Showing posts with label Ravens. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Ravens. Show all posts

Wednesday, January 7, 2015

Valar Morghulis: Steelers Lose

 30
 17

The atmosphere for the first playoff game at Heinz Field since 2010 was absolutely electric. The people sitting behind me asked what I thought about the game and the first thing I said was "we need to score 30 to win."


Offense got the nod for the intros. The Steelers won the toss and took the ball.

In a bit of a surprise, Ben Tate started the game in the backfield as the Steelers tried to work him in. He looked good on his first few touches but coughed the ball up, which we were lucky that AB was able to recover. AB ws able to pick up a 3rd down and get us to the fringe of field goal range but a sack set things back and that was that.

Brad Wing actually pinned the Ravens deep and the defense was able to hold to a 3-and-out, which was the only time we stopped them all game.

Martavis Bryant showed up big time in this game and started to look like a complete receiver, showing off much more of the route tree than we had previously seen. Bryant made an exquisite catch on a back-shoulder throw to convert a 3rd down on a stop-route down the sideline to get us to the edge of the red zone. The offense couldn't do much else as Dri got swallowed by Suggs and Ben got sacked by Dumervil.


3-0

Flacco took a deep shot and McCain made a great play to knock the ball away. A flag came out from the back judge and the crowd was irate thinking it would be pass interference.

Everyone was so busy watching McCain's leap to knock the ball away we overlooked Mitchell throwing his helmet to the dude. The Ravens took the 15 yards and started rolling into their outside zone running game.

Commercial Break


Folks in my section sang "Happy Birthday" to me too, so that was fun. Also, happy birthday to this guy:



Second Quarter

In a drive that would give Gary Kubiak wet dreams, Forsett got chunks on the ground in the outside zone and Flacco hit Owen Daniels a few times to march inside the 5. Bernard Pierce cashed it in.


3-7


Ben came right back with a beautiful deep out to AB that pretty much no one can stop. A few plays later, he was able to scramble away from pressure and find Heath wide open down the right side to get us into Ravens territory. We worked our way into field goal range and Ben took a shot for AB in the end zone on 3rd and 1 but he got pushed out and couldn't get both feet down.
A penalty on the Ravens kept the drive alive but a sack of Ben stalled things out and brought out Suisham again.

6-7

Flacco came out and went right after the secondary, hitting Steve Smith down the sideline for 23 to get them near midfield then converting a 3rd and long with a pass to Daniels to get them into field goal range. Not much else happened and Tucker knocked one through.

6-10

The Steelers were able to pick up two solid chunks to get near midfield as the two minute warning hit. The Steelers had already spent a timeout and wasted another one after getting across midfield. Wheaton took advantage of the Ravens playing 2-deep and reeled in a crossing route and got out of bounds to get us into field goal range. The offense couldn't do much more and Ben took a check-down to Heath on 3rd and long. Suisham hit a 47-yarder to draw us within 1 at the half.

9-10

Third Quarter

The Ravens got the ball to start the second half and picked up right where they left off. Flacco hit Torrey Smith on a come-back route to convert a 3rd and long then hit the jackpot on pass interference roulette to get into field goal range.
Sean Spence sacked Flacco on first down but the Ravens were able to get it all back on 3rd down and get into Tucker's range.

9-13

At this point, the difference in the game was that the Steelers had kicked a field goal on their trip to the red zone and the Ravens had scored a touchdown.


The Steelers tried their hand at Pass Interference Roulette but the refs decided not to throw a flag after Bryant got knocked down.




Flacco continued to play pass interference roulette but actually connected on a pass to Steve Smith down the sideline, immediately putting the Ravens back in field goal range. the defense looked capable of holding the Ravens to 3 and on 3rd down James Harrison stormed around the edge and was microns away from swatting the ball out of Flacco's hand when Joe stepped up in the pocket away from Harrison, slid to his left and fired a touchdown pass to Torrey Smith in the back of the end zone.

I hate to say it, but if it's 2008 or 2010, that's a strip-sack and Baltimore is either kicking a field goal or we're heading the other way with the ball. But in 2014, Harrison is just a shade too slow and it's a touchdown.


Just like your show did, in the end.

