Sunday, Bloody Sunday: Steelers WIN

 13

 10

The Steelers win the toss and defer to the second half. The big story of the pregame was how windy and cold it was in Baltimore.

The Ravens come out passing and Flacco can't hit anyone. Flacco dances around forever on 3rd down before Ziggy brings him down.

Arians must have been watching the Nevada-Boise St game because the Steelers come out in the Pistol offense. Gotta say, I've always been a fan of the Pistol Offense. Ben is able to convert a 3rd and 8 with a swing pass to Redman that he takes up the sideline to get us across midfield. The drive stalls out there when Ngata destroys Ramon Foster on 3rd down. Ngata hit Ben in the face and breaks his nose. No idea how that's not a 15-yard penalty for a Blow to the Head. But whatever.

The Ravens offense does nothing, and then they attempt a fake punt but it gets blown dead on a false start call. Antonio Brown brings the punt back to the 45.

Ben takes a shot downfield on second down and barely overthrows Mike Wallace. Brown makes a nice catch on 3rd down but comes up just short of the sticks. Sepulveda pins them inside the 10.

The Steelers have the Ravens backed up to the goal line but on 3rd down Flacco goes deep and hits Boldin streaking downfield past Ryan Clark. Boldin takes it all the way to the 35 for a 61 yard gain. Vomit. The refs show early that they're going to call a fair game, calling the Ravens for holding, but Flacco converts with a few out-routes to move inside the 20. On 2nd down, the Steelers only bring 3 and Flacco is able to roll out and hang in forever, flinging one to a wide open Boldin for 6.

7-0

Raise Some grinds out 8 yards on first down, then Ben almost gets killed on 3rd and 2 but is able to get it out to Moore who scampers and barely picks up the first down. 

Second Quarter

Baltimore challenges the spot of the ball and loses. Suggs sacks Ben on 2nd down, effectively ending the drive. Sepulveda kills a punt with the wind at his back but the coverage breaks down and the Ravens bring it back to near midfield. 

After two incompletions, Flacco is able to hit Mason over the middle, but the defense keeps him short of the sticks. Cameras show Sepulveda on the sidelines getting his knee looked at. Uh-oh...

Ben comes out and hits David Johnson down the seam for a big gain. The offense keeps rolling with a slant route to Brown to move the chains and get the offense near midfield. Ben takes another shot deep and has both Brown and Wallace in the area but the Ravens corner makes a better play on the ball and picks it off at the 2.

In almost a mirror image of their last drive that started at the 2, the Steelers hold until 3rd down when Flacco finds a wide open receiver downfield for a 60+ yard gain. The Blind Side finally gets called for jumping the snap and Ike comes up with a big sack on 3rd down to push the Ravens out of Field Goal range. Big-time sack by Ike there. Great call by LeBeau.

With 4 minutes to go, Ben starts going to work, hitting Wallace and Sanders on the left sideline to move us up to midfield. Raise Some gets 8 on first down, but the offense can't convert. 

Two Minute Warning

With Sepulveda hurting, Tomlin elects to go for it on 4th and short. Ben looks off 2 receivers and hits David Johnson over the middle to move the sticks. The drive stalls out when Hines can't come down with a pass over the middle. The O-line did a fantastic job blocking that whole drive. Suisham punts, pinning the Ravens inside the 15.

The Ravens kneel it out. For the few defensive breakdowns we had, being down 7-0 wasn't bad at all. The O-line played a LOT better after the first two drives.

3rd Quarter

The Steelers pick up right where they left off, moving the ball with Mendenhall then Ben going over the middle to Hines, who atones for his earlier drop. Ben goes to Wallace on the WR screen, and Wallace makes a move and takes it up the sidelines down to the Ravens 30. First time all year the play worked, and it worked because we finally got it in the hands of our fastest receiver. The motif offense gets a try, and Sanders gets his fingertips on the pass but can't come down with it. Suisham nails it from 45.

That makes Suisham 5/5 from 40-49. Reed was 0/4. Just saying.

3-7

The Ravens get their longest run of the game when Rice gets 11 and moves the sticks on a cut-back run. Flacco, like he has done all game, does nothing on 1st & 2nd down, then goes after B-Mac on 3rd down, hitting Mason on an out-route to move the chains. Woodley gets held on the edge, but there's no flag and Flacco is able to scramble up the middle and get the ball inside the 10. The defense finally gets some pressure on 3rd down and forces a bad throw, holding the Ravens to 3.

