RAVENS vs STEELERS
STEELERS WIN 27 – 22
- Story of the Game – Steelers Passing Game Catches Fire as They Regain Control of the North
Despite a heroic effort from Lamar Jackson down the stretch of this game the Steelers manage to hold on thanks to a tough call on a what would have been a Isaiah Likely TD that broke their way and a clutch few plays from their defense. Along with the call that saved the day for the Steelers their passing attack finally came alive. Rodgers and DK took over this game pushing the ball down the boundary on go balls as the Ravens DBs seemingly had no answer for it. As the Steelers passing game alive Lamar Jackson and the Ravens offense began to answer despite a slow start. Lamar looked to be trusting his injured hamstring more and more which opened up the Ravens offense as a whole so while they ultimately came up short Lamar trending in the right direction injury wise should have Ravens fans hopeful for a late season push… so long as it isn’t too late. Both teams continue to show flaws week to week on both offense and defense so for all the improvement each team showed throughout this game in certain areas I still don’t view either one as a real contender in an AFC that is wide open for any team that shows their a complete team.
- Key Notes for the Steelers
While the Steelers run game was near a complete zero (Totaled 34yds between 4 players all game) and certainly limited their offense they were finally able to break off explosives in passing game. Their two additions in the offseason, Aaron Rodgers and DK Metcalf, dominated on vertical balls down the sideline for the first time all season. With the success from Metcalf and Rodgers the rest of the passing game opened up underneath with pitch and catch opportunities for easy yardage to backs and receivers to help supplement the lack of push they were getting up front in the running game. It’s still far from what you ultimately want to see out of this offense as they can’t seem to play a complete game week to week but the promise of Metcalf and Rodgers building a connection and being able to open up explosives for this offense has to be refreshing for a Steelers team that’s not only lacked that this season but for years now.
- The changes at WR this week were a classic example of a team with Rodgers at QB as they benched young WR Roman Wilson and played veteran Marquez Valdes-Scantling, who Rodgers has a connection with from his time in GB, in a bigger role along with recently released and signed veteran Adam Theilen. I don’t see these changes making any real deep impact moving towards the end of the season but we may see Rodgers have a willingness to put the ball in some tougher spots with guys he trusts more.
The OL this game struggled to get any push along the LOS against the stout Ravens front but the pass protection may have been the best I’ve seen from this group all year. Granted it wasn’t a perfect showing as the Ravens were able to collapse the pocket a handful of times including once where they nearly came up with a crucial turnover on a batted pass at the LOS and a handful of other plays where they forced early throws. Ultimately they held up well though and when you combine that solid showing from the OL and how well Rodgers played against a blitz happy Ravens defense it was a promising showing despite a number of injuries along the OL.
While the Steelers defense got off to a hot giving Lamar Jackson and the Ravens offense trouble especially up front in the run game they tailed off late as Lamar started to look closer and closer to his usual self. Early on this Steelers DL were collapsing off the weak side edge on run plays basically daring Lamar to beat a man one on one and run which did help slow Henry down but ultimately ended up being an issue as the Ravens got in the red zone and Lamar started utilizing his legs and exposed the lack of attention on him.
In the passing game the Steelers were very aggressive. They attacked with man coverage on 3rd downs and played super physical throughout routes with the Ravens WRs but with that aggressiveness came some holes. They had a few busted coverages throughout the game and they couldn’t seem to slow down Zay Flowers who had a big day and exploited the mistakes in this Steelers secondary multiple times.
- Key Notes for the Ravens
Both the run and passing game came started out slow as Lamar looked to still be nursing his hamstring injury which allowed the Steelers front to collapse inside on Henry and the Ravens rushing attack overall without the threat of Lamar breaking a run outside one on one with a safety. As the game wore on it seemed Lamar started to trust his hamstring more in more which not only opened up the running game for Henry but also the passing game as the Steelers now had to respect Lamar as a runner in all phases. With Lamar now being a threat as a runner it really challenged the Steelers defense on 3rd downs which Lamar took advantage of by buying time and extending plays to free up time and space for Zay Flowers to exploit the Steelers man coverage. Had it not been for a rough call on what would have been a go ahead TD late in the game to Isaiah Likely Lamar and the Ravens would have pulled out the win despite the slow start. Obviously not the result they were hoping for but if Lamar’s hamstring continues to trend in the right direction for the rest of the season the Ravens could be a very tough out.
- RG Daniel Faalele continues to be a real issue for the Ravens passing attack as he not only gives up quick pressures himself but his inability to properly handle and communicate on stunts and blitzes leaves the entire OL vulnerable.
The Ravens pass rush was non existent today and it showed early and often as their DBs couldn’t hold up for as long as they were being asked. The DL was able to create push in both the run and pass game which largely shut down the Steelers run game but the inability to get off of blocks and hit Rodgers forced them to blitz and leave holes in coverage which Rodgers and the Steelers passing attack shredded. Aside from rookie Mike Green this team continues to have no one that threatens off the edge and without Nnamdi Madubuike in the middle of the DL they’re limited to guys that create push but aren’t real threats to creating sacks or even pressures on opposing QBs.
- Roquan Smith was everywhere this game and single handily wrecked the Steelers running game at times. If this team can find a way to create pressures let alone a consistent way to get sacks this defense could be a real threat to anyone in the league. The problem being I don’t see anyway they can do that with the personnel they have on the roster as of right now.
- Standout Performers
PIT
Aaron Rodgers – 23/34 284yds 1/0
- Played one of his best games of the season, consistently beating the Ravens blitzes and pushing the ball down the field to DK.
DK Metcalf – 7/148
Alex Highsmith – 7 Tackles 1 Sack 3 TFLs
- Was great off the edge all day but also came up with the game winning sack on Lamar before he could take a shot to the end zone.
Brandin Echols – 2 Tackles 1 Sack 1 TFL 1 PBU
BAL
Lamar Jackson – 19/35 219yds 1/1 – 7/43 1 TD rush
- While Lamar struggled early on he clearly found his rhythm as the game progressed and went on to have his best performance since coming back from his hamstring injury. While he was unable to pull the game out in the end he was excellent late in the game and would have came up with the lead had the Likely TD stood.
Zay Flowers – 8/124
Keaton Mitchell – 6/76 – 55yd run
Roquan Smith – 10 Tackles (4 Solo) 1 TFL
- Flew around the field the entire game and caused havoc both in the run and as a blitzer
Travis Jones – 1 Tackle
- Didn’t fill up the box score or have the effect they needed as a pass rusher but owned the middle of the LOS for BAL which shut down the Steelers run game
