Steelers, Ravens meet in Baltimore
MEMORABLE SERIES MOMENT
Steelers 23, Ravens 20
Dec. 2, 2012 at M&T Bank Stadium, Baltimore
Ben Roethlisberger has missed 22 games in his 13-year career and seven of those have been Baltimore Ravens games. He无毛视频檚 never come back from missing a previous game to play against the Ravens, although Sunday he无毛视频檚 listed as questionable and is expected to play. In 2012, Roethlisberger missed three games with a shoulder/sternum injury. He returned the week after Charlie Batch guided the Steelers to the win at Baltimore. Trailing by as much as 13-3 late in the first half, the Steelers tied the game in the third quarter on a 16-yard run by Jonathan Dwyer, who was sprung by Batch无毛视频檚 block. But an Emmanuel Sanders fumble set up Ray Rice无毛视频檚 34-yard touchdown run and the Ravens regained the lead at 20-13. A James Harrison tomahawk sack-strip of Joe Flacco set the Steelers up with the ball at the Baltimore 27, from where the Steelers drove for the tying touchdown 无毛视频� Heath Miller无毛视频檚 signature 7-yard catch, run and dive to the pylon with 7:24 remaining. A three-and-out by the Ravens was followed by a 12-play, 61-yard drive that ended with a 42-yard Shaun Suisham field goal at the gun.
TOP QUESTION
Can the Steelers stop the run?
Cam Heyward is expected back and the big man should help alleviate a sieve-like run defense that无毛视频檚 allowing 4.7 yards per carry this season. The Ravens 无毛视频� to the dismay of Terrell Suggs and probably many in his locker room 无毛视频� have cut Justin Forsett and replaced him with Terrance West, who was held to 10 yards in the last game by the Jets, but who had rushed for 87, 95 and 113 yards in the three previous games. 无毛视频淭hey无毛视频檙e not real complicated in terms of their running game,无毛视频� said Steelers defensive coordinator Keith Butler. 无毛视频淭hey无毛视频檙e just running the zone stretch and trying to make you defend the entire field, instead of making the cutback immediately. The running back does a good job of picking holes and they do a good job of getting people on the ground. 无毛视频� If we stay off the ground, we无毛视频檒l play good defense.无毛视频�
THREE QUESTIONS: With C MAURKICE POUNCEY
Q: Terrell Suggs said you无毛视频檙e the most likely to jump on the Ravens bus to look for a fight. Do you agree?
MP: 无毛视频�(Laughs) He无毛视频檚 trying to soak me in, get me in trouble. I play football, but if other guys take it past football then hell yeah, I would have to. Me, personally.无毛视频�
Q: Any good, maybe funny, stories about playing the Ravens?
MP: 无毛视频淚 do remember a lot of scruffles out there but nothing funny. We don无毛视频檛 really talk during the game. The only time there无毛视频檚 any talking is when guys are right there ready to fight. After the game it无毛视频檚 all respect. We know it无毛视频檚 supposed to be like that in a division game, in a rivalry.无毛视频�
Q: You guys have lost four of the last five to them. Is there any kind of anger in this locker room?
MP: 无毛视频淲ell, we无毛视频檝e both been on losing streaks, so we无毛视频檙e both going to come out there fighting. I know that we无毛视频檝e got to get ready to play. But it无毛视频檚 going to be fun. It无毛视频檚 like being in college looking for the rivalry game. Georgia and Florida State made it fun. That无毛视频檚 what football无毛视频檚 all about to me. But if it gets chippy out there, be by that bus.无毛视频�
GAME BREAKDOWN
What to look for from the Steelers at 1 p.m. at M&T Bank Stadium:
ON OFFENSE:
Le无毛视频橵eon Bell should be the key for an offense that will have either a Roethlisberger with limited mobility or backup Landry Jones at quarterback. Bell averages 4.8 yards per carry against the Ravens, up from 4.3 against the rest of the league. But the way each quarterback answered a question about leaning on Bell indicates the different styles we无毛视频檙e likely to see. Said Jones: 无毛视频淚 don无毛视频檛 really have to do a whole lot, just turn around and hand him the ball and watch the show from there.无毛视频� Roethlisberger put it this way: 无毛视频淭here are multiple ways you can get him the ball. It无毛视频檚 not just line up in the 无毛视频業无毛视频� and hand it to him right and left. We can move him around. We can throw him the ball. We can throw him the ball out of the backfield, and we can throw him the ball from the slot, different places, so there are multiple ways you can get a guy like that the ball.无毛视频� Even a limited Roethlisberger seems intent on throwing the thing, and that would include a speedy trio of receivers in Antonio Brown, a healthy Sammie Coates and a just-promoted Darrius Heyward-Bey.
