Thursday, Diontae Johnson and Cam Heyward both spoke to the media following practice. It is no surprise that both were asked how this game against the Baltimore Ravens would be different than the last game.
PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA - DECEMBER 05: Diontae Johnson #18 of the Pittsburgh Steelers dives for a touchdown as Marlon Humphrey #44 of the Baltimore Ravens defends during the fourth quarter at Heinz Field on December 05, 2021 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Joe Sargent/Getty Images)
The Steelers and the Ravens met for their first match in Week 14 in Pittsburgh at Acrisure Stadium. The Ravens won that game 16-14, but the game did not feel nearly that close.
The Steelers' defense struggled to stop the Ravens' run game, despite the fact that quarterback, Lamar Jackson was injured and backup Tyler Huntley filled in. They allowed them to rush for 215 yards on 42 attempts, and J.K. Dobbins alone rushed for 120 yards on 15 carries. This included a single run for 44 yards that later resulted in a touchdown.
The Steelers offense also struggled to get much going with Mitch Trubisky at QB1 as Kenny Pickett was knocked out in the first quarter with a concussion.
Steelers' Diontae Johnson Ready for Zone Defense
The reporters mentioned Friday that the defense has been asked quite a bit about how they will stop the Ravens' rushing attack, but they also wanted to know what the offense plans to do differently. Johnson said that last time the Ravens presented a lot of zone coverage and that it is just a matter of coming up with a game plan:
“ I feel like we just got to execute on those drives.”
Johnson bragged about the Steelers' improved third-down conversation rate as well:
“It’s mostly just us winning those one-on-one matchups on third downs. We've been showing that nobody can really stop us on third down. They ran zone, we just kind of struggled a little bit. So we just harping on that a lot this week, just being real sudden in our routes, knowing the defense before the snap, and having a plan at the line. It's just those little key points.”
Steelers' Cam Heyward on the Defensive Improvement
Heyward was asked about head coach, Mike Tomlin’s comments about how the last Ravens game was just a “bad day” and how he felt about that loss:
“We didn't get off blocks as a group and it's 16-14 and to end the game, you know they need to win four downs or three downs and we didn't win those three downs and they were able to run the clock out. That weighs on me because we didn't give our offense another chance to go down there and win.”
He also spoke about the difference between playing Jackson and Huntley:
“Huntley's a very good athlete. When Jackson's in there, they tend to rely on the quarterback running a lot. Since Jackson has been hurt though, it's been a lot about Gus [Edwards] and Dobbins. But don't get me wrong, Huntley's definitely part of the running game, especially in the red zone. I think they mix things up. Look at the Atlanta game, there were some QB runs where he had a lot of success.In the Denver game, to win the game, they got a two-point conversion with Huntley. I'm not discounting him. That two-headed monster of Dobbins and Edwards really do a great job of falling forward with that big offensive line and we're looking forward to it attacking it.”
PITTSBURGH, PA - DECEMBER 05: Cameron Heyward #97 of the Pittsburgh Steelers in action during the game against the Baltimore Ravens at Heinz Field on December 5, 2021 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Joe Sargent/Getty Images)
The entire Steelers team has made it clear that they felt they left a lot on the field Week 14. This game will be Pickett’s coming out party against the Ravens as well as a chance for some redemption.
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