I think deeply analyzing this Sunday’s Pittsburgh and Ravens game is fairly pointless, but I guess I will add to the chatter anyway.

The reason I think discussion of the game is some-what irrelevant, is that there is no element of surprise forthcoming. The reason this rivalry is one of the best in football, is that these organizations mirror each other in so many ways. I think that most clearly comes out in the identity these teams aim to be about. Both aim to be tough – physically, and mentally. Both want to be able to run the ball, and take away the run. When they get after the QB, both teams do so with pressure off the edge. Both have TE’s that can be a mismatch against LB’s. Both have QB’s with strong arms. Even when you hear Coach Tomlin, and Coach Harbaugh pontificating about their respective teams, you hear the two coaches using similar adjectives in their descriptions.

All division games breed contempt. That is especially true when year after year the combatants share similar philosophies, and want to impose their will on the other. If these two teams were 3-8, this would still be a physical game. As they are both 8-3, obviously there is plenty on the line. If the Ravens want to win their second Lombardi Trophy, I believe the have to win this game. The last two seasons have shown that if the Ravens have to go on the road in the playoffs, they are capable of winning games. That is not a surprise, as a defense and a running game always travels well. However, if Baltimore loses Sunday the odds of getting to the Super Bowl are drastically reduced. It is not that Baltimore would not be capable of winning on the road, it is that the road to Dallas becomes much more difficult. With a win Sunday, the Ravens will remain in good shape to be the 2nd seed in the AFC Playoffs. A 2nd seed would keep the Ravens out of the Wild Card round of the playoffs, give them a bye, and allow them to host a tired team in the Divisional round. If you lose, you are looking at the 5th seed, and needing 3 wins to win the AFC. Count me as one that would not be excited about the Ravens prospects if they were facing that gauntlet of games.

Total Offense: Ravens 14th, Steelers 19th
Passing Offense: Ravens 16th, Steelers 22nd
Rushing Offense: Ravens 14th, Steelers 9th
Sacks allowed: Ravens 23, Steelers 28

*Important to keep in-mind that Roethlisberger was out the first four games.

Total Defense: Ravens 8th, Steelers 5th
Passing Defense: Ravens 7th, Steelers 22nd
Rushing Defense: Ravens 11th, Steelers 1st
Sacks: Ravens 19, Steelers 32

Some things to watch:

1) Ravens fans have seen their team have to play all season without Gaither, and worried this week about not having Oher. Steelers fans have seen their team play without Starks, and Colon. You have to think that Suggs can keep his hot-streak going against Jonathan Scott. If Scott gets extra helps, that opens up opportunity for others to step-up. Roethlisberger was sacked 5 times by the Bills last week, so you would hope the Ravens can also get to him.

2) CB Bryan McFadden left Sunday’s game with a hamstring issue. If he can not play, a vulnerable Pittsburgh Secondary is even weaker. If Flacco is given enough time in the pocket, he should be able to exploit the Steelers. Of course the other thing to watch is how Flacco deals with the Cover 2 defense.

2a) There has been a lot of talk about Oher, and the need for his blocking. What about the blitz pick-up from McClain? How does the new FB Jason McKie fit in? McClain also has been an outlet as a receiver for Flacco. Will that be missed?

3) One of the reasons the Steelers might be 22nd against the pass, is that teams give-up on trying to run against that number 1 rush defense. It will be interesting to see if the Ravens offense attempts to have any type of balance, or if they attempt to spread the field with receivers and attack through the air.

4) Mendenhall had 36 carries for 151 yards against the Bills. Buffalo has a poor rush defense, but that is a lot of straight ahead running by Pittsburgh. If the Steelers attempt that against Baltimore, do the Ravens eliminate that threat, or get worn out as the game goes on?

5) Pittsburgh has accumulated 207 penalty yards the last two weeks. Does that continue?

6) Mike Wallace was held to just 2 catches for 24 yards in Week 4 against the Ravens. Prior to the Bills game last-week, Wallace had 3 straight games over 100 yards receiving, which included 5 TD’s.

Chris Stoner
Chris Stoner

Owner

Chris Stoner founded Baltimore Sports and Life in 2009. He has appeared as a radio guest with 1090 WBAL, 105.7 The Fan, CBS 1300, Q1370, WOYK 1350, WKAV 1400, and WNST 1570. He has also been interviewed by The Baltimore Sun, Baltimore Business Journal, and PressBox (TV). As Owner, his responsibilities include serving as the Managing Editor, Publicist, & Sales Director.

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