3-10

The offense looks like it's going to crap all over itself when Mendenhall gets stuffed on 2nd and short and Ben fumbles on 3rd down, but the Ravens get called for defensive holding, giving the Steelers a first down. The Steelers go to the no-huddle and get rolling with Mendenhall on a swing and Sanders on an in-route. On 2nd and 1, the Steelers get stoned twice. Ben gets the team quickly to the line on 4th down and draws the Ravens offsides. Wow. Heath gets nailed helmet-to-helmet by a safety but there's no flag. DJ our only healthy TE now. 

After a few scary moments of Heath laying on the field he walks off. Even Chris Collinsworth starts asking how it wasn't a flag. If it's that obvious that Collinsworthless is questioning the officiating, you know something is bad.

Brown gets another catch on the WR screen and takes it up the sideline for the first down. Mendenhall grinds for 3, putting him over 1,000 on the season. On 3rd down, Ben scampers away from pressure and hits Manny Sanders open at the 2 for a big conversion.

Huge play to end the 3rd.

Fourth Quarter

Redman and Mendenhall get stuffed in the backfield and Ben tries to use the quick-out to Wallace but he gets held up at the 1. Suisham converts.

6-10

The Ravens try an end-around but Woodley blows it up.

A check-down to Rice gets them back to 3rd and 8 but a corner blitz by Ike forces Flacco to throw early. Punt.

The offense stalls out after an illegal formation penalty. Suisham punts again.

The defense holds when the Diesel gets his paws up and bats down a pass on 3rd down.

Ben gets things rolling with two nice passes to Wallace to get across the 40. Ben gets sacked on 2nd down and David Johnson can't get to the sticks on 3rd and long. Suisham punts.

Baltimore takes over at the 27 with 4 1/2 to play. Flacco goes to the air and B-Mac gets called for pass interference when Mason pushes off. Whatever. The officiating in this league is a joke. Troy comes untouched around the edge and knocks the ball out of Flacco's hand. Woodley scoops it off and takes off the other way, rumbling all the way to the 9.

HUGE TURNOVER BY THE DEFENSE.

Ben gets rushed by Suggs on first down but is able to push him off and throw the ball away. Heck of an individual effort by Ben. Ben throws it out the back of the end zone on second down. On 3rd down, Ben hits ISAAC F***ING REDMAN on a slant route

...he runs through about 40 Raves and plows to paydirt.

For the record, Redman scored on the double-slant route we love to run at the goal line.

13-10

Potsie and Silverback storm the backfield on first down and bring Flacco down. On second down, Flacco hits Boldin to get to 3rd and short. Ike makes a huge play on 3rd down to knock the ball out of Douchemandzadeh's hands. The Ravens go for it on 4th and 2 and the Steelers only rush 4, giving Flacco the time he needs to find a receiver.

Two Minute Warning

Flacco goes back to Boldin, hitting him to get the ball across midfield as the clock ticks to 1:30. B-Mac gets called for another PI, giving the Ravens another first down. Flacco goes deep for Douche and B-Mac makes a great play to get a hand in and knock out the ball.

Great job by B-Mac stepping up when he needed to after getting picked on all game.

Rice catches a check-down to get inside the 35. Flacco hits some joke out of the backfield but he comes up just short of the sticks. Baltimore uses their last timeout with 37 ticks left and a 4th and 2 at the 36.

Rather than attempt a long field goal, they go for it on 4th down. Flacco looks for Boldin on the quick slant but B-Mac has him blanketed, so Flacco goes the other way and underthrows his tight end, skipping the pass in.

TURNOVER ON DOWNS.

VICTORY FORMATION.

GAME.

FIRST PLACE IN THE NORTH.

BAM.

Players of the Game

Offensive Game Ball: Ben Roethlisberger

Defensive Game Ball: Troy Polamalu

Honorable Mentions:

Shaun Suisham

Isaac Redman

James Harrison

LaMarr Woodley

James Harrison

Ike Taylor

Mike Wallace
David Johnson

Mr. Yuck Sticker of the Game

No flags for Helmet-to-Helmet hits

Three plays really stand out in this one. Ben gets hit in the face by Ngata and breaks his nose. No flag, but a blow to the head. Heath gets crushed with a helmet-to-helmet hit. No flag. NBC lets us know that the NFL says it should have been a flag. Question of the night:

Seth brings up a great point. The NFL has, for a long time, sent Hallmark "We're sorry we screwed you over during the game but it won't change the result" cards on Monday or Tuesday to teams that suffered bad calls. But to call them out in the middle of the game? That's a pretty low blow. It really hurts the credibility of the league. The third call in question was on the Steelers last drive, when Suggs had Ben by the ear-hole of the helmet. Not sure how you can grab the quarterback by the helmet without hitting him in the head. Regardless, the NFL is digging themselves deeper and deeper into a hole, and you'd better believe their phones will be ringing off the hook if the Raven who hit Heath doesn't draw at least a $50K fine.

