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Steelers-Ravens Preview: The Rivalry That Is

Yinzer Crazy • October 29, 2020
No disrespect to the Cleveland Browns.

Well, alright maybe a little.

Fans of the Browns might consider their two annual match-ups against the Steelers a “rivalry.” 

The problem is it's usually only two games - as the Browns haven't made the playoffs since 2002.

I wrote prior to the Browns-Steelers game a few weeks back that just because Myles Garrett went all Quentin Tarantino on Mason Rudolph last season that, doesn’t make that game a rivalry.

I’ve been to Rocket Mortgage Field House, home of the Cleveland Cavaliers to catch a hoops game plenty of times.

Every game they show a picture of Ben Roethlisberger on their big-screen to evoke boos from the crowd each time an opposing player steps to the free throw stripe.

They should probably start showing their own players, as Roethlisberger is now 24-2-1 against them in his career following the Steelers drubbing of the Browns in week 6. 

But we’re past all of that - way past it.

It’s Ravens Week - as we like to call it in the 'Burgh.

The Steelers and Ravens have faced off against each other 46 times including playoffs since 1999. 

The records?

23-23. 

A dead even split in which the Ravens have averaged 20.3 points per game, while the Steelers have scored 19.5 points per game.

If the Browns are the rivalry that isn’t - the Baltimore Ravens are the rivalry that is.

It’s time to put on your favorite superstitious underwear, avoid crab-cakes and stay away from old bay seasoning on your french fries for the duration of the week. 

Crab-cakes can’t really taste that great in Pittsburgh in late October anyways, so quit complaining. 

There are some significant items working in favor of both the Steelers and Ravens as we head into the clash for the division lead.

Let's break them down a bit - and of course at the end as always we will make our prediction.

Much like the Steelers - we are 6-0 this season on our game predictions, and came within just one point of nailing the final score of the Steelers-Titans clash last week, when we predicted the black and gold would come away with a 27-25 win.

They won 27-24  - and are the last unbeaten in the NFL.

Do we think that will change this weekend?

Here we go.

The Steelers Advantages:

Their ability to stop the run.

Yet again, we have a serious battle of strength on strength.

The Ravens love to run the football, and they do it extremely well.

But the Steelers live to stop the rushing attack.

Baltimore leads the NFL in yards per carry at 5.4 per tote.

The Steelers allow only 3.7 yards per attempt - good for second fewest in all of Football.

If you eliminated Eagles running-back Miles Sanders 74 yard touchdown run in week four, the Steelers are surrendering less than three yards a touch to running backs and haven’t allowed a rush longer than 19 yards. 

We all wondered how they would fare against the Manimal, Titans beast of a human Derrick Henry last weekend. 

The new Steel Curtain held him to the second lowest rushing total in his last 16 games. 

The big difference is that when the Titans wanted to run the ball you knew exactly who was getting it.

The Ravens present a different challenge, in that they are much dynamic in their approach.

Mostly due in part to quarterback Lamar Jackson - who has 346 rushing yards in just 6 games, trailing only Cardinals QB Kyler Murray for the NFL lead.

He led the NFL in rushing yards by a QB last season, scampering for 1,206 yards en route to his first MVP trophy.

But the Steelers were able to corral him in their lone-meeting last season at Heinz Field (Robert Griffin III started the Week 17 matchup in Baltimore.)

The Ravenous Pittsburgh D sacked Jackson five times, intercepted him three and held him to only nine yards total on the ground in a 26-23 overtime loss where Mason Rudolph started and Duck Hodges came in out of the bullpen after former Ravens S Earl Thomas delivered a nasty blow to the head of Rudolph. 

Last week I tried to popularize my new term “Heisman-ize” in reference to Derrick Henry and his nasty stiff-arms. 

It’s the NFL equivalent to a “posterize” in the NBA, where a player makes the opponent look quite feeble.

Henry, a former Heisman trophy winner, was unable to Heisman-ize this Steelers defense.

Will they make it two straight weeks and two straight years against Jackson, another former Heisman winner?


Another Steelers advantage is that the Ravens really struggle to pass the ball. 

Even with a prolific rushing attack, Baltimore ranks just 27th in total offense. 