ON DEFENSE:
Will Gay is questionable with a foot injury and rookie Artie Burns will replace him as the starting outside corner. That无毛视频檚 not much of a change, since Burns has been the outside corner in the oft-used nickel, but if Gay can无毛视频檛 play that likely means the re-appearance in the shot 无毛视频� in nickel 无毛视频� of another rookie, Sean Davis. That无毛视频檚 two rookies in the secondary against Steve Smith, Mike Wallace and Breshad Perriman. Those three match the Steelers无毛视频� trio with the crafty vet and two burners. If the Raven无毛视频檚 back-to-health offensive line gives Joe Flacco time, the Steelers corners will be tested.
PREDICTION
If Roethlisberger plays, as expected, it could turn into a shootout. But the Ravens have the better secondary and the better pass rush and they无毛视频檝e also got the healthier quarterback. The Steelers should attempt to ground the game a bit by handing the ball to Bell 25 times, but that doesn无毛视频檛 seem to be in the plan, so logic tells us the Ravens will win for the sixth time in the last seven meetings. Ravens, 27-23.
BY THE NUMBERS
1: Touchdowns scored by Antonio Brown in 13 career games against the Ravens. 无毛视频淲e无毛视频檝e moved him in every spot imaginable,无毛视频� said offensive coordinator Todd Haley. 无毛视频淢aybe there was a little element of surprise early on with that, but now, three to five years later, as he has become one of the elite guys in the league, they know where he is at all times.无毛视频�
8: Days remaining to activate Ladarius Green from the PUP list, if, as expected, the Steelers don无毛视频檛 activate him for this game. Green would need either an injury by another tight end or a monumental improvement at practice to be activated by the deadline and play this season.
12: Games between these teams, out of the last 16, that have been decided by three or fewer points.
18: Number of field goals converted by Ravens kicker Justin Tucker in 18 attempts this season. He无毛视频檚 one of three perfect kickers in the NFL and has made 22-of-23 career attempts against the Steelers.
121.9: Average yards per game from scrimmage by Le无毛视频橵eon Bell in his four-year career.
125.5: Average yards per game from scrimmage by Jim Brown, the only player in NFL history with a higher average than Bell.
151: Consecutive regular-season games played by Will Gay, an NFL high among active cornerbacks.
DOWNLOADS
n Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco isn无毛视频檛 exactly tearing it up. He无毛视频檚 been sacked 15 times and his passer rating of 75.4 is worse than even his 2008 rookie-season rating of 80.3. Terrell Suggs was asked about the difference in Flacco between this season and that. 无毛视频淭here无毛视频檚 NOT!无毛视频� Suggs hollered. 无毛视频淚 think he无毛视频檚 gotten better from when he first got here, but he无毛视频檚 definitely still cool. He don无毛视频檛 really get rattled by too much of anything. But one other thing I do like about him, he无毛视频檚 cussing out his receivers now.无毛视频�
n Mike Wallace will play today against the Steelers for the second time since he spent his first four years with the team. The speedy wide receiver caught two passes for 19 yards for the Miami Dolphins in their win at Heinz Field in 2013. Wallace is in his first season with the Ravens and has caught 35 passes at 14 yards per catch with three touchdowns. With the Steelers, Wallace averaged 17.2 yards per catch and averaged eight touchdowns per season. 无毛视频淭hey use him a little bit more inside sometimes,无毛视频� said defensive coordinator Keith Butler. 无毛视频淗e无毛视频檚 still stretching the field. That无毛视频檚 what he does well. They无毛视频檒l put him in the flat sometimes, but for the most part they want to try to go deep with him.无毛视频�
n The Ravens are the No. 3 run defense in the NFL, but last game the Jets gauged them for 155 yards behind Matt Forte无毛视频檚 100 yards on 30 carries. 无毛视频淭he Jets are a pretty good running team,无毛视频� said Le无毛视频橵eon Bell. 无毛视频淚 think they kind of chipped away at them. If you run at a defense for a certain amount of time, everybody无毛视频檚 going to break down eventually. I think they无毛视频檙e going to try to discourage the run early and we无毛视频檝e got to do our best to have our game plan set and going and continue to run the ball even if we无毛视频檙e getting 1 and 2 at a time. We无毛视频檒l have our 15 and our 20-yard runs near the end of the game. We无毛视频檝e just got to stick to the run and keep it going.无毛视频�
n Markus Wheaton 无毛视频� like Cam Heyward and Marcus Gilbert 无毛视频� has returned to the Steelers practice field, but unlike the others Wheaton has been used primarily on the scout team as Darrius Heyward-Bey has been promoted to the first group. Said Haley: 无毛视频淭he way you get back and get yourself in the mix is hard work, and a lot of that comes on the card team. You无毛视频檝e seen guys just all of a sudden start to show up consistently, and you know that it无毛视频檚 probably getting to be that time.无毛视频�
PARTING SHOT
无毛视频淵ou make big plays when you do what you无毛视频檙e supposed to do. And, you get in position to make big plays because you do what you无毛视频檙e supposed to do. What sometimes happens with young guys, especially, is they无毛视频檙e trying to force themselves to make plays and you end up letting the entire defense down by not doing your job.无毛视频� 无毛视频� Steelers defensive coordinator Keith Butler, whose defense hasn无毛视频檛 made many big plays.