One of the best rivalries in all of football will take center stage at Heinz Field this Sunday afternoon when the Baltimore Ravens take on the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Per usual, this matchup has both division and playoff implications heading into their bi-annual showdown.

The Ravens sit atop the AFC North with an 8-3 record, seemingly finding new ways to win close games every Sunday. As six-of-their-eight wins on the season have come by a margin of fewer than seven points.

Last week was no exception, as the Ravens offense struggled in their 16-10 victory over the Browns.

“I played like a rookie.”

Those were the exact words Ravens’ Quarterback Lamar Jackson used to describe his four interception performance against a Cleveland secondary who repeatedly made opportunistic plays to keep the Browns in the football game.

If you rewind the clock back to November 11th, the Ravens offense produced just 10 points against the Miami Dolphins. As Brian Flores’ game plan was to show a Cover 0 all-out blitz pre snap look on over half of the Ravens’ offensive snaps. 

Effectively messing with the Ravens pass protection assignments, creating free runners to disrupt Lamar Jackson and the passing game for the entire contest.

Luckily for Lamar and the rest of the Ravens offensive unit, they likely won’t have to deal with one the premier pass rushing forces in the league, T.J. Watt, this upcoming Sunday as the Steelers have placed him on the reserve/COVID-19 list.

Watt has registered 2 sacks in two games against Jackson since 2019 and has gotten to opposing QBs 12 times this season, but the rest of the Steelers unit can get after the QB too. The Steelers pass rush has generated 30 sacks this season.

However, the Ravens aren’t the only offensive unit struggling at the moment. The Steelers produced just 10 points in a blowout loss to the Cincinnati Bengals last week. 

Ben Roethlisberger has just 14 touchdown passes through 10 games this season. Rarely showcasing his legendary improvisation skills to extend plays through contact at this stage of his career.

The outlook doesn’t get a whole lot better for Roethlisberger and the Steelers heading into Sunday. The trio of Odafe Oweh, Tyus Bowser and Justin Houston, who accounted for 15.5 of the Ravens 25 sacks on the season, could expose some of the issues the Steelers have had at the offensive tackle position in 2021.

However, the real key to slowing down the Steelers offense in 2021 revolves around rookie running back, Najee Harris. As Pittsburgh is 0-5 on the season when Harris totes the rock 15 or fewer carries in a game. 

Prediction: The Ravens will be heading into a hostile environment against a familiar opponent that is desperate for a win to stay in the playoff hunt. Both teams are coming off of lackluster offensive outings, but the Ravens are better equipped, with arguably the best offensive weapon in the league, to help clean it up offensively. 

Ravens 21-17

Derek Tate
Derek Tate

Derek Tate was born and raised in the Tampa Bay Area. He has been covering the NFL for the last five years and is currently the Sports Director and Play-by-Play Announcer for the TV station in northern Michigan, NewsNet. When he isn’t watching, analyzing, living, eating or breathing NFL Football, he enjoys spending time with his one-year-old daughter, Kennedy.

X