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Friday, September 28, 2018

Players To Watch In Ravens Vs. Steelers


RadioOnFire.com - One of the NFL's greatest rivalries is once again slated for prime time. 
For the fifth straight season, the Baltimore Ravens and Pittsburgh Steelers game at Heinz Field will be on national television as Baltimore (2-1) will look to bury its division rivals (1-1-1) in the basement of the AFC North. 
Pittsburgh notched its first win of the season this week against the Tampa Bay Bucaneers on Monday Night Football. For Baltimore, this matchup will be the second in a row the team will have a rest advantage over its opponent. the Ravens had an extra few days to prepare for the Denver Broncos last week after playing division rival Cincinnati on the road Thursday night the week prior. 

By the numbers
The over/under total of 51 is the highest in the history of the division matchup. Baltimore lost in Pittsburgh last year 39-38. The Steelers are three-point favorites in Sunday. 
Last season's shootout was the first game of the season Pittsburgh did not have Pro Bowl linebacker Ryan Shazier following a spinal cord injury. Since Shazier's absence, Pittsburgh allowed 27 points in a loss against the New England Patriots, 24 and 21 points to the Cleveland Browns, 42 points to the Kansas City Chiefs and 27 points to Tampa Bay. 
Since 2012, this regular season series has been split four times. Pittsburgh leads the all-time series 27-21. 
Baltimore boasts the top ranked defense through three weeks (273.0 yards allowed per game) but has had trouble getting the running game going on offense. Baltimore's offense is 13th in total yards (378.7) but 26th in rushing yards (86.7).
Pittsburgh's secondary has struggled in the early part of the season, allowing 288.0 passing yards per game (28th). As a result, gamescript has allowed for plenty of passing opportunities for quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, who has thrown for 1,140 yards (second in NFL) and seven touchdowns on the young season. 
Pittsburgh's defense has allowed 30.0 points per game (28th in the NFL). 
Click here for an updated injury report as the week progresses. 


Here are three players to watch: 
Steelers linebacker Jon Bostic (#51)
To replace the injured Shazier, the Steelers signed Bostic in March to take over the left inside linebacker spot. 
According to Pro Football Focus, Bostic is graded as the No. 3 linebacker against the run this season (86.1) but is only rated slightly above average as the No. 35 linebacker in coverage (61.7).  With Baltimore tight end Mark Andrews and receiver John Brown capable of working the middle of the field, Baltimore could look to take advantage of Bostic through the air. 
Ravens head coach John Harbaugh acknowledged Bostic is also part of a variety of Steelers blitz schemes. 
"They run a good blitz package. Linebacker [Vince] Williams does a great job of blitzing, so does [Jon] Bostic," Harbaugh said. "They’ll bring safeties off the edge, they’ll bring their nickel, so they have a nice little pressure package."
Further adding to Baltimore's arsenal of weapons over the middle could be first-round pick Hayden Hurst. The tight end returned to practice Wednesday for the first time in the regular season after suffering a stress fracture in his foot on Aug. 24. 



Ravens wide receiver John Brown (#13)
Despite the fast start Brown has gotten off to leading the team in reception yards (222), his catch percentage is the lowest of all Baltimore receivers or tight ends. That is partly because Brown has two drops, but it is also because quarterback Joe Flacco has taken a lot of deep shots to Brown, evident by the receiver's team-leading 18.5 yards per reception. 
If this game turns into another high-scoring affair, connecting with Brown downfield could be necessary in keeping pace with the high-octane Pittsburgh offense. Brown reeled in five receptions on eight targets last week, his longest completion being for 44 yards. 
Ravens running back Alex Collins (#34)
Collins averaged 7.5 yards per carry in two games against the Steelers last season on 27 carries. Although Pittsburgh has Bostic playing well against the run in the middle, Pittsburgh is still surrendering 122.3 rushing yards per game. 
Collins is averaging only 3.4 yards per carry through three games, but Baltimore ran the bell better against a tough Denver front last week. Harbaugh noted Monday how the team is still committed to getting the run game going.
"We still haven’t popped any big runs. A number of our runs have been in the red zone and scored, but that’s five yards. It doesn’t help your average too much. We need a 40-yard run. We need a 50-, 60-yard run, and all of the sudden, that stat you’re talking about goes up," Harbaugh said. "We haven’t earned that yet. We have to earn that. We have to get our back through there, and that’s what we’re working on.”
Ravens safeties Eric Weddle (#32) and Tony Jefferson (#23)
Baltimore found success against Pittsburgh last year when Jefferson and Weddle were able to disguise coverage and sync movements as the snap was taken. When Baltimore moved too early and showed the defense's true coverage, it seemed Roethlisberger was able to adjust and knew where to get the football to. 
Keeping wide receivers Antonio Brown and JuJu Smith-Schuster in front of them will be important, regardless of what scheme Baltimore runs, but timing movement with the snap will be crucial in giving the veteran quarterback different looks at cover one, two or three schemes. 
With cornerback Jimmy Smith serving the final game of his suspension this week, Sunday's game could be one of the most important of the season for these two safeties. 
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