Baltimore Beatdown
Week 18. Sunday night football. Last game of the entire NFL regular season. Baltimore Ravens against the Pittsburgh Steelers, winner-take-all, loser leaves town. What more could you ask for?
Sure, the Ravens were Super Bowl favorites and should have been competing for a one seed, not sneaking into the playoffs. But after a 1-5 start, this is a fun stop to be in for the love of the game and as a sports fan. How can the Ravens punch their ticket into the playoffs?
We saw it last week against the Green Bay Packers without Lamar Jackson. Following the disaster against New England, the Ravens did a full 180 and gave Derrick Henry the ball a career-high 36 times. I guess you could say it worked, to the tune of 216 yards, four touchdowns, AFC Offensive Player of the Week, and a win. Go figure.
Just because the Ravens are expecting Lamar Jackson to return for this game against Pittsburgh, there’s no reason to switch it up. The offense has been an inconsistent unit this year. It’s time to just get back to basics and run the ball down the throat of defenses and through the playoffs.
More specifically, they should continue sticking with The King. I love Keaton Mitchell, and I have really liked what Rasheen Ali has shown as a pass catcher and with the ball in his hands. Both should get touches, I’m not saying otherwise. But the Ravens need to find a way to get Henry the ball 25-plus times every game. It’s the best way for the team to win, get into the playoffs, and piece together a miraculous run. Last time against Pittsburgh, the Ravens had multiple failed red zone trips where they stopped running the ball and randomly went pass-heavy after getting inside the 20. Stick with the best player on the offense right now.
The Steelers offense doesn’t have much to work with on Sunday night. D.K. Metcalf is still suspended and Darnell Washington broke his arm last week. They haven’t had much of a run game most of the season. Last time, Aaron Rodgers threw the ball all over the yard against the Ravens’ secondary, hitting multiple deep shots to Metcalf and utilizing the running backs underneath a lot. The game plan for the Ravens is simple: bottle the run game and don’t let the backs win in space. With Calvin Austin as their best remaining wide receiver, the Steelers are going to have to force the ball to Jaylen Warren and Kenneth Gainwell, both on the ground and through the air. If the Ravens’ defense can make their tackles and not let the backs break for explosive gains, they should limit the Steelers’ offense easily.
In the last matchup, the Ravens tried to work away from Watt. They ran away from him a ton, but without the threat of Lamar Jackson’s...
