With the Ravens aiming to improve to an impressive 3-0 in AFC North road games and 4-1 overall traveling to Pittsburgh on Sunday afternoon, Iโve offered a dozen thoughts, each in 50 words or less:
1. Though Lamar Jackson has thrown more interceptions (six) than touchdowns (four) in his career against Pittsburgh, the far more significant problem has been his lack of availability with only three starts. Thatโs stunted Baltimoreโs chances and the buzz of the rivalry itself, but heโs ready to go for this one.
2. Jackson hopes to have his starting left tackle back with Ronnie Stanley practicing fully and saying his return is โa strong possibilityโ after a three-game absence. Thatโs significant with right tackle Morgan Moses nursing a shoulder injury that has him in danger of missing his first game since 2014.
Moses didnโt do much during the media viewing portion of practice, but still a positive development. #Ravens https://t.co/T7RTCzRYIXโ Luke Jones (@BaltimoreLuke) October 5, 2023
3. Meanwhile, Steelers quarterback Kenny Pickett looks like heโll be ready despite his knee injury. Given the way Pickett and that offense is struggling, however, Iโm not so sure backup Mitch Trubisky wouldnโt be the better option. Interceptions aside, he moved the ball quite a bit against Baltimoreโs defense last December.
4. With only limited practice in his return from mid-August foot surgery, Marlon Humphrey making his season debut Sunday remains up in the air. Though the Ravens havenโt faced a murdererโs row of opposing offenses, who would have predicted the pass defense faring this well without the three-time Pro Bowl cornerback?
5. Leading the NFL in red-zone offense, the Ravens will have a tough time continuing to score a touchdown on 80% of trips inside the 20, which is why Todd Monken wants to see more explosive plays. Still, red-zone improvement was one of their top priorities moving on from Greg Roman.
6. The downfield passing game remains a work in progress, but PFF has graded Jackson as the best in the league on passes targeted 10 or more yards downfield. The problem has been volume with Jackson ranking 30th in attempts of 10-plus air yards. A healthier offensive line should help matters.
7. According to Sharp Football, the Ravens are allowing a league-low 3.7 yards per pass play while Pittsburghโs pass plays have resulted in a first down or touchdown an NFL-worst 22.5% of the time. Thatโs bad news for an offense with a banged-up quarterback trying to find his way.
Most Broken & Missed Tackles on Runs โ 2023 Season
Kenneth Walker III 20
Lamar Jackson 18
Zack Moss 16
Najee Harris 15
Christian McCaffrey 14
Jahmyr Gibbs 13 pic.twitter.com/6qkzd1w5oZโ SIS Football (@football_sis) October 5, 2023
8. A 4.4 yards per carry average is nothing special, but Jacksonโs athleticism and the effective use of pre-snap motion continue to make an efficient ground game. Though the Ravens arenโt using nearly as many heavy formations, Romanโs fingerprints linger, which is wise when talking about the rushing attack.
9. The sack numbers for Jadeveon Clowney in recent years donโt compare to T.J. Watt and Alex Highsmith on the opposing side, but the disruptive veteran continues to pile up pressures. The Steelers wonโt have left tackle Dan Moore, so first-round rookie Broderick Jones will have his hands full Sunday.
Jadeveon Clowney is currently on pace for 80 pressures this season.
Full list of Ravens players to register 80+ pressures in a single season since PFF starting collecting data in 2006:
End of list.โ Gordon McGuinness (@PFF_Gordon) October 3, 2023
10. Hearing Patrick Queen point out Baltimoreโs 1-5 record against the Steelers since his arrival and some perceived disrespect from Mike Tomlin during his rookie season leads one to believe he has no shortage of motivation this week. He and Roquan Smith have been really fun to watch this year.
11. Terps fans will remember Matt Canada for doing a respectable job as interim head coach in the wake of Jordan McNairโs death and DJ Durkinโs termination, but how much longer can Pittsburgh stick with him as offensive coordinator? The numbers arenโt pretty and donโt appear to be getting any better.
12. Itโs strange for Ravens-Steelers to be playing second fiddle to the Orioles beginning the push for their first World Series in 40 years, but Sunday figures to be one of the most memorable sports days in this city in a very long time. The hype video below says it all.
How โbout this for a fall Sunday?
The playoffs. And Pittsburgh.pic.twitter.com/V3iGb6V0xEโ Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) October 5, 2023
Prediction: On paper, the Ravens have advantages all over the place and easily look like the class of the AFC North through the first quarter of the season, which might lead one to anticipate a fairly comfortable victory for John Harbaughโs team. But I have too much respect for the history of this rivalry and have witnessed too many examples of the underdog rising to the occasion to pull off an upset or at least give the better team everything it can handle. Iโm betting on this Steelers defense having too much pride to continue to play as poorly as it has early on, which will keep this game tight. However, Jackson โ with heavy lifting from the Baltimore defense โ will be a little too much to handle and will earn his first victory over Pittsburgh since 2019 in a 20-13 win for the Ravens.