Jackson averages only 189 yards through the air per game thus far on the season - which puts him near the bottom of the league in terms of quarterbacks. 

Much of this is due in part to the fact that the Ravens quite simply don’t have a stacked wide-receiver room like the Steelers do.

Infact, they’ve been so paltry that they just signed former Cowboys wide-out Dez Bryant straight out of of his casket.

This from the Baltimore Sun’s Jonas Shaffer,

From 2010 to 2017, Dez Bryant had 7,459 receiving yards and 73 touchdowns.

"In their NFL careers, Ravens receivers Hollywood Brown, Willie Snead, Miles Boykin, Chris Moore, Devin Duvernay and James Proche have combined for 4,991 yards and 29 touchdowns."

That’s indicative of just how little this current group of lost birds has produced. 

But don’t feel the need to wash those superstitious underoos just yet.

These items look good on paper for Pittsburgh - but the Ravens may have more stars aligned in their favor for this contest. 


The Ravens Advantages:

Bye Bye Birdie

Roethlisberger said in his Tuesday presser in regard to Steelers-Ravens: "This is one you want your bye week to be after.”

Instead, for the Steelers, the game comes off of the heels of a physical and emotional battle with the Titans where the team held on by the skin of their Gostkowski. 

The Ravens are the team who will be rested, coming off of their bye week.

Which is a BIG deal.

The Ravens are 10-2 following a bye week under Head Coach John Harbaugh. They’ve outscored opponents 315-184 in those contests.

The Steelers are battered and bruised - and the Ravens will be desperate for a win on their home turf.

Falling two full games behind the Steelers in the AFC North race at this point in the season would be a near-death sentence for their division title hopes. 

Seriously.

Look at the upcoming schedules for both teams.

The Steelers post-Baltimore will face the Cowboys, Bengals & Jaguars. 

Three teams with a combined record of 3-18-1.

The Ravens take on the Colts, Patriots & Titans.

Three teams with a combined record of 11-7.

Point being -the level of desperation from the Purple and Black may be much higher than that of our own. 


Another big disadvantage is the Steelers injury to Devin Bush.

Robert Spillane filled in admirably last weekend in his absence at inside backer, but I don't trust him in pass-defense.

The biggest threat in this Ravens passing attack is tight-end Mark Andrews.

Bush’s speed and athletic ability would generally help neutralize opposing tight-ends, but he is out for the season so the Steelers must get creative guarding Andrews who is tied for the league lead in TD catches from the position with five.


Baltimore also has some significant fresh new faces 

They not only added former Cowboys WR Dez Bryant to the mix this past week, they also traded for premiere pass-rusher Yannick Ngakoue from the Minnesota Vikings.

Ngakoue is what you would call a problem - in a flattering sense. 

Since 2016, there are only four pass rushers with at least 225 quarterback pressures.

That short list includes Aaron Donald, Von Miller, Khalil Mack and the aforementioned Ngakoue. 

Like Brian May of Queen sang in August of 1975 - That’s good company. 

Last year I saw both the Ravens-Steelers game at Heinz Field and Queen in concert at PPG Paints Arena.

Both of these teams are under pressure to not bite the dust in this huge clash.

After all, only one can say “We are the Champions” of the AFC North.


Yinzer Crazy Official Prediction:

Las Vegas Sportsbook's opened this game with the Ravens as a 6.5 point favorite.

Although that seems a bit much - I understand it. 

I believe a few things to be true.

The Ravens are more rested.
The Ravens are more desperate.
The Steelers aren't going 16-0. 

As noted earlier - we’ve nailed every prediction so far here at YC headquarters.

Unfortunately - my gut doesn’t align with my heart on this one.

I predict the Steelers start fast yet again - but their second half-woes finally catch up to them.

Mark Andrews scores two critical touchdowns, one in each half.

And the Baltimore Ravens win the game 27 to 20.

Steelers Nation and Twitter will be in a frenzy.

But no need to panic. 

We’ll have a chance at revenge in just a few short weeks on our home-field on Thanksgiving. 

And nothing tastes sweeter on Thanksgiving than a little revenge mixed with sweet potato pie.

In a fresh pair of underwear.






- Mike Nicastro, Co-Founder of YinzerCrazy.com and not a big fan of doing laundry.


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