Anyone who wants to call or write on your own:

National Football League

280 Park Ave # 12W 

New York, NY 10017-1206 

(212) 450-2000 

Their address and phone number aren't a big secret. It's on Google Maps.

Be respectful though. They'll probably just ignore you if you're rude.

Final Thoughts

• What an effort by Ben Roethlisberger playing with a broken nose. How much can you say about him? Holy cow, what a warrior.
• He's not going to get a lot of credit, but Ike Taylor played one hell of a game tonight. He might be a Top 5 cover corner in the league.
• We're getting really thin at TE and OL with Heath and Flozell going down.
• Sepulveda has a torn ACL and is out for the year. Who brought the kryptonite in Baltimore?
• Big Ben is 6-0 against the Ravens since 2007.
• That was Big Ben's 19th career 4th quarter comeback and 25th career Game-Winning Drive, his 5th Game-Winning Drive against the Ravens. [Source: Pro Football Reference]
• Isaac "Red Zone" Redman. What a play on the game-winning score. Great individual effort.
• I've been pretty outspoken about disliking the WR screen in the past, but if they're going to throw it, I'd rather it go to Wallace. He actually has the speed to make some big plays out of it.
• The Pistol Formation was a good move by the coaching staff. Nice to see them mixing it up.
• Arians actually called a pretty good game. Still would like to have better plays inside the Red Zone rather than relying on individual efforts for scores, but we like to give credit where credit is due.
• Does Dick LeBeau know how to coach or what? The two corner blitzes he sent Ike on resulted in a sack and a rushed throw on 3rd down. Sending Troy off the corner was the difference in the game.
• Our O-line couldn't block Suggs all game, but they stepped up when they needed to and got better as the game went on.
• Did Ed Reed even play tonight? He was a complete non-factor. Best safety in the league, eh Deion? 
• Besides the one drive where we gave up 2 big plays to Boldin, the defense did a great job against the Ravens receivers. B-Mac got picked on but stepped up and made a big play when he had to. 
• James Harrison is a freaking monster. Glad to see a few holding penalties finally get called, but there were also a few big ones that weren't.
• People have ragged on our defense for giving up points in the 4th quarter, but guess what? This was the 6th time this year the Ravens D blew a 4th quarter lead.
• Under-rated play of the game: Ben drawing the Ravens offsides by rushing the team to the line on 4th and 2.
• Under-rated play of the game #2: Ben rolling away from an unblocked blitzer to find Sanders at the goal line to set up our second FG.

Gameday: Baltimore Ravens

1:00 pm

Malfoy Mansion

TV: NBC

Radio: 102.5 WDVE

What to Watch For

1. Statistics vs Reality

Looking at the numbers, one would think these two defenses aren't necessarily evenly matched. The Steelers have allowed 304.5 yards and 16.5 points per game, along with 32 sacks, 14 INTs, and 23 forced fumbles. The Ravens have allowed 307.4 yards and 17.1 points, but the difference comes in the big plays. The Ravens only have 19 sacks, 10 INTs, and 11 forced fumbles. Considering that Ed Reed has 4 picks in the few games he's been back, that means the other guys on the Ravens have only made 6 INTs in 11 games. But all those stats mean nothing come Sunday night. The only thing that will matter is who creates more opportunities for their offense to put points on the board and whether or not their offense converts them. Which brings me to....

2. Take advantage of opportunities

This isn't the Buffalo Bills defense we're facing here. We're not going to put together 7-minute 80-yard drives against them. In the first game against the Ravens, the Steelers defense created two turnovers in positive territory, but the offense didn't convert them into points. Jeff Reed's two missed field goals were the difference in the game. The way both defenses play, offensive opportunities will be limited, so the team that is able to get 7s instead of 3s will have the upper hand. In the last 5 matchups, the Steelers haven't scored more than 23 points (3 times) and the Ravens haven't scored more than 20 (3 times).

