OTL: Live from DC, Advance Scouting the Steelers

It’s always a bit of a weird feeling enjoying an NFL Sunday when the Ravens aren’t playing. It’s a bit of a relief, given that we were the first team in the win column for Week 10…

VICTORY FRIDAY!! pic.twitter.com/zfEk9tbQw2

— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) November 8, 2024

…but what’s one to do when your team’s game is already won? Some would call it “hate watching”, but I call it advance scouting.

At the beginning of the season, a friend of mine offered a ticket to attend a Commanders game, and being the football fan that I am, I’m never going to turn down free tickets. As luck would have it, the game we ended up attending was this past weekend against the Steelers, who are the next opponent on the docket for our Ravens. It was a very tight game in which the Steelers just barely eked out a win, and Pittsburgh didn’t look perfect by any means. So, what did that game show that the Ravens can use to their advantage?

Harbaugh on Steelers’ recent dominance over Ravens: “They’ve played well against us and we haven’t played well against them. This is a new game. We don’t live in the past.”

— Jeff Zrebiec (@jeffzrebiec) November 11, 2024

Rushing Vulnerability

Looking at the box score from Washington’s game, you’d think that the smart game plan for Baltimore would be to steer away from the run. In some phases of the game, you’re probably right, but while the Commanders only managed 60 team rushing yards on the day, all three of Washington’s touchdowns came on the ground, even with Brian Robinson not playing due to injury.

THAT’S 2⃣ FOR @AustinEkeler

#PITvsWAS CBS pic.twitter.com/TqKXWw8DYH

— Washington Commanders (@Commanders) November 10, 2024

Beyond that, the Steelers struggled to stop obvious run situations when facing Austin Ekeler and Jeremy McNichols. No disrespect to either of those two gentlemen, but they’re not Derrick Henry. Ideally, you get #22 going anyway; if I’m scheming the offense, I go pass-heavy between the 20s and stick to the ground in the red zone.

Protect, Protect, Protect

To that end, take a look at the scoring plays that Washington was able to come up with, as well as how they were able to limit the pass rush from Pittsburgh all day. Sure, they allowed the pocket to collapse a few times and did cede three sacks, but two of those were late in the game as Jayden Daniels tried to make something out of nothing. A banged-up Washington O-line was able to keep the Steelers at bay, even moving them backwards in red zone situations.

What I’m hoping that will mean for this weekend is a lot of heavy personnel up front for the Ravens. They’ve never shied away from putting Pat Ricard in as a lead blocker, or using their tight ends as additional protection up front, but particularly if they want to take advantage of those red zone situations, the Ravens will need to go strength vs. strength. That means not abandoning the run for no reason, John.

Target Weaknesses Defensively

Jayden Daniels was only 50% with his passes on the day, and in large part, it looked like that was timing. One of Washington’s biggest passing plays came immediately out of the gate in the second half, and I want you to play close attention to where Terry McLaurin is when he makes this catch, and then where he ends up.

.@TheTerry_25

#PITvsWAS CBS pic.twitter.com/qT8R4c8sYq

— Washington Commanders (@Commanders) November 10, 2024

The middle of the field on defense is a tough nut to crack against the Steelers, but when they shifted their linebackers up to bring pressure, the hashes were wide open near the first down marker. I’m talking ALL day, if they blitzed an inside LB, there was room, and McLaurin exploited a fantastic angle for a huge gain on what could easily have been a house call. As I watched that play, it called to mind how many times we’ve seen Rashod Bateman run that exact same route with similar results. If the Ravens can find those openings and gash Pittsburgh’s defense just like that a few times, it’ll force the Steelers to play a lighter box. When they do, it’s all about the run game.

Keep it Simple on Special Teams

Baltimore hasn’t looked stellar as a special teams unit this year, and what Sunday’s game showed is that their best bet is to take care of the ball first and foremost. When in doubt, take easy fair catch opportunities and let punts go out of bounds if you need to. I watched Olamide Zaccheaus muff TWO return opportunities, one of which gifted the Steelers an immediate red zone possession and an ensuing touchdown.

Eyes on the prize

Stream on NFL+: https://t.co/COxKRnr6Mc pic.twitter.com/VvxDpQcck2

— Pittsburgh Steelers (@steelers) November 10, 2024

If there’s one thing we know about these Steelers, it’s that they will eat you alive with mistakes. They’ve also been one of the league’s best on special teams this season, ranking 3rd in ST DVOA (compared to 19 for Baltimore). Keep it simple, keep it clean, and don’t take any unnecessary risks on special teams.

Get Under their Skin

This one is a little unconventional, but given the intensity of the rivalry, I feel like it’s appropriate. For anyone who’s watched George Pickens for a while, you’ll see that the way he conducts himself on the field is… interesting, at times.

george pickens is one of one pic.twitter.com/aDyxEEBmr7

— Austin Gayle (@austingayle_) November 10, 2024

Even going back to college, he’s been known to not play nice with others.

Georgia WR George Pickens will be suspended for the first half of the SEC Championship after this fight today.

He leads the team in receiving yards and TD. pic.twitter.com/etNgh746dc

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) November 30, 2019

Well, on Sunday, following an interception, Pickens once again opted for extra curriculars instead of focusing on the play.

I’m crying bro he DID NOT care about the football https://t.co/WsD5Masfck pic.twitter.com/CA6rL5H8Lx

— Ben Houselog (@benlikessport) November 10, 2024

While I’m not one to advocate for doing anything outside the confines of the game, I understand the mental aspect of getting your opponent to cross that line. Back in my hockey-playing days, one of my main functions was to pester and agitate opponents until they either made mistakes or just completely lost their cool, drawing penalties. My understanding from guys in the Ravens locker room is that, while Nate Wiggins is a laid-back guy off the field, he’s a well-versed trash-talker and an exceedingly frustrating player to try to beat in man coverage. If I’m Zach Orr, I’m putting Wiggins on Pickens’ hip and giving him free reign to do as much barking as he wants. With some luck, Pickens loses his cool again and costs the Steelers some yardage.

This is the most heated rivalry in the AFC North, and was sorta-recently one of the hottest in the NFL. Let’s make it look that way again.

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