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GOOD, BAD & UGLY: Ravens Pound Steelers

Monday, January 13, 2025 11:49
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Ravens beat Steelers 28-14

The atmosphere for this Wild Card showdown at The Bank was electric. As PBP announcer Al Michaels would say, the crowd was in “full throat”. This was the first time the Ravens hosted the Steelers in the playoffs. It was long overdue and those who braved the elements made sure that they would play a role in the game’s outcome.

The win was the Ravens 5th straight dub and second consecutive convincing win over their arch rivals. With their physical dominance, the Ravens stripped the collective will from the Steelers’ “collective”, to borrow from head coach Mike Tomlin. This Ravens team is hitting its stride at the perfect time. Seemingly, each player possesses a steely-eyed conviction which provides focus and clarity, one play, one possession, one game at a time. Take care of the little things, and the big things will fall into place.

The win earns the team a trip to Buffalo in the Divisional Round where they will take on Josh Allen and the Bills at 6:30PM on Sunday, January 19. The Ravens opened as 1 ½ point underdogs against a team that they whipped during Week 4 by the score of 35-10. You can rest assured knowing that the team will use this disrespect, real or conjured, to sharpen their focus and rally together in an environment that has been kind to the hosts. The Bills are 9-0 at Highmark Stadium this season.

It’s us against the world!

But before I get to far ahead of myself and to borrow a page from the Ravens mission, first things first, one game at a time, let’s get to the Good, Bad & Ugly, Wildcard Edition.

THE GOOD

Offense

Earlier in the week, Lamar Jackson shared that he needs to settle down in big games so as not to allow emotion to alter the way he approaches the most important contests. If Saturday night is any indication, mission accomplished. Lamar was decisive, distributed the ball well with pinpoint accuracy, handled the ball at the mesh point in spectacular fashion and he took advantage of the Steelers defense when they either sold out to stop him or to stop Derrick Henry. In the end, Pittsburgh did neither. Special props to Lamar for the magnificent way he handled the 2-minute offense to close the first half. Textbook execution.

The narrative that Lamar can’t beat the Steelers has been put to rest, buried six feet under and that hole in the ground is now grass covered with signs of daisies pushing skyward. Next up, the playoff narrative. It just feels like it’s time for Lamar to put that dead horse in the ground too. And, more importantly, it is starting to look like it’s Lamar’s time, one play at a time.

The offensive line may have had their best game of the season. Consider these three scoring drives:

• Q1: 13 plays, 95 yards, 7:13 drive, (7-0 Ravens)
• Q2: 13 plays, 85 yards, 1 penalty, 7:56 drive, (14-0 Ravens)
• Q2: 9 plays, 90 yards, 1:51 drive, (21-0 Ravens)

That’s 35 plays, 270 net yards and 17 minutes of game time. To put that in perspective, the Steelers ran 45 plays for 280 yards and possessed the ball for 20:27 – IN THE ENTIRE GAME. And then there’s this – the Ravens ran for 299 yards to the Steelers 29. That’s not just domination. That’s annihilation and a large part of that has to do with what the guys across the offensive front did.

Added props to Roger Rosengarten. When any team takes on the Steelers defense, mission number one is not to let T.J. Watt wreck the game. Not only did Roger not allow that to happen, instead, HE wrecked Watt…In summary, the Ravens O-line just flat out imposed its will upon the Steelers.

Steelers lose to the Ravens 28-14

Isaiah Likely was physical and sure-handed. He has a knack for producing YAC, rarely goes down on first contact and there’s a slipperiness to his game that makes him a tough matchup. Likely had 3 catches for 53 yards and you get the sense that those numbers will only climb if Zay Flowers remains sidelined…Mark Andrews only had 2 catches for 27 yards but he did operate the short-yardage offense flawlessly and his hustle to get out of bounds during the 2-minute drive was key to its success…Rashod Bateman had a nice sliding catch for a score and his only other catch kept their 90 yard drive alive to close out the first half, converting a third-and-2 from the Ravens 18…Justice Hill continues to do the little things. While his production was limited (25 yards from scrimmage) he did score to cap off the late Q2 drive, and his pass protection was solid.

Defense

To have any success, the Steelers need to run the football. Their offensive line is average, and Russell Wilson has the propensity to hold the ball far too long. So, play action has to be part of their offensive repertoire. But Pittsburgh could only muster 29 yards on 11 carries and credit for that goes to the front seven. Nnamdi Madubuike had two sacks to go with 4 tackles and a tipped pass. Odafe Oweh had a sack and harassed Wilson a few times with 3 QB hits…Michael Pierce added a sack and he along with Broderick Washington were stout in the run game between the tackles…Roquan Smith was menacing. His game continues to ascend after an early season slump.