3. Ravens Secondary

Quick, besides Ed Reed, name 3 members of the Ravens secondary.

Odds are, you couldn't get past Fabian Washington and Dawan Landry. If you remembered Tom Zbikowski, Ladarius Webb, or Haruki Nakamura then you should probably get some kind of award. The fact that you haven't heard of them doesn't mean they're not capable of making plays. In the last game, Fabian Washington did a great job staying with Mike Wallace on deep routes. That said, Chuck Batch was throwing the ball and he doesn't exactly have the arm to overthrow Mike. Big Ben does. We've been critical of Bruce Arians in the past, but if there's one thing he needs to do in this game, it's take at least 5 shots downfield against the Ravens secondary. Besides Ed Reed, their corners aren't great and Mike Wallace can run past anyone. Just don't underthrow the ball. 

Besides Wallace, Hines Ward has had some big games against the Ravens. Mostly he's done this by getting open across the middle of the field in front of the deep safety (Reed) and between the linebackers. If the Ravens bring overload blitzes like they usually do, this means that the middle of the field should be open for Hines and Heath to go to work. Heath is due for a breakout game, and this could be it.

4. Ray Rice

Everyone knows what the Steelers run defense brings to the table. Ray Rice has had big games against the Steelers doing other things. Namely, catching the ball out of the backfield. The two offenses that have really beaten up our defense this year, the Patriots and Saints, both did it with short, quick passes to running backs and tight ends. A lot of what the Patriots did to beat us was 3-step-drop-and-throw type plays, which negated our pass rush because the ball was coming out so fast. Last year, the Ravens were able to convert a key 4th down with a quick pass to Rice. But the Steelers do have an advantage this year: Lawrence Timmons. Timmons has been an absolute monster on defense this year, both against the run and the pass. 

5. Terry McAulay

Who is Terry McAulay? Only the most important person on the field on Sunday. The head referee. By now, everyone has heard the background to this. Most rational people (and even some irrational ones) have acknowledged that there is something wrong about the way the NFL is distributing fines and flags, especially against the Steelers. James Harrison has been flagged for multiple roughing the passer penalties that were just horrendous calls. Hines said earlier this week that the way games were being called, it was only a matter of time before a referee's call changed the course of a game and decided the outcome. The good side? McAulay was the ref in Super Bowl XLIII. I went back and read my game recap and couldn't find any mention of bad calls, so that's a good start.

Behind Enemy Lines

This week's Behind Enemy Lines guest is Phil from I Hate JJ Redick. We were on their podcast this week, too. Still working on getting a link for that. You should probably follow him on Twitter as well, especially if you play Fantasy Football and ever need matchup advice. Besides being Ravens fans, the guys over at IHJJR pretty cool guys.

1.  With both the Steelers and the Ravens sitting at 8-3, there's a lot to like about how both teams have played. What have you been most impressed with from the Ravens this year?

 Most Ravens fans don't think so but Joe Flacco has really impressed me. Besides a horrible game against the Bungals he only has 4 interceptions on the year. People have to remember he is only in his 3rd league and he is continuing to grow. He's on pace to take us to the playoffs in each of his first three seasons. I'll take that. Any team would.

2. In our first meeting this year, Baltimore stuck with a balanced attack of rushing with Ray Rice and Willis Get-Knocked-Out McGahee and throwing at corners not named Ike Taylor. However, when it mattered most, Flacco was able to pick apart the Steelers secondary. Do you expect the Ravens to stick with the balanced approach or come out throwing against our secondary which has been somewhat suspect at times this year?

I think the Ravens will take a page out of the Patriots playbook against the Steelers, spread out four receivers and attack the Steelers only weakness, poor cornerback play. Look for Houshmandzadeh to be involved alot and I really think Stallworth will get a couple deep passes and a couple end arounds to capitalize on his speed.

3. The Ravens defense has had a lot of success over the years getting after Ben with overload blitzes. Given the Steelers banged-up offensive line, do you expect the Ravens to bring overload blitzes like the Saints, Bengals, and Pats did or sit back and play coverage and rely on their front 4/5 to get pressure?

With our secondary we can't afford and to sit back and watch Big Ben pick us apart. We have to attack him and even more so with the injuries on the Steelers O line. Suggs has been playing really well the last couple weeks and he always shows up in this rivalry so he's the guy we need to create pressure on R***lisberger.

