Steelers host Ravens with AFC North title up for grabs
MEMORABLE SERIES MOMENT
Steelers 43, Ravens 23
Nov. 2, 2014, at Heinz Field
If the Ravens jump out to an early lead, Steelers fans needn无毛视频檛 worry because they jumped up 7-0 in this game two years ago and it became a runaway Steelers win, their only win in the last seven meetings between the teams. Ben Roethlisberger went on a rampage that day, completing 25-of-37 passes for 340 yards and six touchdowns as his main target, Antonio Brown, caught 11 passes for 144 yards to overcome the lack of a running game.
Le无毛视频橵eon Bell rushed 10 times for only 20 yards, just off the pace of leading rusher LeGarrette Blount无毛视频檚 10 carries for 23 yards. The Steelers went on to win the AFC North Division that year with an 11-5 record, which would be the same result and likely the same record if the Steelers win today. But keep in mind the Steelers today don无毛视频檛 have the array of weapons Roethlisberger had at his disposal here two years ago. Bell, Brown, Heath Miller, Markus Wheaton and Martavis Bryant were all in the starting lineup.
TALE OF THE TAPE
无毛视频淚无毛视频檓 more afraid of their defense than I am their offense. The key for the Steelers is controlling Brandon Williams. He is a load. For a very large nose tackle he无毛视频檚 very athletic. He无毛视频檚 got a great first step, his hands are great. All of their down linemen bring their hands from the ground into the chest of the offensive linemen so they have great lockouts, and when you lock out you keep the offensive lineman off your body. So they play really well with their hands. The key无毛视频檚 going to be the guys up front because if Ben无毛视频檚 got time, it无毛视频檚 going to be one of those big games for him.无毛视频� 无毛视频� Steelers Radio analyst Tunch Ilkin.
TOP QUESTION
Will the Steelers be able to run the ball?
Without Ladarius Green and Sammie Coates, the Steelers will be forced to run better than they did the last time they played the Ravens (18 carries, 36 yards). To that end, the Steelers无毛视频� offensive line is playing much better as a unit now and will also be playing at home. Firing off the ball with a cadence is much easier than relying on timing and the slap of the hand on a silent count. The Steelers shouldn无毛视频檛 be flat-footed coming off the ball this time, and the run game, or threat thereof, should also open up the passing game.
THREE QUESTIONS: WITH CB ROSS COCKRELL
Q: The starting outside cornerbacks have 25 passes defensed this season, or three more than last season and matching 2014 with two games to play. The PDs on the last two third downs last week were very big. Is it a different coaching philosophy?
RC: 无毛视频淚t无毛视频檚 just different players. Obviously, I无毛视频檓 new, Artie (Burns) is new. Coach (Carnell) Lake has been here for a while and he无毛视频檚 been coaching the same way for a long time. He wants people playing aggressively on the football. Whether that无毛视频檚 in off-coverage, man coverage, zone coverage, he wants us making plays on the football, whether it无毛视频檚 interceptions 无毛视频� which I无毛视频檓 still searching for 无毛视频� or pass breakups.无毛视频�
Q: You keep bringing up that you don无毛视频檛 have an interception this season. It无毛视频檚 in your head, isn无毛视频檛 it?
RC: 无毛视频淥h, it无毛视频檚 in my head. It无毛视频檚 in my head.无毛视频�
Q: Mike Tomlin says he doesn无毛视频檛 teach playing the ball or playing the man, that the player is the player. Do you like that?
RC: 无毛视频淵es. I do appreciate that. That无毛视频檚 the good thing about being here. What our coaches and the players care about most is the result. Honestly, there无毛视频檚 a process that we like to do things, but the result is the ultimate matter and however that happens it无毛视频檚 gonna be cool, as long as it无毛视频檚 positive.无毛视频�
GAME BREAKDOWN
What to look for from the Steelers at 4:30 p.m. today at Heinz Field:
ON OFFENSE:
Terrell Suggs at 34 is still getting after it. He has eight sacks and remains a handful as a pass-rusher. He无毛视频檚 spelled more, as is 32-year-old Elvis Dumervil, but when the game无毛视频檚 on the line those two will be on the field trying to close it out. The Ravens ILBs 无毛视频� playmaker C.J. Mosley and underrated tackling machine Zachary Orr 无毛视频� will also try to pressure Roethlisberger, and safety Eric Weddle will also blitz at times. The key will be picking them up and finding Antonio Brown, Eli Rogers and Cobi Hamilton against average cornerbacks (Jimmy Smith out) and safety Lardarius Webb. Of course, much will depend if the Steelers can root out NT Brandon Williams and getting Le无毛视频橵eon Bell and DeAngelo Williams rolling.
