NFL
By: Melo Williams
Week 17 Pittsburgh Steelers (7-9) travels to Baltimore to play the Baltimore Ravens (10-5) at M&T Bank Stadium.
In Week 14, Baltimore beat Pittsburgh 16-14 without Lamar Jackson.
The Steelers are on a two-game winning streak while winning four of their last five with the Ravens giving the Steelers that one loss. Pittsburgh is 4-4 .500 on the road this season.
Here are the main keys to victory for the Steelers:
DEFEND THE RUN
Baltimore Ravens is 3-1 since quarterback Lamar Jackson suffered a knee injury in Week 13 against the Denver Broncos.
Baltimore has been able to win by running the football effectively and playing solid defense. The same recipe as Lamar Jackson minus his passing.
Ravens’ offense has an NFL-high 12 games with at least 150 rushing yards. Baltimore also produces the NFL’s second-most rushing yards per attempt.
Since J.K. Dobbins has returned from injury he has averaged 7.6 yards per carry and rushed for 204 yards in those three games. 120 of those yards came against the Steelers in Week 14.
Pittsburgh is giving up 4.0 yards per rush attempt which is fourth-best in the league. Over the last three weeks though, the Steelers have given up only 3.8 yards per carry. Pittsburgh is ranked sixth against the run, allowing 105.6 yards per game.
2022 Rankings
Ravens: Total Offense: 17; Total Defense: 10
Steelers: Total Offense: 23; Total Defense: 18
The Ravens might be hard-pressed to get a there run game going against the Steelers in this rematch.
The Steelers will make the necessary adjustments and have been playing much better defensively while edge rusher T.J. Watt has gotten healthier.
Pittsburgh is going to have to dedicate itself to defending the run at a high level to win this game over the Ravens.
RUN NAJEE HARRIS & CO
Najee Harris leads the Steelers with 843 rush yards. Harris has 576 more rushing yards than any other Steelers running back and is aiming for his third straight game with 85-plus scrimmage yards.
Harris needs 157 for a second consecutive season w/ 1,000+ rush yards. He also needs 179 rush yards to pass Le’Veon Bell for the most in a player’s first 2 seasons in Steelers history.
WIN TURNOVER BATTLE
The Steelers need to avoid turnovers that destroyed their opportunity to win against the Ravens in Week 14 and what’s been a huge problem of theirs this season. I must add though Steelers quarterback Kenny Pickett hasn’t thrown an interception in five of his last six starts.
The ballhawk, Safety Minkah Fitzpatrick has five interceptions this season.
When the Steelers can get pressure behind Alex Highsmith (12 sacks) and Cameron Heyward (8.5 sacks) along with Watts’ pressure, good things usually happen for the Steelers secondary.
Can Heyward was named the AFC Defensive Player of the Week after recording seven tackles, three tackles for loss, two sacks, and one pass defensed in Pittsburgh’s 13-10 win over Las Vegas. So expect him to keep the pressure coming.
ATTACK RAVENS SECONDARY
The Steelers were able to throw the ball downfield in that first matchup.
WR Diontae Johnson had six catches for 82 yards, and WR George Pickens caught three passes for 78 yards combining for 160 yards against Baltimore in Week 14.
Johnson has 244 yards over his past three games and aims for his sixth game in a row with five or more receptions. Johnson also has five or more catches in each of his 16 road games since the start of 2021.
Pat Freiermuth has 60 receptions for 696 yards. Freiermuth leads the team with 476 receiving yards with Pickett at quarterback. The QB and TE have formed a nice chemistry together rather quickly. If the Steelers keep Freiermuth involved in the game plan, it could be a big day for Pickett against that vaunted Ravens secondary.
Look for the Steelers to attack Baltimore’s secondary again.
CONCLUSION:
Pittsburgh Steelers win 24-17
Series History
The Steelers lead the all-time series 32-25. Also 3-1 in the playoffs.
Mike Tomlin is 18-16 against Baltimore.
Follow Melo on Twitter/Instagram: @_MeloWilliams