4. Both teams are very familiar with each other. Both fanbases know the players on the other team.To have the division title come down to a game against the Ravens, well, we wouldn't have it any other way. All that said, are there any "under-the-radar" players you expect to have a big impact on this game?

Besides Stallworth who could be a secret weapon on offense I'd have to say Jarrett Johnson on defense. He's a guy who can get to the quarterback and he seems to always play well in big games.

5. Any other final thoughts?

I don't think I've ever been this excited for a football game before. I will be at M&T Stadium on Sunday night and I can only imagine what the atmosphere is going to be like. This is football at it's best. While I hate the Steelers with my entire being I respect their organization, how they do business, and how they play. Should be a great game.

Around the League

AFC North:

New Orleans @ Cincinnati, Cleveland @ Miami

Miami needs to win to stay in the AFC Playoff race.

Game of the Week:

NY Jets @ New England

Probably the first time all year the two primetime games are the best games of the week. Not sure if anyone knows about this game though, it wasn't mentioned at all last week on Monday Night Football.

AFC Playoff Race:

Jacksonville (6-5) @ Tennessee (5-6)

The Jags need to win to hang on to their lead in the division. Tennessee losing might bury their playoff hopes.

Denver (3-8) @ Kansas City (7-4)

The Chiefs have a one-game lead on the red hot Chargers in the AFC West. They got smoked by Denver last time. This is a revenge game.

Oakland (5-6) @ San Diego (6-5)

As is normal for December, the Chargers are on a streak coming from the bottom of the division to challenge for the division crown. The Raiders need a win to keep their playoff hopes alive.

Dallas @ Indianapolis (6-5)

Indy is wrecked with injuries. Thankfully they play in a division with Jacksonville and are still tied for first.

Steelers Bloggers Roundtable

Our buddy Cory from Three Rivers Blog, who you may know as our collaborator on our epic Vancouver Olympics Previews and World Cup Previews, gathered up a group of Steelers Bloggers to get their opinions on a series of questions leading up to the Steelers-Raves game. We were lucky enough to be a part of the roundtable. Good stuff.

Contributors were myself (Ian), Cory from Three Rivers Blog, Bam from Blitzburgh Blog, JJ from Steelers Lounge, and Cotter from One For The Other Thumb.

For good measure, we stuck a poll at the bottom of the post so you can throw out your predictions for the game as well.

Question 1: What do the Steelers have to do to win?

Take advantage of their opportunities. In the first game against the Ravens we had 2 turnovers that we failed to get points from. Those 2 missed field goals were the difference in the game. The Steelers need to get 7s on the board rather than settling for 3. On the flip side, we have had success getting to Flacco in the past, but we can't just sit back with 7 or 8 in coverage. We're going to have to blitz him.

The Steelers really just have to make no mistakes. With Ben banged up and the offensive line “below the line” as Mike Tomlin might say it is imperative that the Steelers really minimize their mistakes. One special teams blunder or a pick six really could be the difference in the game. I really think what is most important is that the Steelers need to realize that punting is ok. Last week against a Bills team the Steelers could take some chances and get away with them, not the same with this Ravens team. Play the field possession game when you have to and let your defense be great. Now, by this I am not saying to not take chances, because you need to exploit that Ravens secondary with Mike Wallace and Hines Ward, but sometimes punting isn’t the worst thing.

Hmmm. Pressure Joe Flacco. He's no Tom Brady, but he can make plays if you let him and a couple big throws could be enough to tilt the balance of the game towards Baltimore. Staying healthy and playing smart are also big. It seems like it has been weeks since the Steelers have gone through a game without injury after injury to both the offensive and defensive lines. And obviously Pittsburgh has to do something about the penalties. No way they can beat a good team like the Ravens giving up 100+ yards in penalties. 

Create some big plays on both sides of the ball. You're not going to put together seven minute drives against Balitmore like Pittsburgh did against the Bills. But if Mike Wallace can get open deep, or Troy Polamalu can make an big interception, it has just as much impact as first down after first down after first down.