9-20


That put a damper on the crowd and the offense sputtered out another drive that included a 4th down conversion with Will Johnson pounding the rock but a sack on the subsequent 3rd down put an end to things.

Fourth Quarter

The Ravens drove it right back to midfield, converting a 4th and 1 with a QB sneak that everyone on earth knew was coming. However, on the next play two rookies stepped up with Ryan Shazier reaching a hand in and separating Forsett from the ball. Tuitt fell on it and the Steelers had new life at midfield.

Haley wasted no time and went right for it. Ben slung one deep to AB who was able to get between 3 Ravens defenders and make a leaping catch for what looked like a touchdown.


After review, they ruled his knee was down at the 1. Nevertheless, what a catch by AB.


After a false start that could've spelled trouble, Ben hit Bryant on a well-thrown fade.


Great job by Bryant going up and attacking the ball in the air. This was the most aggressive he was with his hands all season.


The Steelers opted to go for 2 to try to cut it to a 3-point game but Ben put a little too much air under a pass to AB and it was picked off.


15-20

The Steelers still had hope but the Ravens got a personal foul penalty tacked on to a good kick return. The defense held to 3rd and 13 but Flacco was able to hit Daniels wide open across the middle to move the sticks. The Ravens weren't able to convert again, but Tucker nailed a 52 yarder. That's unheard of at Heinz Field.



15-23

The Steelers weren't out of it yet but a series of unfortunate events would bury them.

On 3rd and short, Ben tried a check-down pass to Ben Tate that bounced off Tate's hands. Suggs made a rolling attempt at catching the ball and it was called an interception on the field, which everyone thought was wrong. As it turns out, Suggs trapped the ball between his thighs and it never touched the ground.


Mike Wallace made a similar catch for a touchdown a few years ago against Kansas City, so there's that.


Flacco hit some tight end on a crossing route that the Steelers had been unable to stop all day and the defense just laid down and let him walk into the end zone



15-30


Suggs making a big interception then Flacco throwing a big touchdown pass to a wide open tight end is basically the equivalent of Ned Stark getting beheadded.

There was still 8 minutes left in the game, but people started streaming out of their seats.

The offense was able to put together a drive into Ravens territory with Ben spreading the ball aroud to AB, Wheaton and Dri. Archer actually caught one out of the backfield and scampered into the end zone but the play was called back on a holding penalty.


On the next play, Ben got sacked and thrown to the ground and left the game. Bruce Gradkowski played his first snaps as a Steeler and completed two - one to Heath on 3rd and long then another to AB on 4th and 3 to move the chains. Ben came back in and tried to force one to AB which got picked off.

The Ravens were content to run the ball and punt but Shamarknado had other ideas, flying in and blocking the punt for a safety.



17-30

It was all over except for the details with under 2 minutes left and to add insult to injury Heath Miller fumbled after picking up a first down.



Flacco kneels it out.


Game Over.


Playoffs over.


Season Over.


Final Thoughts

These aren't really my final final thoughts for the season, I'll have more coming in a season wrap-up post, but here are my final thoughts on this game.

  • I guess 30 points was the magic number
  • Ravens showed no respect at all for the Steelers run game, played 2 safeties high the whole game, let their front 7 handle the run. The 2 safeties high effectively took away the deep ball, so before you think "we should've thrown deep more"...it wasn't there.
  • Biggest play of the game was Flacco stepping away from Harrison and throwing a TD to Torrey Smith.
  • Credit where credit is due, the Ravens had a good gameplan and executed it well. Converted a lot of 3rd and longs.
  • The Steelers played behind the chains most of the night and weren't great on 3rd down. Flacco converted some big ones.
  • Suggs and Dumervil dominated our tackles and we couldn't generate much of a pass rush on Flacco.
  • One truism of all sports is that the problems you have in the regular season will always come back to haunt you in the postseason. Our safeties were non-existent, we couldn't cover tight ends, we committed lots of penalties and we couldn't convert in the red zone.
  • The run defense was very good after the Ravens first touchdown drive.
  • The run defense was actually at its best when Dan McCullers was in at nose tackle, which is very encouraging moving forward.
  • Martavis Bryant showed signs of developing into a complete receiver. This was the best he attacked the ball in the air with his hands all year.
  • Josh Harris ran hard and didn't fumble, so there's that.
  • Wheaton did some good things out of the slot on crossing routes.
  • Stephon Tuitt really came on the second half of the season. He does a great job running to the ball. Huge fumble recovery after Shazier knocked it out.


