Baltimore Beatdown
The Ravens won their fourth consecutive game last week, grinding out a 23-16 win over the Browns for a series sweep over their division rival. Baltimore’s offense struggled for much of the game, and they were victimized by special teams miscues. Fortunately, the last phase of the game — defense — picked up the slack.
Zach Orr’s unit continued their midseason turnaround with a stifling performance against two rookie quarterbacks, who were flustered by the Ravens’ blitz packages and secondary. To win their fifth straight contest, the Ravens will need to take care of business against another inferior opponent in Week 12.
Awaiting the Ravens back at home are the New York Jets, who are 2-8 with a 1-3 road record. The Ravens will face off against a familiar face in quarterback Tyrod Taylor, who was named the starter over Justin Fields earlier this week. The Jets had actually won two straight games prior to losing again last week, but they are flawed and there’s a reason the Ravens are favored by 13.5 points.
Lamar Jackson has never lost a game (7-0) when the Ravens are favorites of two touchdowns or more. Jackson is seeking a bounce-back performance after a poor game last week in which he threw two interceptions, albeit both not his fault. The Ravens’ offensive line is also in need of a convincing showing too, as they struggled badly in pass protection against the Brown and have been up-and-down all season.
The Steelers earned a much-needed victory over the Cincinnati Bengals last week, evening the season series via a 34-12 rout at home. After leading by only one point after the first quarter, the Steelers outscored the Bengals 27-6 over the final three frames. Defensively, they allowed less than 300 yards and 4.7 yards per play while forcing two turnovers as well.
The casualty of the Steelers’ win was losing starting quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who left with a wrist injury and did not return. Rodgers was later diagnosed with a fracture that won’t require surgery and he’s now considered week-to-week. If he can’t suit up this Sunday, backup Mason Rudolph would draw the start after completing 12-of-16 passes with a touchdown in relief of Rodgers last week.
Rodgers may miss out on a chance to play the Chicago Bears, who he’s had historical success against. The Bears have won seven of their past eight games since starting the year 0-2 and have pulled off numerous comeback wins. Their recent three-game winning streak have all been one-possession victories by five or less points.
Protecting the ball will be key for the Steelers, especially if Rudolph is under center. The Bears have been one of the league’s best defenses at forcing turnovers. With Jaylen Warren nursing an ankle injury, the Steelers may need to lean on Kenneth Gainwell again out of the backfield. Gainwell recorded over 100 scrimmage yards and two touchdowns after Warren exited early from last week’s game.
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