The Pittsburgh Steelers 2022 season is holding on by the skin of its teeth currently! They have to have a lot of dominoes fall before possibly sneaking into the playoffs as a Wild Card team. First and foremost, the black and gold have to take care of their own business. It's a 5-star AFC North matchup on Sunday Night Football as the Steelers are on the road to take on the Baltimore Ravens. The Ravens will be without star QB Lamar Jackson again for the second iteration of this rivalry in the 2022 season as he missed the first game in Week 14 as well due to injury.
PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA - DECEMBER 19: Cameron Heyward #97 of the Pittsburgh Steelers runs onto the field during player introductions prior to the game against the Tennessee Titans at Heinz Field on December 19, 2021 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin Berl/Getty Images)
The Steelers are looking for anything, but a Week 14 repeat performance this Sunday night. In that matchup, the Ravens absolutely gashed the Steelers on the ground for 215 yards on 42 carries and a touchdown. The Steelers' run defense allowed the Ravens to have three players rush for over 30 yards as the team in Baltimore relied heavily on their ground game, even without the team's leading rusher in Jackson. It's no secret, relying heavily on the offense's rushing attack is the blueprint for success for the Ravens and they won't steer away from that formula Sunday night.
Pittsburgh Steelers edge rusher, TJ Watt (#90) celebrates a defensive play against the Detroit Lions in a 2022 preseason game at Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh, PA. | Jordan Schofield / SteelerNation (Twitter: @JSKO_PHOTO)
The Steelers defense feels more prepared for that rushing attack this time around and superstar defensive play-maker, TJ Watt knows the black and gold's defense can't have another bad day like they did in Week 14. Watt is prepared for an environment like no other with the greatness of this AFC North rivalry:
"It seems like every AFC North game is a rivalry," Watt stated about the rivalry via Steelers.com. "But this one specifically, especially this late in the season, night game, it's going to be a crazy atmosphere."
Watt discussed facing Ravens QB Tyler Huntley once again:
"We have a lot of tape," said Watt. "He's capable, he had success against us last time we played them. There is a lot of film we can learn from for sure.""You can't afford to have bad days in the NFL because you get exposed no matter who is at quarterback," said Watt. "I feel much more comfortable about the week that we've had this week. It's important that we have the film that we have to learn from. It wasn't too long ago, so it's still fresh in our minds. Just have to come out and play physical football."
Jordan Schofield / SteelerNation (Twitter: @JSKO_PHOTO)
LB Robert Spillane knows what to expect against these Ravens again just three weeks ago. It's going to be a battle of who can be the more physical team:
"We want to shut it down," stated Spillane on the Ravens' rushing attack. "They have shown over the last few weeks they want to put their biggest, strongest, best run blockers on the field and get behind them and have them play a physical style of game. We're prepared to match that. We have been preparing all week, getting our guys together and coming up with a strong game plan and understanding that game plan.
"We didn't have our best performance last game against them. We lacked a little bit of understanding of what we wanted to get done. That is the good thing about playing these divisional matchups. You get a second crack at playing those same teams. We are really looking forward to this weekend."
"I think it's more than two or three ends," Spillane continued. "The fullbacks, tight ends, point of attack receivers that block. They buy into an 11-man run game and that includes the quarterback as well. When you have that type of offense, you have to be prepared to defend multiple runs, with many different types of offensive structures. I think we have done a good job this week of understanding what we have to get done."
What do yinz think? Can the Steelers stop the mighty rushing attack of the Ravens on Sunday Night Football? Sound off in the comment section below, or on Facebook, Twitter, and/or Instagram!
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