The Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Ravens come into their Thursday night football match up dealing with their fair share of adversity — albeit for totally different reasons. For the 2-1 Steelers, it’s about finding a way to adjust to life without franchise quarterback Ben Roethlisberger for the foreseeable future while asking Michael Vick to fill the considerable void with Big Ben out.
For the Ravens, it’s about trying to salvage a season that has gotten off to a 0-3 start against their biggest rival in a hostile environment. Considering only one team, the 1992 San Diego Chargers, made the playoffs after starting 0-4 in NFL history, it’s clear this game is do or die for John Harbaugh’s team.
Let’s preview and give a prediction for tonight’s contest.
When: Tonight, 8:25 p.m.
Where: Heinz Field, Pittsburgh, Pa.
Watch: CBS/NFL Network
Spread: Baltimore (-3)
Series History: Pittsburgh leads 21-17
Last regular season meeting: 11/2/14, Steelers 43 Ravens 23
Three keys to a Steeler victory:
Keep it simple with Vick – Losing Roethlisberger to a long-term injury is going to be hard to overcome, but one of the reasons the Steelers brought in an experienced veteran like Vick was for situations like these. Nobody should expect Vick to be the player he was in his prime, but if the Steelers keep it simple and limit mistakes, they have a shot to get a big win in his starting debut.
Although Mike Tomlin alluded to letting Vick be the player he is in his press conference Monday, it will be important to limit the turnovers that often come with it. Vick needs to be a game manager, and utilize high percentage passes along with leaning on the Steelers duo of Le’Veon Bell and DeAngelo Williams on the ground.
This Ravens defense comes in with some serious issues the past two games and clearly miss Haloti Ngata and Terrell Suggs, who were the linchpins of some of the best defenses in the game for nearly a decade. A solid, simple game from a Vick-led offense will go far in getting a win.
Contain Flacco, limit Smith – Joe Flacco has a 7-7 regular season record against the Steelers, and much like the record indicates, it’s been a mixed bag for strong-armed signal caller over that span. However, Flacco comes off two straight games where he has thrown for just under 400 yards and the Steelers pass defense has obviously been suspect in two of their first three.
Flacco has had some success of late against the Steelers, and fans should expect him to try to win this game with his arm. Desperate for a win, the Ravens will lean heavily on Flacco to get their first win of the season.
Flacco’s primary target, Steve Smith, has 23 catches for 336 yards and two touchdowns in his past two games. The Steelers must find a way to limit Smith and make someone else beat them through the air. With starting tight end Crockett Gilmore out and the Ravens struggling to find support for Smith at WR, the Steelers pass defense should be able to at least attempt to make Smith their focal point and hope youngsters like Maxx Williams don’t break out.
Dominate the trenches – On both sides of the ball, the Steelers need to control the line of scrimmage. Offensively, the Steelers face a Ravens front that is still capable of taking over games, but clearly misses Ngata and Suggs. If the Steelers can protect Vick from pass rushing specialist Elvis Dumervil and get Bell and Williams rolling, it will be a great sign for success tonight.
Although the Ravens expect to get starting tackle Eugene Monroe back tonight, the offensive line has struggled to open up holes for last season’s breakout runner Justin Forsett. Limiting Forsett and pressuring Flacco will be a key goal of the Steeler defense. Do those things and the Steelers will have a great shot of getting off to a 3-1 start.
Three keys to Ravens victory:
Get Forsett rolling, find another option through the air – After rushing for nearly 1,300 yards and making his first Pro-Bowl last year, Forsett has struggled early, rushing for a mere 124 yards through the first three games of the season. The Ravens would love to get Forsett on track tonight, and his ability to do damage on the ground could help set up play action passing for Flacco.
Forsett could also see plenty of targets in the passing game. The Ravens don’t have a lot of proven options with pass catchers now that Torrey Smith is in San Francisco and Gilmore is out with an injury. Who will step up? Look for rookie tight end Williams to see a ton of targets tonight, he could be a major factor in the game.
Bring out the mistake prone Vick – One of the biggest flaws for Vick over the years is his propensity to turn the ball over. Expect the Ravens to make every effort to create a few of those turnovers tonight at Heinz Field. Over his 15-year career, Vick has 97 fumbles so ball protection will be crucial, as will Marcus Gilbert protecting the southpaw’s blind side.
In a rivalry game on the road, creating turnovers could be the difference in a close contest. Vick had a fumble and a sure interception dropped last week, those type of plays are exactly what the Ravens need in order to get a win.
The Steve Smith show – Did you happen to see Smith at the post game press conference after last week’s home loss to the Bengals? Let’s just say that Smith is not a happy camper after three straight losses, and that is not a good thing for a Steeler secondary that has been under fire. Smith seems to shine when the games mean the most, and let’s be clear, a loss tonight and the Ravens might be playing for next season.
Considering Smith is retiring in 2015, there will be no next season for the five-time Pro Bowl receiver. Always an emotional player, expect the Ravens to follow Smith’s lead tonight.
Buckle up, fellas.
Prediction: A Steeler win tonight would be huge on a number of fronts. One, it would put a hated rival at 0-4 and likely put them out of the division race on the first day of October. It would also give the Steelers confidence they can win with Vick at QB and with Vick possibly starting well into November, that would be huge.
I just don’t see the Ravens backing down in a do or die game with their season on the line. This team has way too much pride and have a significant edge at the most important position, quarterback. Ravens 24 Steelers 17