Posted by The Steelers n'at Staff at 6:11 PM 0 comments
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Tuesday, January 6, 2015

Steelers Fan Playoff Power Rankings

The Steelers loss to the Ravens in the first round of the playoffs was unfortunate, and I'm still working on picking up the pieces of shattered expectations to formulate a game recap. That's coming later in the week. But for now, I wanted to get things rolling into the offseason by bringing back one of my most popular posts from last year.

In my post last year, I detailed three criteria for helping to rank teams when trying to choose a non-Steelers team to root for. With only 8 teams remaining in the field, here is your definitive guide for who Steelers fans should or should not root for to ultimately hoist the Lombardi.

The Criteria

1. Rivalries

Baltimore, Cincinnati and New England go to the bottom of the list. Always. I didn't include Cleveland or Oakland in this list because the thought of them making the playoffs would cause this post to lose all legitimacy.

2. Super Bowl Rings

As Steelers fans, we love holding the "Sixburgh" or "First to Six" or "How Many Yinz Got?" over fans of all 31 other teams. Therefore, we don't want to see anyone else get to 6 or even get within striking distance of 6 Rings. Looking at the 8 remaining playoff teams this year, Dallas leads the pack with 5 rings, followed by Green Bay and with 4, New England with 3, Denver, Baltimore and Indianapolis with 2, and Seattle with 1.

3. General Jagoffery

Does the team have a player that it's really easy to hate (i.e. Tom Brady)? Does the team have someone it's really easy to cheer for (i.e. Adrian Peterson)? Is their coach a Harbaugh?

The Rankings

8. Baltimore

Recommended Blogs/Twitter: I Hate JJ Redick, Purple Reign Show, @iHateJJRedick @BMoreBirdsNest @lindsayyok 

What To Like: Elite jokes

What Not To Like: They're Baltimore, so pretty much everything. Not just about the Ravens organization that endorsed Ray Rice but the entire city of Baltimore. Everything sucks.

The Verdict: Never under any circumstances should you root for the Ravens. Period.

7. Dallas

Recommended Blogs/Twitter: Blogging the Boys, @BloggingTheBoys, @MattThorntonNFL

What To Like: DeMarco Murray, I guess. Sean Lee was the only good thing about the Cowboys and he's out for the year. Tony Romo playoff meltdowns, too.

What Not To Like: Dallas getting a gift to make it through the first round. The Cowboys are tied with the Steelers for most Super Bowl appearances (8) and have 5 rings. A Super Bowl victory would put them into a tie with the Steelers.

The Verdict: Our rivalry with the Cowboys may have grown thinner over time since we only play them once every four years, but we can never forget the Super Bowls of the 70s or Larry Brown in 1995. Much like the 49ers of 2013, the only acceptable time to root for them is if they are playing the Ravens.


6. New England

Recommended Blogs/Twitter: FoxboroBlog

What To Like: The Patriots and Ravens both getting the mumps. 

What Not To Like: Having to root for the Patriots to beat the Ravens. Ugh. What makes matters worse is this is the 4th time in the last 6 years we've had to watch these two play in the playoffs.

The Verdict: Rooting for the Patriots violates all 3 of the Steelers Fan Criteria. A Super Bowl victory would give Brady/Belichick 4 rings which would tie them with Bradshaw/Noll. 

5. Denver

Recommended Blogs/Twitter:

What To Like: Peyton Manning is the smartest player in football. Never forget that he bought 30 pizza stores in Denver right before Colorado legalized pot. The Denver Broncos have lost more Super Bowls (5) than any other organization.

What Not To Like: Emmanuel Sanders playing like a legitimate #2 receiver. I don't think he's dropped a pass all year. Where were these clutch catches when he was with the Steelers?

The Verdict: Unfortunately, Denver is the second best option in the AFC and you'll have to root for the winner of Denver-Indianapolis in the AFC Championship Game.