Pound for pound, Ar’Darius Washington is without question one of the game’s best tacklers. He’s like a Dollar Store version of Tyrann Mathieu, aka the Honey Badger. He led the team with 7 tackles…Marlon Humphrey’s All Pro season continues. He nearly registered a strip sack and was the best cover DB on the field. He too is an outstanding tackler…Nate Wiggins had a nice outing in coverage for most of the night, although he did have a communication breakdown with Washington during the Pickens TD.

Special Teams

I don’t know if there was something the Ravens spotted in film study or if Justin Tucker took it upon himself, but to drive the opening kickoff through the landing zone and between the two kick returners who were unusually spread out, was an excellent maneuver. The ball squirted between the returners through the landing zone for a touchback. When that happens, the ball is placed at the 20-yard line. A win right out of the gate.

Overall

The Ravens had just 3 penalties for 14 yards.

THE BAD

Defense

There were communication breakdowns in the secondary during the second half. Brandon Stephens bit on a sluggo route by Van Jefferson for a 30-yard scoring strike. Kyle Hamilton appeared to have over the top responsibility but looked confused. He was visibly upset after the play. The tandem wasn’t on the same page…Later in the half, Wilson connected with George Pickens down the right sideline for a 36-yard score. It appeared as if Wiggins was in zone coverage and Washington was responsible for the deep sideline. This needs to be cleaned up heading into Buffalo or the season could come to a crashing halt.

Special Teams

Jordan Stout finds a way to grind my gears at least once per game. At the 14:15 mark of the second quarter from the Steelers 46, Stout punts it into the end zone…a net gain of 26 yards. He did redeem himself with a 49-yard punt to the Steelers 2-yard line following the Ravens first second-half possession.

THE UGLY

Defense

The Ravens defense gave the Steelers hope when they allowing Pittsburgh to march 98 yards in 9 plays to close the gap to 21-7.

Special Teams

Steven Sims looked like a blindfolded 5-year-old trying to whack a pinata when fielding punts. Didn’t the Ravens just sign this guy to catch punts cleanly? Deonte Harty, it’s time to get off IR and earn your paycheck!

THE PAIGE SPIRANAC AWARD

The Ravens signed Derrick Henry to do exactly what he’s been doing down the stretch. During his last four games he has carried the ball 97 times for 633 yards (6.53 YPC) and 5 TDs. December, January and hopefully February football is his time and at the age of 31, he’s stepping up and doing everything the Ravens’ brass envisioned in a Lamar Jackson led offense.

Derrick’s physicality makes a statement, and it aligns perfectly with the team’s DNA. His presence in the lineup opens everything else. The Steelers knew they had to stop Henry, and they failed, miserably. The King had 26 carries for 186 yards (7.2 YPC) and 2 scores. He dragged their skulls and stole their souls.

Just ask Patrick Queen.

COACHING

John Harbaugh

When you listen to the players these days, each week, to a man they talk about going (1-0) – to do all they can to win every play and if they do, it adds up to a win. THAT comes from Harbaugh. He has the team mentally locked in. And arguably his greatest ambassador is Lamar who refuses to be distracted by anything that doesn’t involving winning the next play. This focus combined with a blossoming defense and an offense that can adapt to any style in any condition, that’s a dangerous team, the shaping of which comes from the skipper.

Todd Monken

Monken has been on a heater. He’s in lockstep with his quarterback and it shows. Todd did a nice job of getting other players involved given the absence of Zay Flowers, including Anthony Miller, Tylan Wallace, Nelson Agholor and even Steven Sims. And the way his staff has schemed up the running game aligns nicely with the core competencies of his roster.

Zach Orr

The Ravens had a great game plan that seemed to minimize the impact of Pickens without ignoring a productive intermediate receiver in the form of Pat Freiermuth. But the plan went sideways for a bit in the second half when Orr knew that the Steelers had to throw the ball to get back in the game. There’s some cleanup needed with communication, again. It might even be a blessing for the Ravens defense that they’ll be on the road where things are quieter for defenses.

[Related Article: Ravens Report Card]

OFF TO BUFFALO

So now the Ravens are heading to northwest New York to take on the Bills. The MVP chatter will escalate to a shouting match, but it won’t matter. Here’s why…

What might matter is some home cooking. The Bills seem to be approaching the favored sons status of the Chiefs. The Ravens will have to contend with Allen’s flops, referee man crushes and questionable use of replays. Check it out…

The kryptonite to all the above?

The Last Time They Met

Here are all the highlights from the Ravens 35-10 thrashing of the bison back on September 29.

The post GOOD, BAD & UGLY: Ravens Pound Steelers appeared first on Russell Street Report.


Source: https://russellstreetreport.com/2025/01/13/gbu-paige-spiranac/steelers-steamrolled-by-the-ravens/


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