The game: Baltimore at Pittsburgh (+3)
When they put the prime time schedule together in the offseason, I don’t think anyone expected a floudering Baltimore Ravens (0-3) team to limp into Heinz Stadium to take on the Michael Vick-led Pittsburgh Steelers (2-1). Yet here we are.
The History
This is the 43rd meeting between the two teams. They’ve met four times in the playoffs including last season.
This rivalry only goes back to 1996 with the first meeting between the two teams at Pittsburgh. The Steelers won 31-17, then the Ravens returned the favor later in the season by the same score, 31-17, in Baltimore. It’s pretty much been like that ever since.
The Steelers lead the overall series 24-18, but the Ravens have the advantage by winning two out of the three games the teams played last season, including a 30-17 victory in the Wild Card round of the playoffs.
The Steelers’ longest win streak over the Ravens was from Oct. 5, 1997 to Sept. 19, 1998, with five victories in a row.
The Ravens’ longest win streak was three games from Sept. 11, 2011 to Nov. 18, 2012.
The Ravens on Offense
The entire Ravens offense has been in disarray all season and that starts with the quarterback, Joe Flacco. Flacco may be one of the best postseason quarterbacks of his generation, but he’s not playing well enough right now to get his team there. Flacco has an 82.2 quarterback rating, four touchdowns and four picks, with one of those picks being a game-deciding interception returned for a touchdown against the Denver Broncos in Week One.
First-round pick Breshad Perriman can’t get healthy and has not recorded a catch this season. Steve Smith Sr., on his retirement tour, has picked up his production but a crucial drop in the end zone last week against the Cincinnati Bengals kept the Ravens winless. At tight end Crockett Gilmore has been worthless in the passing game outside of the red zone with just 10 total grabs, but two for touchdowns. Receivers Kamar Aiken and Marlon Brown have 12 catches between them.
With the passing game out of sync, running back Justin Forsett has taken a hit in production, averaging just 3.2 yards per carry and 3.4 yards per catch. Even combing his offensive numbers, he’s still not crossed 200 yards and he hasn’t scored a touchdown of any kind.
The Steelers on Offense
Pittsburgh begins its four-to-six-game stretch without Ben Roethlisberger tonight with Vick behind center, and it’s not even the regular starting center as Maurkice Pouncey was injured in the preseason. Also out, No. 2 tight end Mike Spaeth who represented a big red-zone target.
Vick will still have Le’Veon Bell in the backfield and as an outlet for quick passes. If Vick can actually get him the ball, Antonio Brown should have no trouble getting open against the Ravens’ defensive backfield and Markus Wheaton has been surprisingly OK in holding down Martavis Bryant’s starting spot until next week.
The Ravens on Defense
With the exception of the loss to the Oakland Raiders on Sept. 20, the Ravens’ defense hasn’t been awful and actually kept them in games. They’re getting a good push inside from Brandon Williams, but no real pass rush from Za-Darius Smith or Courtney Upshaw and that has to change. The Ravens’ defensive backs aren’t good enough to play one-on-one all the time, and if the team has to create pressure with blitzes, even Michael Vick should be able to pick them apart. Jimmy Smith has a couple of picks this season, but he also has a knack for being the defender on a receiver making a big play. A.J. Green put together multiple fatheads on him last week alone.
The Steelers on Defense
The once-proud defensive unit isn’t what it used to be and with Ryan Shazier still out with a shoulder injury and defensive tackle Daniel McCullers out with a knee, the best 11 will be nowhere near the field tonight. Bud Dupree has been solid at outside linebacker, spelled by James Harrison, who is dealing with a nagging injury of his own. Lawrence Timmons remains one of the most underrated players in the NFL on the inside and they’ll need him tonight because the Ravens will want to run and run a lot.
The pick: I‘ve picked the Ravens to win every week, and every single week they lose. In the face of that evidence, I’m still making the exact same mistake. Ravens 24, Steelers 13