4. Green Bay

Recommended Blogs/Twitter: @PackersTherapy

What To Like: Aaron Rodgers. Jordy Nelson down the right sideline. John Kuhn in short yardage.

What Not To Like: Green Bay beat the Steelers in Super Bowl XL and have 4 Super Bowl rings. A 5th would put them within striking distance of the Steelers.

The Verdict: Green Bay is a middle-of-the-road choice depending on how torn up you are about Super Bowl XL. That was four years ago, so if you've moved past the fact that Ben threw 2 interceptions and Rashard Mendenhall couldn't hold onto the ball in a key situation, then it's okay to root for Green Bay.

3. Indianapolis

Recommended Blogs/Twitter: Colts Authority, @NateDunlevy, @ColtsAuth_Kyle

What To Like: Andrew Luck memes, they are hilarious. Andrew Luck in general is pretty good, even if his receivers let him down a lot and he has no running game. TY Hilton is like Drew Brees - great indoors, not so great outside.

What Not To Like: TY Hilton outdoors. The Colts running game. The Colts pass rush, which had only 29 sacks this season. 

The Verdict: Of the 4 AFC teams remaining, the Colts are clearly the preferable choice. The Colts blogosphere has some really good writers, definitely worth checking out.

2. Carolina

Recommended Blogs/Twitter: @PanthersBryan, @PanthersMax

What To Like: Carolina's front 7 is incredibly fun to watch. Luke Kuechly is one of the best inside linebackers in the league. Head Coach Ron Rivera's house caught fire this week and thankfully everyone is safe.

What Not To Like: The Panthers 7-8-1 regular season record. They got by in the Wild Card Round thanks to facing an offensively inept Arizona team, but it's hard to see them getting past Seattle this weekend.

The Verdict: Mostly because of their 0 Super Bowl rings, Carolina appears very high on this list. Also, this 3 Act Play on the History of Teal Uniforms is worth your time.

1. Seattle

Recommended Blogs/Twitter: Field Gulls, @30AcreFortress, @FieldGulls, @hawkblogger

What To Like: The way the Seahawks play defense. The way the Seahawks run the ball. Seahawks twitter (you should follow everyone I listed, just for the fun of it). Marshawn Lynch postgame interviews.

What Not To Like: Seattle's wide receivers. In the words of Jerry Seinfeld, "Who are these people?" The Seahawks are the defending Super Bowl Champs so that might make them a bit insufferable.

The Verdict: They might be the defending champs but there's not a whole lot to dislike about the Seahawks. They run the ball, they play defense. Sure Richard Sherman is outspoken and Marshawn Lynch doesn't speak, but this is a team that Steelers fans can comfortably get behind to hoist their second straight Lombardi.
Posted by The Steelers n'at Staff at 7:27 PM 0 comments
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Friday, January 2, 2015

Playoff Gameday: Baltimore Ravens


8:15pm
The House That Hines Built
TV: NBC
Radio: WDVE and other affiliates

What To Watch For

1. Touchdowns, Not Field Goals

Before this season, the last 5 Steelers-Ravens games had been decided by less than 4 points. Then in a shocking turn of events, both games this season were won by 20 points. The Ravens bested the Steelers 26-6 in Week 2 in Baltimore and the Steelers turned around and delivered a 43-23 thumping in Week 9 in Pittsburgh when Ben Roethlisberger threw for 6 touchdowns. If history is any indication, this will be a close game. As we have seen the past few weeks, the Steelers defense isn't good enough to totally stop teams from driving but they are capable of making plays in the red zone and forcing field goals rather than touchdowns. In the first meeting, the Steelers were unable to convert anything into points while the Ravens knocked through 4 field goals with a long of 30 yards. In the second meeting, the Steelers were incredibly efficient in the red zone, with Ben throwing 3 of his 6 touchdown passes on red zone drives. The second game was also highlighted by big plays - two of the Ravens TDs (including a Jacoby Jones kickoff return) and three of the Steelers TDs came on plays longer than 30 yards. The Ravens will take their shots down the field to Torrey Smith (who is one of the best in the league at drawing pass interference calls) and the Steelers offensive line will have to hold back the Ravens pass rush to give Ben time to work the deep routes.

