Mike Tomlin said it best following the Steelers 23-20 win on Sunday versus the Baltimore Ravens. Not dead yet! That is pretty much the long and short of it following an afternoon of some good and bad Steelers football. The Steelers defense, who had been responsible for several 4th quarter collapses this season, did not surrender any 4th quarter points to the Ravens today. The defense forced some turnovers and was aided by several Ravens miscues and penalties. The Ravens committed 11 penalties for 113 yards on the day. One resulted in a negating a Willis McGahee touchdown and following a few more penalties, pushed the Ravens out of field goal range.
Offensively for the Steelers, it was a day of missed opportunities. They moved the ball well at times on the banged up Ravens defense, but could not convert 2 of 3 red zone drives into touchdowns. Running back Rashard Mendenhall dropped a sure touchdown pass on their first red zone possession following a Ravens turnover and penalties and drops thwarted another red zone possession in the 4th quarter. That drive did result in the game winning 38 yard field goal by Jeff Reed. Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger struggled a bit with his accuracy on the day, but finished 17 of 33 for 259 yards. He also added a 24 yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Santonio Holmes and one interception on the day. Roethlisberger was also sacked 4 times on the day. Holmes led all receivers on the day with 86 yards on 5 receptions. Mendenhall finished with just 36 yards rushing on 17 carries and did fumble once. He added a 4 yard touchdown run and did manage to crack 1000 yards on the season. The offense never could find a true rhythm on the day as the Ravens did a great job disguising and guessing on run blitzes.
The defense bent several times, but did not totally break. The gave up 141 rushing yards to Ravens running back Ray Rice, but did manage to hold quarterback Joe Flacco to 166 yards passing on the day. Flacco managed 2 touchdown passes to tight end Todd Heap on size mismatches, but the defense managed to sack Flacco 4 times and intercept him once. They also forced 2 key fumbles in the game, both in Steelers territory. The defense was also benefited by drops, the most noticeable by receiver Derrick Mason who dropped a sure touchdown pass in the endzone after a great double move. The Ravens offense moved the ball well in the second half, but continued to shoot themselves in the foot with drops and penalties. The Steelers made plays defensively though when given second chances. Linebacker LaMarr Woodley finished with 2 sacks and 10 total tackles on the day and was all over the field. Cornerback Ike Taylor played his best game in several weeks as well and recorded his 2nd career sack on Sunday. Rookie defensive end Ziggy Hood added a sack and a key 4th quarter fumble recovery late in the game following a Flacco fumble. Both teams finished a dismal 5 of 13 on 3rd downs on the day.
The Steelers now move to 8-7 on the season and still do not control their own destiny as far as making the playoffs go. The Steelers travel to Miami next week in a must win game and must get help in order to get a Wild Card spot. Depending on how the help works out, they could be waiting until Sunday night to see if the Bengals can knock off the Jets. That game has been flexed to the NBC Sunday Night game. The Steelers are not dead yet, but it will be a long week in Pittsburgh as several teams have their hands firmly gripped on the life support power cord.
Injury wise, Tomlin said that wide receiver Hines Ward is very banged up after tweaking his hamstring again. Defensive end Brett Keisel suffered another stinger but expects to play next week. Linebacker James Harrison played with one arm mostly on Sunday as he is slowed with a biceps injury. All three players will likely be limited early next week and Tomlin will update their conditions on Tuesday. Tomlin hinted he would give another MRI update on safety Troy Polamalu, who sat out his 6th straight game with a knee injury.
Would you want it any other way as a Steelers fan? A week 16 matchup that means a ton to both teams playoff wise. The Ravens are currently on the inside looking out, while the Steelers are on the outside looking in. At the end of the day on Sunday, the Steelers could have their destiny in their own hands with a win against Baltimore and several other key games falling their way.
The Steelers once again will be without safety Troy Polamalu, while the Ravens will likely be minus safety Ed Reed. The Ravens secondary limps in also without cornerback Lardarius Webb, who has been lost for the season. The Steelers will try to attack a patch worked Ravens secondary through the air, while the Ravens will look to release all purpose running back Ray Rice on the Steelers defense. Rice had 155 yards combined in the week 12 meeting between the two teams in which the Ravens won in overtime. In that game, third string quarterback Dennis Dixon started for the injured Ben Roethlisberger and managed to keep the game close. This time around, Roethlisberger is healthy and coming off of his best performance of his career against the Packers.
