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The Pittsburgh Steelers will be looking to redeem themselves and also strengthen their playoff positioning this Sunday in Baltimore.
The Steelers (9-5) now control their own postseason destiny after last Sunday's 34-27 comeback win over Denver. They still have an outside chance at winning the division, but a loss to the Ravens could jeopardize a chance at the playoffs all together. Interestingly enough, Pittsburgh needs the Broncos' help this week as they will host the Cincinnati Bengals, who can clinch the AFC North with a victory.
The Ravens (4-10) picked up one of their rare wins this season in Week 4 in Pittsburgh, but both team's depth charts looked a lot different back then. Mike Vick made his first start with Ben Roethlisberger injured, Martavis Bryant was suspended, and Josh Scobee missed a pair of fourth-quarter field goals. The Ravens of course, no longer have the services of starting quarterback Joe Flacco, Justin Forsett or Steve Smith Sr. among other. Baltimore has an astounding 19 players on injured reserve.
Here are three keys to the game for both the Steelers and Ravens:
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STEELERS
1. Spread the ball around
The Ravens are likely to start out with extra attention on Antonio Brown. That will free up plenty of room for Martavis Bryant, Markus Wheaton and even Heath Miller to run wild against Baltimore's porous secondary. Baltimore would then be faced with two adjustments -- diversify its coverage more or drop back more defenders into coverage, giving more room for Brown or DeAngelo Williams in the running game.
2. Bend if necessary, but don't break
Baltimore's injury-plagued offense doesn't have many ways to beat NFL defenses. The Steelers should keep it conservative in coverage to avoid any big plays. The more plays the Ravens need to get in the end zone, the lesser their chances of scoring.
3. Don't get beat on special teams
When a team is overmatched on paper as much as Baltimore is, it needs to rely on big plays from special teams and defense. The Ravens are second in the league with four blocked kicks and won't be afraid to take chances on special teams as demonstrated last week with an attempted fake punt. As long as the Steelers play even on special teams and don't allow any defesive scores, their talent and execution should prevail.
RAVENS
1. Give Terrance West a try
Rookie running back Javorius Allen was benched last week after his second fumble in as many games. Backup Terrance West has had issues with turnovers in his young career as well, but he did rip off a 100-yard game last season against Pittsburgh in his NFL debut. With a healthy 4.4 yards per carry clip in four games as a Raven, West is worth an extended look.
2. Go after the secondary
The Steelers' secondary has been proven vulnerable throughout the season. With nothing to lose, the Ravens should take plenty of shots deep with Kamar Aiken and Chris Givens regardless of who is playing quarterback. Jimmy Clausen missed a few deeps throws last week so don't be surprised if the strong-armed Ryan Mallett makes his Baltimore debut.
3. Attack Ben's blind side
Elvis Dumervil has just six sacks this season after notching 17 in 2014, but he does have four sacks in his last three games against Pittsburgh. Dumervil should line up across from inexperienced left tackle Alejandro Villanueva and put him to the test all day to force the ball out of Roethlisberger's hands as quickly as possible.