2. Next Man Up

The players who are not playing in this game will be almost as big a story as the players who are playing. Le'Veon Bell will be out for the Steelers after sustaining a knee injury last week against Cincinnati. The Steelers signed Ben Tate this week and figure to go with a tandem backfield of undrafted free agent Josh Harris, Dri Archer and Tate. That isn't the most imposing lineup but the Ravens have one of the best run defenses in the league, so rushing yards will be hard to come by. More importantly, whoever is back there (including fullback Will Johnson) will need to know their responsibilities in pass protection. Dri Archer blew a blocking assignment last week that turned into an interception when Ben rushed a throw. That simply can't happen in this game. The Steelers backs need to be sound in their blitz pickup, and the coaches need to know to not put people that can't block (Archer) in positions where he will have to pass protect. On the other side, the Ravens get Haloti Ngata back from his 4-game suspension but lose Timmy Jernigan off their defensive line to an ankle injury. Ngata is an absolute monster and is the primary reason why no one can run against the Ravens. The Ravens also lost left tackle Eugene Monroe to an injury, which means that undrafted rookie James Hurst will start opposite James Harrison. Buckle up.

3. The Magic Number

Unlike the Steelers-Ravens showdowns in 2008 and 2010, these are not two dominant defenses with middling offenses. Rather, this game is strength on strength and weakness on weakness. The Steelers Top 10 offense will line up against the Ravens Top 10 defense and the Steelers middle-of-the-pack defense will line up against the Ravens middle-of-the-pack offense. Since losing to the Steelers, the Ravens went 5-2 and are averaging 24.1 points per game, just below their season average of 25.6 per game. On the other hand, the Steelers have gone 8-2 since losing to Cleveland and have averaged 31.2 points per game during that run, an improvement of over 10 points per game over their first 6 games when they went just 3-3. If you're looking for a magic number in this game, it is probably 30. The Ravens have only broken 30 points 4 times this season and the Steelers have only allowed 30+ points 3 times. If the Steelers offense can put 30 on the board, even without much of a running game, they will likely be headed to Denver next week.

4. The Matchup Game

We all know the Dramatis Personae. Some of the players may have changed but the uniforms are still the same. Joe Flacco may or may not be elite, but he has had success dinking and dunking against the Steelers then taking deep shots for Torrey Smith. Two of the biggest badasses in the league, Steve Smith and Antwon Blake will likely go head to head and wind up in a fistfight before this one is over. The Steelers run defense has played better as of late, but the Ravens will use extra tight ends and unbalanced lines to spring room for Justin Forsett. Will  Troy Polamalu play and continue his reign of terror against Joe Flacco? In what could be James Harrison's last game at Heinz Field, he has an opportunity against an undrafted free agent. The Ravens have the 23rd ranked pass defense, but can the Steelers offensive line hold back Ngata, Suggs and Dumervil long enough for Ben to get the ball into the hands of his receivers? We all know Antonio Brown is the most dangerous man on the planet with a football in his hands, but without Le'Veon Bell we will need another skill player to step up. Will it be Markus Wheaton? Martavis Bryant? Heath Miller? The Ravens love to use their tight ends, but can the Steelers new rotation of linebackers be solid enough in coverage to prevent 3rd down conversions?

5. Valar Morghulis


It's the playoffs. It's Baltimore. It's Saturday Night.We are the Kings in the North, but that means nothing if the Ravens defeat us. Period.
Posted by The Steelers n'at Staff at 9:10 PM 0 comments
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Tuesday, November 25, 2014

Week 13 AFC Playoff Picture

With just 5 weeks remaining in the regular season, the AFC playoff picture is insane. Currently, 10 of the 16 AFC teams are either in position to make the playoffs or within a game of the last playoff spot. The Steelers didn't get any help over the bye week as all 3 of the AFC North teams that played won their games, which sets up a 5 week showdown for both the division title and the two wild card spots.

To start, it is fairly safe to assume that both New England and Indianapolis will make the playoffs. The Patriots and Colts both hold two game leads in their division races and it would take a massive surge from either Miami or Buffalo in the East or Houston in the South to topple them. Taking those two out of the equation, here's a look at how the other 8 teams in the AFC playoff hunt are situated, starting with our division foes because division tiebreakers are always broken first.