If the Steelers want to win this game, they must continue doing what they have been doing right on offense, while the defense needs to find a way not to collapse in the 4th quarter. Linebacker James Harrison is a game time decision, but should play. His effectiveness could be limited with his recent bicep injury though. Also on defense, cornerback Deshea Townsend will start in place of William Gay at left cornerback. Gay has been targeted and torched over the last several weeks, so the change is indeed needed. Gay will continue to play in nickel defense formations as the extra cornerback on passing downs. He needs to be up for the task and the role, regardless. Linebacker James Farrior needs to reach deep as well. The aging linebacker is showing his age and has been missing key tackles, especially late in games. The Steelers defense has not forced a turnover in the last 3 games and that has to change today if the Steelers want to win.
Steelers running back Rashard Mendenhall needs to keep up his effectiveness as an all purpose back as well. Mendenhall contributed 73 reception yards last week versus Green Bay and will likely see his role in the passing game continue this week as well. The Steelers offense needs to take advantage of what the Ravens give them defensively as the running game should not be abandoned too early. The Ravens will look to hide their injured secondary, so the opportunity to run should be there all day as well.
Two weeks ago, it looked as if the Steelers season was over. Several things have gone their way since then and the Steelers must win today so they can continue to watch the scoreboard for more help across the league. At the end of Sunday, the Steelers very well could control their own destiny for the post season, but it starts with taking care of Baltimore first. Lose and the season is definitely over. I think the Steelers will rise to the occasion in their final home game of the season. This one will be close, but the Steelers will find a way to win this one.
Prediction: Steelers 24 Ravens 20
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Below are seven matchups or things to look for on Sunday as the Steelers take on the Baltimore Ravens.
Silverback And The Blindside - James Harrison showed up on the Friday injury report as questionable with a bicep injury, but all signs still point to him playing. Harrison very well could be lining up against Ravens rookie Michael Oher, who looks to line up at left offensive tackle for the third consecutive game in place of the injured Jared Gaither. Oher will be in charge of protecting the blindside of Joe Flacco. Harrison has 43 tackles, six sacks and four forced fumbles in the past six meetings with the Ravens.
Old Man Townsend - Deshea Townsend looks to start at left cornerback this week in place of the struggling William Gay. Gay will be the nickel corner on passing downs with Townsend covering the slot receiver in the nickel packages. Townsend likes to gamble and could be in line for the first Steelers interception by a cornerback if he gambles right on Sunday. Good play by Townsend could be the difference in the game.
Attacking Injured Ratbirds Secondary - The Steelers may be missing Troy Polamalu once again, but the Ravens are extremely thin in their secondary, especially if safety Ed Reed misses another game. The Ravens are also missing rookie Lardarius Webb who is now out for the season and Chris Carr will start in his place. Fabian Washington was also lost for the season a month ago and the Ravens secondary is pieced together with late free agent signings. Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger will certainly look to exploit the secondary with certain matchups and the Steelers should be able to move the ball through the air on the Ravens.
Rice Rice Baby - It is no secret that Ravens running back Ray Rice was the difference in the last game versus the Ravens. The Steelers did a poor job containing him on passing downs and can not let linebacker James Farrior to be singled up on Rice. The Steelers must get a defensive back to spy on Rice to help limit his effectiveness, especially on third downs.
3rd Downs On Both Sides - The Steelers need to do a better job at converting their own 3rd downs on offense and stopping the Ravens on defense on 3rd downs. This may be the most telling stat of the game on Sunday. Whoever does a better job converting these downs will likely win the game.
Turnovers Wanted - The Steelers have struggled at getting turnovers this year, especially turnovers at key points in the game. If the Steelers do not win the turnover stat on Sunday, they will not win the game. It is now or never for the final time for the defense.
Pressure Unibrow - Joe Flacco was must sacked, hurried and knocked down all day. Let him get comfortable in the pocket and he will pick the defense apart. The front 3 must get a better push on passing downs and corner blitzes will need to be disguised and mixed in often on passing downs. Flacco does not need to throw for 300 yards to win. He can throw for only 200 and still beat you. He must pay the price for standing in the pocket.
Steelers Inactives
QB Dennis Dixon (3rd QB)
CB Fernando Bryant
T Tony Hills
LB Bruce Davis
T Marvel Smith
DE Brett Keisel
DE Orpheus Roye
DT Scott Paxson
Ravens Inactives
WR Marcus Maxwell
RB Ray Rice
QB Todd Bouman (3rd QB)
RB Jalen Parmele
WR Terrance Copper
DB Evan Oglesby
T Oniel Cousins
G David Hale
The Baltimore Ravens may be without running backs Willis McGahee and Ray Rice on Sunday versus the Steelers. McGahee is suffering from a shoulder stinger, while Rice has a badly bruised shin. The Ravens signed running back Jalen Parmele off the Miami Dolphins practice squad on Wednesday, signaling that at least one of the two will not be able to play. Running back Le'Ron McClain looks to get most of the work at this point.