ON DEFENSE:
With Cam Heyward on IR, there无毛视频檚 a lot on Stephon Tuitt to 无毛视频渟uck it up无毛视频� and play with the sprained knee that knocked him out of last Sunday无毛视频檚 game in the first series. Behind him, Ricardo Mathews is struggling with an ankle injury. The Steelers may have to promote and play practice-squad player Johnny Maxey, the undrafted Division II rookie from Mars Hill. The Ravens have been running the ball well, 4.8 yards per carry in their last five games, or since they moved Marshal Yanda to LG and had five players in the same spots. Much will fall on NT/DE Javon Hargrave and ILBs Ryan Shazier and Lawrence Timmons to stop RBs Terrence West and Kenneth Dixon.
PREDICTION
The way the Steelers are playing now, and with the revenge factor and how well they play at home, this game has the makings of a Steelers rout 无毛视频� except, of course, for the major holes due to injuries. The Ravens will be able to run the ball, and that of course will set up a few big plays for Joe Flacco and Steve Smith. The Steelers will run the ball better this time around and Ben Roethlisberger will find just enough outside of Antonio Brown and Le无毛视频橵eon Bell to pull out a close win. Steelers, 26-23.
BY THE NUMBERS
0: Number of Christmas Day games the Steelers have played in past years.
1: Field goals of 50-plus yards needed by Ravens K Justin Tucker to set an NFL single-season record of 11 in one season.
2: Touchdown passes needed by Ben Roethlisberger for his 300th to tie John Elway for ninth most in NFL history.
5: Longest current win streak in the NFL coming into the weekend, shared by the Steelers and New England Patriots.
37: Receiving yards needed by Ravens WR Mike Wallace for the third 1,000-yard season of his career.
DOWNLOADS
n The Steelers will clinch the AFC North championship with a win. The Ravens would tie the Steelers for the lead with a win and would clinch the division with another win next week at Cincinnati.
n The Steelers will debut their Color Rush uniforms in the game. The uniforms will be all black with gold numbers.
n The last eight regular-season games between these teams at Heinz Field are almost exactly even. Each team won four games and committed 11 turnovers. Seven of the games were decided by three points. The Ravens had 23 sacks, the Steelers 25. The Ravens averaged 100 rushing yards and 302 total yards per game, while the Steelers averaged 96 rushing yards and 295 total yards. A big difference: Joe Flacco played in all eight games, Ben Roethlisberger played in five.
n In light of last Sunday无毛视频檚 misadventure by Jeremy Hill, following his team无毛视频檚 last touchdown, Baltimore reporters asked Roethlisberger if it无毛视频檚 bad karma to mess with the Terrible Towel. 无毛视频淚 don无毛视频檛 know,无毛视频� said Roethlisberger. 无毛视频淕ive it a shot. We无毛视频檒l see what happens.无毛视频�
n Marcus Gilbert does not like Vontaze Burfit and the Bengals, and in rolling from one heated rival to another he was asked if there was a cheap-shot artist with the Ravens to keep an eye on: 无毛视频淣ah, nah, everybody plays the game of football the way it无毛视频檚 supposed to be played. You hit, you go back to the huddle. You don无毛视频檛 try to twist anybody无毛视频檚 ankles or anything like that,无毛视频� and with that Gilbert laughed heartily, almost psychotically. 无毛视频淎ll that crazy stuff, hands to the face, stuff like that. That无毛视频檚 all over with. There无毛视频檒l be a new story next year.无毛视频� And then he let loose with the laugh again.
PARTING SHOT
无毛视频淐hristmas, Ravens, December football, man, it无毛视频檚 awesome.无毛视频� 无毛视频� Steelers Pro Bowl guard David DeCastro.