The North

Current Record: 7-3-1
Status: Leading AFC North by 1/2 game
Conference Record: 5-3
Division Record: 2-1

Remaining Games: @TB, PIT, @CLE, DEN, @PIT

Key Wins: BAL (2x)
Key Losses: NE, IND, CLE

The Bengals lead the AFC North by a half game thanks to their tie with Carolina. However, with 3 division games remaining the Bengals are not secure in their position atop the division. Their last 4 games will determine the AFC North Champions.

Current Record: 7-4
Status: 2nd in AFC North based on common games tiebreaker
Conference Record: 3-4
Division Record: 2-3

Remaining Games: SD, @MIA, JAX, @HOU, CLE

Key Wins: CLE
Key Losses: CIN (2x), IND

If the Ravens get through their next two games unblemished, it should be smooth sailing to the season finale with Cleveland. Even though the Ravens currently hold the tiebreaker in the division, they could just as easily lose it based on their 3 division losses (to the Steelers and Browns 2). 

Current Record: 7-4
Status: 3rd in AFC North based on tiebreakers
Conference Record: 6-3
Division Record: 2-2

Remaining Games: NO, @CIN, @ATL, KC, CIN

Key Wins: IND
Key Losses: none

All 5 of the Steelers remaining games are against teams in the playoff hunt, though two of them come against the 4-7 Saints and 4-7 Falcons who are somehow tied atop the NFC South. Nevertheless, the Steelers control their own destiny and can win the division with a sweep of Cincinnati and help their playoff status with a win over Kansas City, who currently holds one of the wild card spots.

Current Record: 7-4
Status: Last in AFC North based on tiebreakers
Conference Record: 4-4
Division Record: 2-2

Remaining Games: @BUF, IND, CIN, @CAR, @BAL

Key Wins: CIN
Key Losses: none

The Browns have not been a team that has blown many teams out this year. Four of their Seven wins have been by less than 6 points. Like the Steelers, all of their remaining games are against teams in the playoff hunt, though this includes a 3-7-1 Carolina team that is just a half game back in the NFC South. The Browns are very much still in the division race with 2 division games in the last 3 weeks.

The Rest of the AFC


Current Record: 8-3
Status: Leading AFC West by 1 game
Conference Record: 6-1

Remaining Games: @KC, BUF, @SD, @CIN, OAK

Key Wins: IND, KC, SD, MIA
Key Losses: NE

The Broncos appear on this list because they are clinging to just a 1-game lead in the AFC West and have road games remaining against the two teams chasing them - Kansas City and San Diego. The Broncos next 4 games are against teams in the playoff hunt before they close with Oakland. Given their 6-1 conference record it would take a lot for the Broncos to be knocked out of playoff contention. They could do the Steelers a big favor by winning out and knocking off some of the teams the Steelers are battling for playoff position.

Current Record: 7-4
Status: 2nd in AFC West, 1st Wild Card
Conference Record: 5-3

Remaining Games: DEN, @AZ, OAK, @PIT, SD

Key Wins: MIA, NE, SD, BUF
Key Losses: DEN

The Chiefs have 4 remaining games against playoff teams, two of which will determine who comes out on top of the AFC West. Their road game against the Cardinals won't help either team with tiebreakers but both teams will likely need the victory to hold their place in the standings. The game against the Steelers in Week 16 could essentially be an elimination game.

Current Record: 7-4
Status: 3nd in AFC West, 2nd Wild Card
Conference Record: 5-3

Remaining Games: @BAL, NE, DEN, @SF, @KC

Key Wins: BUF
Key Losses: KC, DEN, MIA

The Chargers have been boosted by a 5-game winning streak early in the season but are just 2-3 since then and their wins were an unimpressive 7-point win over Oakland and a 3-point win over St Louis. They have the hardest schedule of any remaining team with a road trip to Baltimore followed by the top 2 teams in the AFC coming to town in consecutive weeks before they close the season on the road with San Francisco (who is fighting for an NFC playoff spot) and Kansas City. If you're looking for a team with the potential to drop off big time, the Chargers are a distinct possibility.

