Some information about Sunday’s Ravens vs. Steelers matchup given to us courtesy of Behind the Steel Curtain’s Ryland Bickley.
In preparing for Sunday’s divisional matchup, Behind the Steel Curtain’s Ryland Bickley and I sat down for a Q&A for one another’s publications.
To read my answers to Ryland’s questions, please check out Behind the Steel Curtain.
The Steelers are 3-0 since making the change to Russell Wilson. How has he helped the offense? What value has he added to their performance?
Wilson has proved a lot of his doubters wrong since returning from an early-season calf injury. He’s still not a perfect player — just 58.8% completion on the year, some avoidance of the middle of the field, and lacking his old mobility — but for the most part, the results have been great. With Wilson as the starter, Pittsburgh is averaging over 30 points a game and has yet to lose.
What Wilson is doing better than previous starter Justin Fields can largely be boiled down to two categories: His veteran savvy and his deep ball. For one, Wilson clearly has more freedom and confidence when it comes to changing plays at the line of scrimmage, and he’s simply seeing the defense better. Like Fields, he’s also found a way to create big plays while still minimizing turnovers (just one interception through three games).
Wilson’s signature “moon ball” has also been a huge development. Fields has an exceptional arm but tends to laser his throws downfield; Wilson puts a lot more touch on his passes, which has helped big-play receiver George Pickens, and now Mike Williams, have an easier time adjusting for the catch. Wilson’s play has elevated the entire offense.
While the Steelers defense has been strong in many aspects, one area they’re “underperforming” is their pass defense, ranked No. 19. Is this area a weakness for them or is there more to the story?
I wouldn’t say it’s a major concern. There are some problems: Joey Porter Jr.’s physical play style can result in penalties, Donte Jackson can be a streaky CB2, and nickel/safety Cam Sutton looked incredibly rusty in his first game back from a season-opening suspension. Undrafted rookie slot corner Beanie Bishop Jr. was picked on regularly earlier this season. The depth is also a little thin.
However, the secondary has been solid overall. They do seem to give up a big pass play or two per game which can inflate opponents’ yardage, but Pittsburgh has had success with a bend-don’t-break model, especially earlier this season. They’ve only given up more than 20 points twice.
Porter has been locking down opposing WR1s, DeShon Elliott and Minkah Fitzpatrick are one of the NFL’s better safety duos, and Jackson and Bishop have made several splash plays. Top reserve corner Cory Trice Jr. also looks close to being back from injured reserve.
Is it an elite secondary? Not really. But with a strong pass-rush up front led by T.J. Watt, the Steelers pass defense has been far from a liability.
The Steelers made two trades before the deadline, adding wide receiver Mike Williams and edge rusher Preston Smith. Do you expect them to have an impact in this game?
Absolutely. I’ll shamelessly plug a recent article written by myself and fellow BTSC writer Ryan Parish where we broke down how much Williams and Smith impacted last week’s game despite limited snaps. Williams caught the game-winning touchdown pass while Smith stepped into an impromptu starting role following Alex Highsmith’s injury and played well.
Against the Ravens, I’d expect Williams to see a dramatic increase in snaps. He only played nine last week, but was still learning the offense. Talent-wise, he’s Pittsburgh’s WR2 and should begin to step into that role. His time with the Jets was rough, but he’s still a big, physical contested catch target who showed he hasn’t lost his speed with his touchdown on Sunday. He and Pickens are an imposing duo who reinforce the Steelers’ bully ball identity on offense.
Smith will likely split time with Nick Herbig at outside linebacker in Highsmith’s absence. I don’t think either will dominate the snap count as both are very different players — Smith is big and powerful, best against the run, while Herbig is absurdly quick but a little undersized. I see Smith matching up better against the Ravens’ ground game, but Herbig is a dynamic player who will have a better shot at actually pressuring Lamar Jackson.
Who are two players (one offense, one defense) Ravens fans should know about heading into this game?
I’ll avoid the household names and go with two more under-the-radar players. On offense, it’s wide receiver Calvin Austin III. He’s a diminutive speed guy, but when he gets open, good things happen for the Steelers offense. He had a quiet week against the Commanders, but the game before against the Giants he logged a two-touchdown performance. From what I saw of the Ravens secondary last week, dealing with speed and defending the middle of the field seemed like weak points. Austin’s 4.32-speed in the slot might be deadly.
On defense, I’ll go with a name I’m sure Ravens fans remember in DeShon Elliott. I can’t speak too much of the player he was pre-Steelers, but the consensus seemed to be that Pittsburgh had signed an aggressive but rather average strong safety.
But Elliott’s play has reached a new level in Pittsburgh. He’s had occasional struggles in coverage but has been elite near the line of scrimmage. He’s a sure tackler and his speed and physicality have made him a force of nature in this Steelers defense. He’s blowing up plays every week and should be extra hyped up in a divisional matchup against his former team.
The Steelers have gotten the best of the Ravens in seven of their past eight games. How do you figure this one will go?
If there’s one thing I’m confident predicting about this game between two good AFC North teams, it’s that it’s going to be a close, stressful matchup. The Ravens could absolutely win this one, but I’m giving Pittsburgh a slight edge – they’re playing at home, have had recent success against Baltimore, and are currently fielding a more complete (albeit less dynamic) team. 27-26 Steelers, but that Lamar Jackson/Derrick Henry duo will be giving Pittsburgh a headache.