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THE GOOD, BAD & UGLY: Ravens Deliver a Statement

Monday, December 23, 2024 6:31
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Pittsburgh loses to Baltimore 34-17

Following the Ravens 35-14 dismantling of the hapless New York Giants and the Steelers being pushed all over the field by the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 15, Baltimore was established as a 6-point favorite over Pittsburgh. The line raised eyebrows across the country. The AFC North leader who had beaten the Ravens during 8 of their previous 9 meetings, entered the game as a prohibitive underdog? Surely there would be movement in this line, right?

And there was movement! The spread moved to the Ravens minus 6 ½ and then by kickoff, Baltimore was a 7-point favorite. The line lacked logic to those of us close to this rivalry. Yet the consensus among national pundits suggested a Ravens win and a tie in The North.

From the jump, things looked good for the Ravens. They seemed to control the line of scrimmage during their first two possessions when on offense and they forced a three-and-out during Pittsburgh’s first possession. By the 5:57 mark of the first quarter the Ravens led 7-0. But Pittsburgh, as they so often do, responded, and following the first play of the second quarter, the game was knotted at seven.

During the ensuing possession the Ravens took over at their 30. The drive stalled after a first down and a couple of penalties, one of which was declined, and the Ravens were forced to punt. Jordan Stout’s shank was the equivalent of a turnover, traveling just 14 yards. Five plays later Pittsburgh faced a 2nd-and-6 from the Ravens 23. The momentum had clearly shifted, and it appeared that Pittsburgh would take the lead. We’ve seen this movie before and it started to feel like several of the recent affairs against the Steelers during which the Ravens played the role of philanthropist, giving the game away.

Russell Wilson dropped back to pass, and the middle of the field opened like the parting of the Red Sea. Seizing the opportunity, Wilson took off and the Pittsburgh Doughboy rambled 19 yards until he was rudely greeted by Ar’Darius Washington at the Ravens 4-yard line.

The Ravens recovered Wilson’s fumble and eight plays, 96 yards and 3:29 later, Baltimore was up 14-7, a lead that they would never relinquish.

[Related Article: A Festive Day Erupts in Baltimore]

THE GOOD

Offense

Lamar Jackson had a very good outing against a regular nemesis completing 15-of-23 passes for 207 yards, 3 TDs and 1 INT, for a 115.4 passer rating. Had he not predetermined where he was going with the football pre-snap, he could have avoided the interception and easily hit Zay Flowers on a skinny post or dumped it off to Pat Ricard leaking out of the backfield, either for a score. Then his passer rating would have soared to 139.1. Nevertheless, it was the kind of performance the Ravens needed from their star quarterback to take down their archrival.

Mr. Reliable, offensive coordinator Todd Monken’s Swiss Army Knife, aka Justice Hill, chipped in with a productive albeit brief outing (concussion), rushing for 30 yards on two carries including a relentless run for 25 yards that was a key play during the 96-yard scoring drive. It’s doubtful that Hill will be ready to go on Christmas Day.

Zay Flowers had 5 catches for 100 yards and eclipsed the 1,000-yard mark for the season. He did have a couple of drops, but his feisty competitiveness easily shook off the miscues…Mark Andrews and Isaiah Likely both chipped in with red zone touchdowns and both were solid contributors as blockers in the run game and the passing game…The Ravens offensive linemen not named Ronnie Stanley or Patrick Mekari all played well and collectively, they dictated the flow of the game. Special props go to Roger Rosengarten who had the unenviable assignment of T.J. Watt. To say Rosengarten held his own is an understatement. The young right tackle is developing into a very solid player and is the team’s most valuable rookie.

Defense

Kyle Van Noy had a very productive evening. He registered 1 ½ sacks, 5 tackles and 3 pressures. KVN also dropped Najee Harris for a loss and he hustled downfield to recover the Wilson fumble forced by AD at the Ravens 4-yard line…Washington plays with a physicality that belies his size. His contributions on the backend of the Ravens defense coupled with those of Kyle Hamilton have completed shifted the effectiveness of DC Zach Orr’s squad. Hamilton played very well at or near the line of scrimmage creating confusion for the Steelers offense and showed his range when breaking up a deep shot near the Ravens goal line to force a turnover on downs. Hamilton had 8 tackles and a forced fumble.

