having a chance to make the postseason and potentially be a thorn in Baltimore’s side later, I wouldn’t expect the Ravens to show too much of their hand either. I’d expect a slightly more reserved version of Baltimore’s offensive scheme, which likely means a lot of running backs Gus Edwards and Justice Hill and letting Griffin make throws off the Steelers playing harder against the run.
Do you think the Ravens are thinking more about eliminating the Steelers or staying healthy for the playoffs?
I think it’s all about staying healthy. While Baltimore has already said they’ll be resting five players for this game, I’d expect significantly more won’t ever see the field and those that do will see a decrease in snaps. It would make sense for the Ravens to keep in some type of rhythm but to risk the guys that got them to this point would be foolish. Losing a player like tight end Mark Andrews or cornerback Marlon Humphrey would seriously hurt Baltimore’s chances in the postseason for a game that ultimately means very little to this team. Don’t get me wrong, making sure the Steelers are knocked out the playoffs and sweeping them would be fantastic but the ultimate goal of any team isn’t to sweep their division rival but to win a Super Bowl.
Pittsburgh played the Ravens close early in the season. How is Baltimore different now?
The roster is dramatically different. That was the first game for both L.J. Fort and Josh Bynes, two players that solidified the linebacker play both in run support and coverage. The Ravens have also added defensive end Jihad Ward, defensive tackles Domata Peko and Justin Ellis. Plus we can’t forget the trade for cornerback Marcus Peters, who has two pick-sixes with Baltimore since arriving in Week 7.
Beyond the changes to the players themselves, the defense has tightened up quite a lot. In Week 5’s contest, Baltimore started five players that hadn’t been starters last season and three players that hadn’t even been on the roster in 2018. With such a huge turnover on defense, it was always going to take this unit some time to work out their kinks and get on the same page. As we’ve seen over the last handful of games, the defense has finally hit that mark and is playing far better football with far fewer major lapses, especially in coverage.
Offensively, this is pretty much the same team we saw back then. But much like the defense, I think they’ve jelled together over the course of the season and play better as a unit. It also helps that Jackson is playing so well and the entire team is feeding off that energy.
Who is a guy on the Ravens who isn’t getting enough pub?
I think there are a lot of guys currently in Jackson’s shadow who should be getting more love, though I’ll admit Jackson is rightfully getting most of the praise for his impressive season. I think cornerback Marlon Humphrey hasn’t gotten the amount of attention his play has deserved, even though he made the Pro Bowl roster. He’s shut down top wide receivers all season long in spite of playing both inside and outside against a bunch of different style of receivers.
Linebacker Josh Bynes is the one player added during the season that I think made the biggest impact on Baltimore’s defensive turnaround and you wouldn’t know it with how little he’s talked about, even in town. I’m also a huge fan of Hill, who has steadily improved through his rookie campaign as a runner, blocker and receiver. In spite of his smaller size, Hill runs with power and has enough patience that will pay off down the road, even if it’s not this season.
What is your prediction for the game?
This is a tough one because we don’t know how many starters will be sitting out this game or how limited their snap counts will be. That, of course, will have a major impact on how this game plays out. Regardless, I’m fully expecting the offense to struggle in ways we haven’t seen this season thanks to Jackson, guard Marshal Yanda and running back Mark Ingram all resting. The defense will also be hampered with the benching of safety Earl Thomas and defensive tackle Brandon Williams. But, at the same time, the Steelers are pretty beat up and missing key contributors like running back James Conner. The switching back and forth between quarterbacks Devlin Hodges and Mason Rudolph also doesn’t help Pittsburgh get into much of a flow either. So it almost seems like whichever team can hit on a big play or two and can not shoot themselves in the foot is going to win.
While I certainly hope the Ravens can get the job done, I’m expecting much of the starting roster will be either out completely or limited in how much they play. That’s a recipe for sloppy play and mistakes, and when combined with the Steelers absolutely needing a win to stay alive in the playoff hunt while this game means nothing to Baltimore, it seems like a perfect setup for a loss. It’s all for a greater good, which should help Ravens fans swallow this bitter pill.
Steelers 17 – Ravens 16