Put more points on the board than the Ravens. What, not the answer you were looking for? How about – play 60 minutes of solid defense. I mean, that’s pretty much a recipe for success every week, but I think this time around, sackS (like, as in, more than one) would be nice (really, any pressure), and if we could get a couple more takeaways like we did last time, that would be amazing. Without pressure, I don’t know if the Steelers corners right now – with McFadden ailing and with Willie Gay, Keenan Lewis and Anthony Madison behind him – can really cover Anquan Boldin/Derrick Mason/Douchemandzadeh for all that long before something breaks. So, getting to Flacco quickly is going to be important. Michael Oher being hurt should help, and remember, even though Marhsal Yanda more or less silenced LaMarr Woodley last time, he’s still the backup RT. Either way, both teams are going to be fired up, and we know it’s going to be a physical game, so what’s going to make the difference may just be which team can outsmart the other. As far as offense goes, I think we keep Mendenhall involved, but also be aggressive and try to create some big plays. Big Ben being back should **hopefully** help with that. Also, punching Ed Reed in the dick before kickoff couldn’t hurt. I nominate Hines Ward for the job.

Question 2: What Player on the Ravens scares you the most?

Easily, Haloti Ngata. No one on our offensive line, even Pouncey, can block him. We have had zero success running in his direction over the years, but we still do it. The Ravens move him around on their defensive line, and he's a guy that we will need to identify where he is (and preferably run a play in the other direction).

As much as I hate the dude, Ray Lewis still scares me the worst. Even though he has maybe lost a step from his best years he is still a dynamic football player. Even though he may night make as many plays as he used to all it takes is one bit play from Ray and that defense seems to just take it to another level. I guess the other guy that is so underrated but might be the best defensive player on that team is Ngata. JJ talked about it too, but this dude is a force at stopping the run and with our up and down line it will be interesting to watch.

There are quite a few. Ngata, Reed, Heap, Rice. All those guys have had some success against the Steelers in recent years. But the two guys I'm always the most worried about are Derrick Mason and Ray Lewis: the ageless ones. I think it was two or three seasons ago when I wrote on the blog that both should be starting to slow down. Yeah, that didn't happen. People can hate Lewis and make fun of him, but he is the best middle linebacker I have ever seen play the game of football. 

I'll start out with the Raven who scares me the most. Boldin and Rice are good, but the guy who will give me nightmares is Haloti Ngata. Kyle Williams is a very good defensive tackle, and he just turned Chris Kemoeatu into a chew toy. Ngata is bigger, faster and stronger than Williams. If Pittsburgh's offensive line picked up 7 penalties last week against a solid Bills' line, how many will they pick up this week against Ngata and the Ravens?

Off the field, Ray Lewis. And it’s not because of the stabbing so much as it is the Old Spice commercials. On the field, Ngata x 1000. Particularly this season with the weekly changing of the guard (and tackles.../rimshot) up front, a guy that can dominate linemen like Ngata is one of the scariest things I can imagine. Plus, it just makes it that much easier for the rest of the Ravens pass rush to get to Big Ben. I’m hopeful that the Steelers can minimize the damage he inflicts, but just in case, we should probably equip Maurkice Pouncey, and Chris Kemoeatu with razorblades. Just kidding, Goddell (smiley with teeth).

Question 3: What Steelers player are you looking for to have a big game?

Heath Miller. He hasn't had a breakout game yet this year because he has drawn more blocking assignments. However, if the Ravens take a page out of the Saints/Bengals/Patriots book, they will be bringing pressure up the middle, leaving the middle of the field open for Heath to roam free.

Ben Roethlisberger. All the dude does is win, especially against the Ravens. He is 7-2 all time against Baltimore (including playoffs) and is 5-0 in his last five against them. The Ravens have won three of the last eight meetings, Ben played in none of them. Obviously Ben is hurting a bit from his foot which will hurt him getting out of the pocket, but Ben is good is big games and this is as big of a game as it gets. I can’t remember the last time there was this kind of feel in a regular season game, but I expect a big night from the big one they call Ben. If the Steelers can get the running game going even a little bit Ben will kill the Ravens with play action.

The offensive line. All of them. If Ben has some time to make plays, I like our chances. Unfortunately, I don't see that happening against a great and aggressive defensive front for Baltimore. 

LaMarr Woodley. He's been pretty quiet lately, but he's torched the Ravens in past games. James Harrison will have a big game, he always does. But if Pittsburgh is going to win, Woodley needs to have one too. 

If it’s going to be anyone, I hope it’s Ben. The last time we played the Ravens, Chuck Batch only completed 12 passes for 141 yards, and the Ravens still needed a touchdown in the final minute to win by 3 (and really, the Steelers could’ve won if Jeff Reed was Shaun Suisham...that was painful to type). I really hate to sound overly confident, but Ben completes 12 passes hanging upside down, blindfolded, drinking a juice box. My concern for this game is really whether the defense can get to Joe Flacco (in case you didn’t get that from question 1, haha). 