Current Record: 6-5
Status: 2nd in AFC East
Conference Record: 5-3

Remaining Games: @NYJ, BAL, @NE, MIN, NYJ

Key Wins: NE, SD
Key Losses: KC, DEN

The Dolphins have the easiest schedule of any team in the playoff hunt with two games against the 2-win Jets and a game against the Vikings who are clearly out of the NFC playoff picture. Their best chances for losses will come in the next 3 weeks when they face Baltimore and play at New England. It would not be surprising to see this team win 10 games given their remaining slate.

Current Record: 6-5
Status: 3rd in AFC East
Conference Record: 3-5

Remaining Games: CLE, @DEN, GB, @OAK, @NE

Key Wins: none
Key Losses: SD, NE, KC

Who would have thought that a Week 13 game between the Bills and Browns would have huge playoff implications? Even though the Bills are the farthest back in the playoff picture, this is a big game for both teams. The Bills don't have any head-to-head tiebreakers (they split with Miami) so they need to rack up some victories against other teams in the playoff hunt. The Bills are also in search of their first winning season since 2004 and will have to go at least 2-3 down the stretch to get there, which basically means they need to beat Cleveland this week to have a shot. The Bills beating Cleveland would be a huge help to the Steelers in the AFC North race.
Posted by The Steelers n'at Staff at 5:00 PM 0 comments
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Wednesday, November 5, 2014

An Ass-Kicking Worthy of Mean Joe Greene: Steelers Win

23
43


It was Mean Joe Greene night at Heinz Field and the Steelers absolutely delivered.


Things started slow when the Ravens picked up a few first downs which was enough for them to pin the Steelers deep in their own territory after Flacco makes a horrible throw on a 3rd down.

The Steelers go 3-and-out and the Ravens are set up near midfield.

Flacco goes into Elite mode and hits Torrey Smith down the sideline behind Brice McCain for 6 on the first play of the drive.

0-7

The Steelers fall into the same offensive pattern and go 3-and-out again.



The teams trade punts back and forth and James Harrison morphs back into 2008 form and mauls Flacco to force another punt.

The Steelers start off trapped deep in their own zone but start to get things rolling when they finally get the ball into AB's hands. LeGarrette Blount starts to get things rolling and get us out across the 30.

Second Quarter

The Steelers had started to build some momentum heading into the second quarter but it all evaporated in an instant when Ben was sacked on 3 consecutive plays.

The Ravens were able to get it out to midfield and things were starting to look bleak when Arthur Moats delivered a big hit on a Ravens back and the ball popped out. Brice McCain was on the spot and scooped up the ball one-handed and scampered inside the 30 before Flacco makes an elite tackle.


On one of the weirdest plays you'll see, Ben completed a 7-yard pass to AB and he got dragged down from behind. The Ravens were penalized 3 times on the play for defensive holding, roughing the passer and a horsecollar tackle. Ravens twitter went off the deep end for some reason.



Three plays later, Ben hit Le'Veon on a backshoulder fade in the front corner of the end zone to tie it all up.


7-7

Steve McLendon apparently thinks we're playing baseball and roughs Flacco in retaliation for Ben getting roughed, or something. On the next play, James Harrison stunts around and scares the Elite out of Flacco who throws a pass right to Jason Worilds who takes it back to the 30.



After Dri moves the sticks, Ben hits Bryant on a corner post for six.
14-7

POINTS. OFF. TURNOVERS.

The Steelers defense continues to roll with momentum and James Harrison makes two short-yardage stops but the Ravens go for it on 4th down and Flacco makes an elite dive to pick it up. James Harrison got rolled up on in the pile and came off the field. On the next play, Flacco hits some RB out of the backfield who gets them into field goal range. Troy's leg got rolled up on as well and limped off the field. The bigger news than the Ravens kicking a field goal was James Harrison lumbering back out onto the field.


14-10

With just under 2 minutes to go, Ben goes to work. He hits AB across the middle who is able to make a move and get out of bounds near the 40. Three plays later, Ben hits Le'Veon out of the backfield who owns CJ Mosley and picks up the first down. After a timeout, Ben goes doooowntoooown and hits a streaking Markus Wheaton for the score.


