Next Game Up: Ravens at Steelers

It’s almost like the Ravens had grown so accustomed to playing with a double-digit lead that when they were losing to the Broncos, they didn’t know how to act.

Fortunately, they got the job done in the end. Thank goodness for Tyler Huntley.

Now, it’s on to Pittsburgh. It’s Steelers week. A Baltimore win would essentially eliminate Pittsburgh from playoff contention. A Ravens win would also see them go to 3-0 in the division, which is crucial since the Bengals are currently 1-3 in the AFC North. Since the Bengals can, at best, go 1-1 against the Ravens this year, the head to head tiebreaker is essentially moot. The next tiebreaker after that: division record.

Here are three ways the Ravens can gain a massive road win and restore the faith of the fanbase.

3rd down defense

The Ravens boast the best 3rd down defense in football, allowing just 3.7 conversions per game. The strength of the Steelers defense is their front, so if they have to defend extended drives because their offense keeps stalling, that’s a win for the Ravens.

The Steelers offense isn’t built to come from behind, so if you stack up enough failed 3rd downs, they will have to do just that: play from behind.

Given the circumstances, you’d like to force Kenny Pickett to drive the field against your secondary instead of having Tyler Huntley drive the field against a fast Steelers defense and a raucous Steelers crowd.

Hold the ball

Simple. Don’t turn the ball over. Baltimore is tied for 27th in the league with most turnovers over the last three games. In fact, they’ve turned the ball over at least once in nine of their 12 games this season. However, they’ve also seen a 27 percent increase in the amount of turnovers they’re forcing, so the damage has been mitigated to this point. That said, the last thing you want to do in Pittsburgh is turn the ball over and give them one more reason to believe.

If the pass isn’t there, throw it away. If you’re running into traffic, cover the ball up. If you’re trying to evade a defender after catching a pass, ball security comes first (see Demarcus Robinson’s runs after the catch last week).

When in doubt, play the field position game and let your top-ranked special teams unit do its thing.

Don’t think too much

Last week, Greg Roman and company did a much better job from the week prior in terms of getting plays in. However, the trick play involving James Proche and Kenyan Drake was a disaster. In other words, the Broncos game represented progress, but there’s still work to do. Keep cleaning things up. Keep refining. Keep stacking.

The one point where Baltimore will want to concentrate its efforts is pass protection. Steelers edge defender Alex Highsmith has 10 sacks this season, and of course T.J. Watt is always a threat. Given the fact that Ronnie Stanley was inactive last week, and Patrick Mekari left the game due to injury, the Ravens will really need to have all hands on deck as far as pass protection goes. Outside of that, I think they’re in good shape and ought not to try to get too fancy. Line up, smash them in the mouth, and do what you do.

Vegas

Baltimore opened as a 3-point favorite Sunday night, but as of Monday morning they were a 2-point underdog. Much of that swift change is due to the uncertainty of Lamar Jackson’s playing status. John Harbaugh said in a press conference Monday afternoon that Jackson was day-to-day and that it was unlikely he will play Sunday, though not impossible.

Assuming Tyler Huntley is under center, I think the Ravens offense takes a hit, but hopefully that hit will be offset by the return of J.K. Dobbins. This would be the perfect time for his return.

These games are seemingly always decided by three or four points. I foresee a similar finish to the Broncos game unfolding this Sunday, where the Ravens drive for a late, come-from-behind score, then have to seal the deal on defense with less than a minute remaining.

Buckle up.

Prediction: Ravens 20, Steelers 19