Question 4: What match-up do you think we can exploit?

James Harrison and LaMarr Woodley vs Anyone on the Ravens O-line. The Blind Side was jumping early a LOT last game to try to get an edge on these guys. Either way, Harrison and Woodley are our best bets to shut down the Ravens offense.

Gonna be hard to really exploit anything in this game. The game is going to be really tight and every play could determine who wins and who takes the loss. I think we can take advantage of the Baltimore secondary if we have the chance. There is nobody in this league that can run with Mike Wallace. The key is going to be giving Ben time, but if he has some time I really think we can get things going with Hines underneath and Mike downtown. I have to also agree with Ian with the outside duo. Oher was jumping really bad last game and he is hurt this time around so he might need some help to stop James.

Baltimore's secondary aside from Ed Reed is very mediocre. Big Ben can carve these guys up if he gets the chance. 

The Ravens secondary. You have to figure out how to keep Ed Reed away from the ball, but there are some cornerbacks in that secondary who can be beaten.

Fabian Washington/Ladarius Webb on anyone. Advantage: anyone.

Question 5: Biggest underlying story of the game?

The AFC North division title is essentially at stake. A Baltimore win would essentially put us 2 games back in the division race. Plus, who wants to get swept by those D-bags?

I think in terms of the game it is how the Ravens are going to play the Steelers pressure. Last game the Ravens were in max protect mode and was always keeping one more player in to block than the Steelers have rushers coming. That obviously gave Flacco time to find receivers and pick what he wanted to do. If the Steelers can get to Flacco they will have success but if the Ravens do what they did last game Dick LeBeau will have to get creative. I think field goal kicking also is going to be huge, which I will talk about in the final question.

I think injuries on both sides are being lost a little bit in the Steelers/Ravens hype. Both Roethlisberger and Troy Polamalu are going to be at least a bit limited in practice this week. Bryant McFadden being banged up could  be a big deal too. The Ravens are obviously aware of this thing and I'd be expecting to see a lot of shots towards Roethlisberger's foot. 

Can either team run the ball? Both teams love to stuff the run, and both teams love to run. We'll see who can actually move the ball on the ground.

I hate to say it, but can this team beat a contender during the stretch run? We haven’t beaten a team with a record over .500 since Miami six (?) or so weeks ago. I’m not saying we can’t or won’t, but when you look at the last five games, they beat the Bills, Raiders, and Bengals, and lost to both the Saints and Patriots. If this team has playoff hopes, it’s going to have to be able to do what it has been doing against the Buffalos/Oaklands/Cincys – playing through adversity and making enough big plays – against the Ravens/Jets, etc. But I think starting with the Ravens on Sunday, the Steelers are ready to show how legit they are this year. 

Question 6: Final Score?

As has been true with most Steelers-Ravens games over the past few years, the last team to get the ball will win. We like Big Ben against the Ravens D in clutch time. Steelers 23-20.

These games are always tight. Outside of the occasional win by 7+ these games come down to field goals. I ended by “underlying story” question by saying that these are usual scoring is around three points so field goal kicking is going to probably win this game. Last week Shaun Suisham hit 4-of-4 from 40+ and I think he is going to need to be that good this game. Steelers 20, Ravens 17.

I have a ton of respect for the Ravens. They play football the way it was meant to be played and they are the one other team in the NFL who is capable of physically beating the Steelers up on a good night. Baltimore's physicality always brings out the best in Pittsburgh, but I think the Steelers offensive line is just a little too banged up to be able to handle Baltimore's front 7 well enough for Pittsburgh to win. Neither team should be able to run much, but Flacco will have the time to make a few more plays throw the air and that will be the difference. Ravens 20 Steelers 13 

Ravens 21, Steelers 17. I unfortunately think that the Steelers' offensive line is going to find itself overmatched. I hope I'm wrong.

Oh man, um, I’m gonna go...Steelers – 27, Ravens 17. I don’t want the Ravens to score 17 points in any way, but I do think the Steelers can score 27. That said, I’ll take Steelers – 3, Ravens 0 and/or Steelers – 12, Ravens – 6, and/or any other asinine final score as long as it’s the Steelers winning. Also, Refs: 12, James Harrison: -$50K.

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