On the extra point, Brad Wing fumbles the snap and has the presence of mind to roll out and hit Matt Spaeth to turn the extra point into a two-point conversion. Spaeth had no catches this year but catches a two point conversion on a broken play.



22-10



King Arthur Moats sacks Flacco and sends us to halftime.




Halftime

Mean Joe Greene's jersey was retired.

Third Quarter

The Steelers get the ball out of the half but can't really do anything with it and have to burn a timeout.

During the half, Owen Daniels reminded Joe Flacco that he existed and Flacco decided to throw him the ball a few times and get a couple first downs. The Ravens got to 3rd and 3 across midfield but James Harrison took things over and sacked Flacco.
Tomlin had to challenge to get the sack to count, and it did on some strange NFL rule that a shin counts as being down. The sack forced a punt.

The Steelers didn't really do much with the ball, but the Ravens defense completely melted down after Terrell Suggs and Elvis Dumervil both took personal foul penalties for late hits. The refs stopped the game to talk to both benches and Terrell Suggs spent some time yapping at the Steelers bench.







The Steelers don't do anything with it and punt it back to the Ravens who can't overcome a holding penalty and punt it back to us.

Ben completes a few passes then hits Le'Veon to move the chains with CJ Mosley in coverage.

Fourth Quarter

The Steelers are totally in the Ravens heads and Elvis tries to leave the building early by jumping offsides. The penalty puts the Steelers in 3rd and 9 rather than 3rd and 14. Ben makes them pay by hitting AB on a comeback route down the right sideline. AB cuts it back away from two Ravens, stiff arms another out of the way...


...and is off to the races ALL THE WAY TO THE HOUSE.



29-10





BELIEVE THAT


Just when you think things are settling down and the Steelers are ready to pull away, Jacoby Jones takes the kickoff 108 yards untouched back the other way.



29-17

Big Ben got to come back out and went right back to work on the Ravens defense. The Steelers totally abandoned the running game because it wasn't working but it really didn't matter because Ben was in the zone. Ben spread the ball around and picked up a first down on his own on 3rd and 1 with a QB sneak. The Ravens challenged it and it seemed like there might be enough evidence to overturn it but the refs let it stand. Ben finally found Heath for a big completion down the middle to get us into Ravens territory then AB again to get us into the red zone. Three plays later, Ben undresses the Ravens defense with a pump fake and slings one to Bryant on a deep post at the goal line for Bryant's second touchdown of the night.





FIVE TOUCHDOWNS FOR BIG BEN.



FIVE



36-17

11 TDs in TWO WEEKS.



The Ravens offense gets to come back on the field and Timmons sacks Flacco on 3rd down, continuing his excellent string of play after blowing chunks against Houston.


Ben fumbled a bad snap on the next drive, but at this point the bigger factor was taking 2 minutes off the clock.

The Steelers defense continues to play hard but gives up a 4th down conversion to let the Ravens drive stay alive and Antwon Blake gets called for a pass interference call to set the Ravens up at the 1. Flacco hits some tight end who spikes the ball into the crowd for a touchdown. Okay then.

36-23

The Ravens go for 2 and the defense stacks it up and stuff them.



The Steelers knock the onside kick out of bounds and take over with 3 minutes left, basically just needing one first down to run it out. Blount gets stopped on 3rd and 1 before the 2-minute warning so Tomlin sends the offense back out to convert a 4th and 2 and finish them.


And finish them we did. Ben goes play-action and lobs one to Matt Spaeth streaking down the field who makes an over-the-shoulder catch and stumbles into the end zone for Ben's SIXTH TOUCHDOWN of the night.




That touchdown pass was basically payback for the 2011 game in Baltimore when the Ravens called a designed fake extra point and ran it in for a two-point conversion when they were up by 35.



43-23

Rather than just running the ball and getting out of Dodge, the Ravens were dicks and called their last timeout and spiked the ball with 2 seconds left.
Audible "Ravens Suck" chant from the Heinz Field crowd.

Game.

BIG BEN.

Posted by The Steelers n'at Staff at 5:56 PM 0 comments
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