Well Steelers fans, it is that time of year again. Ravens week. Regardless of these two team's records, the two times they play is always circled on each other's calendars from the time the schedule releases in April.
First of all, the Ravens have been on quite the hot streak recently. They have won three in a row and are coming off one of their best offensive games of the season. Flacco had his best passing game of the year and the defense once again looked as dominant as they have looked throughout the entirety of their games.
While the Ravens are looking good, the Steelers have definitely seen better days. They just lost arguably (maybe not so arguably) their best defensive player for the season, maybe his career, in Ryan Shazier, and barely squeaked out a win against the weak Cincinnati Bengals. However fellow Steelers fans, do not fear, as there is a lot to also look forward to.
The Steelers offense is proving game after game that they can pretty much dominate any defense in the NFL. Antonio Brown is the leader in any relevant receiving stat (leading in receptions, yards, yards per game, and touchdowns) and Le'Veon Bell is the leading rusher in the NFL while also tearing up the passing game. Ben Roethlisberger is also a far cry from his five interception no touchdown game against the Jacksonville Jaguars. He has managed to steady out his statistics and show us the Ben that we know and love.
To beat the Ravens, the Steelers will need to feed Le'Veon Bell. Bell's first game against Baltimore this year was fantastic, as he had 144 yards and two touchdowns. The reasoning for that is because we absolutely fed Le'Veon as he had 35 carries that game. In order to leave this week 11-2, Bell will need to carry us there. Running the ball consistently will also allow the Steelers to control the clock and keep the Ravens' offense off of the field.
The loss of Shazier will most certainly be felt in the defense, several other players have stepped up and showed that they are valuable assets to the Steel Curtain. Cornerback Mike Hilton has been impressive to say the least, and has actually proven to be not only a great coverage corner, but has actually shown a lot of skill when rushing the quarterback.
The Steelers do not have a walk in the park game by any means (especially considering the fact that every game is close, no matter who is in the game or not) there is still a lot of hope for this team and this game.
