The black and gold are riding a three game win streak and find themselves in the thick of the wild card chase at 5-6. They’ll need to take their momentum to Baltimore on a short week and play the Ravens in an extremely hostile environment Thanksgiving night.
The team knows this will be a huge test as the Super Bowl champs are just as hungry as the Steelers are to get to .500. The winner will be in great shape, the loser will be in big trouble. In traditional Steelers vs. Ravens fashion it will be a hard hitting, venomous, tight game that will probably come down to whoever has the ball last.
Here are the Keys to A Steelers Victory:
1. Pittsburgh needs to continue to run the no huddle. It’s been their most effective form of offense and has enabled Big Ben to avoid sacks and make more plays downfield.
2. The o line must keep an eye on Terrell Suggs at all times. They did a pretty decent job of stopping him in the first matchup in Pittsburgh however he was still able to get to Big Ben a few times. The O line must not allow Suggs in the backfield or he’ll cause mayhem all game long.
3. Stopping Torrey Smith is a must. Smith is a burner and a huge deep threat. Ike Taylor will most likely be matched up with him all game long. Taylor hasn’t fared well the past few weeks, he’ll need to make sure Smith doesn’t get behind him and keep the Raven’s deep threat to short gains only.
4. The defense must continue to play effective football. The past few weeks they have gained 8 turnovers and have really turned up the pressure on the opposing quarterbacks. Led by Jason Worilds, they’ll need to continue to find themselves in the offensive backfield, forcing bad throws, gaining sacks and punching the ball loose. The Ravens are a ball control offense and having a defense cause that kind of ruckus would be a huge step towards gaining a win.
Here are a Few Things to Watch:
1. Lawrence Timmons-He quietly leads the team in tackles and is having another stellar year. He accumulated 17 tackles the last time these teams faced off and he’ll be looking to repeat that performance on Thursday night.
2. Big Ben-He’s been putting together some gems of late and he’ll need to be on top of his game in this one. The last time they played, he had to lead a game winning drive in the closing minutes of regulation. What will he need to do this time?
3. Ike Taylor-He’s been burned the past few weeks. How will he respond when covering a speedy guy like Torrey Smith?
4. Will Allen-Since his return to the team, Allen has played a pivotal role in the secondary. He’s been making tackles and causing turnovers and becoming a player opposing offense must account for. What type of role will he play in this hard hitting affair?
Steelers-Ravens Capsule
The Associated Press
PITTSBURGH (5-6) at BALTIMORE (5-6)
Thursday, 8:30 p.m. ET, NBC
OPENING LINE – Ravens by 3
RECORD VS. SPREAD – Pittsburgh 5-6, Baltimore 6-4-1
SERIES RECORD – Steelers lead 23-15
LAST MEETING – Steelers beat Ravens 19-16, Oct. 20, 2013
LAST WEEK – Steelers beat Browns 27-11; Ravens beat Jets 19-3
AP PRO32 RANKING – Steelers No. 18, Ravens No. 19
STEELERS OFFENSE – OVERALL (15), RUSH (30), PASS (8).
STEELERS DEFENSE – OVERALL (13), RUSH (23T), PASS (10).
RAVENS OFFENSE – OVERALL (29), RUSH (27), PASS (19).
RAVENS DEFENSE – OVERALL (10), RUSH (11), PASS (11).
STREAKS, STATS AND NOTES – Steelers aiming for fourth straight victory, and Ravens vying for first winning streak since September. … Nine of last 11 regular-season games between teams were decided by three points. Steelers won last month with field goal as time expired. … Ravens have won eight of last nine at home against AFC North foes, exception a loss to Steelers last December. … Steelers looking to win third straight regular-season game against Baltimore for first time since four-game run between 2001-03. … Ravens 4-1 at home, Pittsburgh 2-4 on road. … Steelers 1-5 on Thanksgiving, Baltimore 1-0. Pittsburgh hasn’t played on Thanksgiving since losing in Detroit in 1998, and its only win on holiday was in 1950 vs. Chicago Cardinals. … Pittsburgh is 5-6 in games against defending Super Bowl champions since 2000, including win over Ravens this season and 24-20 victory over Giants last year. … Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger, 37-11 as starter against AFC North, needs three TD passes to reach 213 for career, passing Terry Bradshaw for most in franchise history. … Pittsburgh WR Antonio Brown has at least five catches in 11 straight games, team record. … RB Le’Veon Bell is fourth Steelers rookie to reach 90-yard mark in scrimmage yards in at least four games. … Ravens have yielded NFL-low one TD rushing this season. … Baltimore is 10-1 in November home games since coach John Harbaugh took over in 2008. Ravens also 7-1 in prime time home games during that span. … In last six games vs. Steelers, Joe Flacco has seven TD passes and one interception. … Ravens have at least one sack in 22 straight games, tying franchise record. Baltimore has at least two sacks in 19 successive games, longest such streak since Philadelphia had 19 in 2003-04. … Ravens have allowed only three TDs in five home games and have won 18 of last 21 at home.
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AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org
Mike Pelaia hosts the website Steel Nation Association www.steelnationassociation.com- Covering the Steelers and helping Children’s Hospital All Day Everyday. You can e-mail him at mike@steelnationassociation.com.
