Baltimore Beatdown
The Baltimore Ravens and Pittsburgh Steelers will face off for the first time this season this Sunday, with the winner taking the lead of the AFC North. The latest installment of this storied rivalry carries heavy playoff implications. The staff of Baltimore Beatdown gives their bold predictions for the upcoming AFC North brawl.
Let’s be extra bold this weekend. Lamar Jackson and the Ravens, against all odds, deliver a clean offensive performance and right the ship in a crucial victory to take sole ownership of first place in the AFC North. Todd Monken gets out of his head, getting Derrick Henry in the game more consistently, and is rewarded with 100+ yards and two touchdowns. Roquan Smith turns in a vintage performance on the day when the team celebrates their Super Bowl XXXV winners, who will be watching on with pride. Jackson doesn’t need to put the superhero cape back on just yet, but he limits the bad throws and keeps the ball moving to lead to a 27-20 victory. – Mark Myers
The Ravens seemingly broke whatever spell the Steelers had over them with two wins in a row over them last season, including a playoff stomping. Baltimore was able to assert their will with the rushing attack in those games last year, but I do not see the same thing occurring on Sunday with this current version of the Ravens’ offense. With Lamar Jackson hobbled and coming off several subpar performances, Pittsburgh feels comfortable stacking the box to limit Henry on the ground while forcing Baltimore’s passing attack to step up. This puts the Ravens’ shaky offensive line in a bad situation against the Steelers’ formidable pass rush, as T.J. Watt delivers a vintage performance, sacking Jackson three times and forcing a fumble.
Baltimore’s defense does its job against an uninspired Pittsburgh offense as each team trades punts for much of the day. It’s the Ravens who make more mistakes in the end, though, and the Steelers walk away with the division lead after a 16-13 win. The voices of a disgruntled fan base turn into a deafening roar following the loss. – Dustin Cox
It doesn’t feel bold to say that Sunday’s game will be close. These matchups are almost always close. So I’ll try to predict some particular things instead. Many of the Ravens’ offensive sources will come from an unusual source and/or in an unusual way. Keaton Mitchell gets loose for his longest run of the season, but unusually, it comes on a carry between the tackles. Devontez Walker racks up the YAC on a short crosser, and Rashod Bateman finally reminds everyone how good he can be. On defense, more surprises. Zach Orr turns up the pressure from the blindside and eventually knocks Aaron Rodgers out of the game. The Ravens feast on Mason Rudolph from there, with Chiboe Awuzie and Alohi Gilman notching their first picks in purple and block. And for another first, let’s go with CJ Okoye, who...