Brandon Stephens was the target of much criticism following a very subpar performance last week in the Meadowlands, but he certainly bounced back against the Steelers. He covered well and had a nice tackle for loss…Marlon Humphrey was clutch, recording his first-career pick-6 when he returned an INT 37 yards for a TD, putting Baltimore up by two scores (31-17) in the 4th quarter. It marked the defense’s first TD of the season. He also made a nice tackle on Harris during a run outside the numbers that looked like it could be a chunk play if not for Humphrey’s lightning-fast pursuit.

Nnamdi Madubuike stepped up with 7 tackles, 2 for losses and he shared a sack with KVN…Michael Pierce sacked Wilson for a 10-yard loss – an impressive open field play for a fella who when he steps on the scale, makes the damn thing tilt like a pinball machine.

Special Teams

Justin Tucker appears to be on the road to recovery. He nailed a 51-yard field goal and his PAT’s seemed a bit more explosive, a sign that his “swing” confidence is on the mend…Tylan Wallace made an outstanding play to help down a Stout punt at the Steelers 3-yard line.

Overall

The Ravens, the most penalized team in the league, kept their infractions in check with just 2 flags for 10 yards.

THE BAD

Offense

Ronnie Stanley struggled against Alex Highsmith but at least he recovered the strip sack that he was responsible for…Patrick Mekari’s slump hasn’t yet ended. He is playing like someone who is far from 100%, further proof that the team just doesn’t trust Ben Cleveland and/or Andrew Vorhees.

Defense

Odafe Oweh was MIA. He had 33 defensive snaps and didn’t register a single official stat…Malik Harrison was a liability in space. He’s now rotating with Chris Board beside Roquan Smith and that’s a tricky proposition. Opponents can take advantage of those deficiencies just as the Steelers did during Wilson’s TD toss to Cordarrelle Patterson.

THE UGLY

The Ravens had three fumbles, losing none. Desmond King gets the Butterfingers seal of approval after dropping two on the turf. If any one of those fumbles had been recovered by the Steelers, the game’s outcome might not have been a happy one for the home team…Stout’s 14-yard punt was horrific. During his career he’s tended to flub one during key moments in games. Saturday was no exception…Lamar’s INT could have been a backbreaker if not for Humphrey’s pick-6. These are the kind of plays that regularly surface during games against Pittsburgh. The difference in this outing was that the Ravens defense answered with a forced error of their own…Speaking of Marlo, not for one second am I buying his explanation of the showboating during the pick-6.

THE PAIGE SPIRANAC AWARD

The Ravens v. Steelers rivalry is one that is rooted in respect and one drenched in physicality. The more physical team usually emerges with the dub. On Saturday, that team wore purple, led by Derrick Henry. The King had 189 yards from scrimmage, 162 by ground on 24 carries (6.8 YPC) and another 27 on two catches during which he demonstrated sure handedness. That’s quite a feat given that the Steelers defense limited Saquon Barkley to 65 yards on 19 carries (3.4 YPC) the week before in Philadelphia. Now, with four 150-yard rushing games to his credit in 2024, Henry has surpassed Jamal Lewis (2003) for the most such contests in Ravens single-season history.

WEEK 17

No rest for the weary. The Ravens head to Houston after a walk-thru tomorrow to take on the Texans. The Ravens are listed as 4-point favorites. After a physical game v. Pittsburgh and traveling 1,250 miles to Houston to play on a Wednesday, adds up to a considerable disadvantage to the road team. This game will certainly challenge the team’s mettle but if they can advance to (11-5) coupled with a Steelers’ loss to the Chiefs earlier in the day, the Ravens will take sole possession of first place in the AFCN, and they’ll have 10 days before hosting the Browns for the 2024 regular season finale. The Chiefs are listed as 2 ½ point favorites in Pittsburgh.

The post THE GOOD, BAD & UGLY: Ravens Deliver a Statement appeared first on Russell Street Report.


Source: https://russellstreetreport.com/2024/12/23/gbu-paige-spiranac/pittsburgh-at-ravens-2024/


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