Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Baltimore Ravens: Players to Watch
On Saturday night for the first time since the AFC Championship game in 2010, the Pittsburgh Steelers will be hosting a playoff game at Heinz Field. The Steelers will face a well known opponent in the Baltimore Ravens, who earned the sixth seed in the AFC with a win over the Cleveland Browns in week 17. These two teams split their regular season series, as the Ravens won in Baltimore on a Thursday night to start week two and the Steelers won at home by 20 points in week nine. The Steelers are 3-0 against the Ravens all-time in the playoffs, with all three games being played in the Steel City. Here are a few players to watch for on Saturday night.
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Josh Harris and Dri Archer
Just two days after seeing Le’Veon Bell leave the game against the Cincinnati Bengals after the Reggie Nelson low tackle in the open field it remains unknown what Bell’s status is for the game on Saturday. What we do know is that the MRI showed no structural damage to his ligaments but a hyperextended knee could take 2-4 weeks to fully heal. I have a feeling Bell will give it a go on Saturday but with the game being only six days after he suffered the injury, there is certainly a chance that he is nowhere near 100%.
Based on that assumption the Steelers are going to need Josh Harris and Dri Archer to step up in a gigantic way despite the fact that Bell did not exactly torch the Ravens in the Steelers first two match-ups. In two games against the Ravens, Bell rushed the ball only 21 times for 79 yards. He also added 10 catches for 86 yards. Not exactly great numbers for Bell but his presence will be missed if he is unable to play. In the week nine game, Ben Roethlisberger threw for six touchdowns as the Steelers offense scored 43 points.
If Bell is unable to play, I’d expect the Ravens defense to do all they can to stop Big Ben and Antonio Brown from taking over the game. If Harris and Archer can give them a solid effort on the ground to keep the Ravens defense honest it will be a major advantage. Archer has been irrelevant all season, rushing for only 40 yards and catching only seven passes. However if he can make one or two plays catching the ball out of the backfield, while Harris can maybe run consistently and possibly bust a 59-yard run like he did against the Bengals (minus the holding penalty), the Steelers offense may be able to get by for one week without Bell.
Joe Flacco
The last time Joe Flacco played in the playoffs, he was hoisting a Lombardi Trophy and a Super Bowl MVP award after beating the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl XLVII (writing that made me nauseous). Say what you want about Joe Flacco not being an elite quarterback but in the 2012 playoffs he undeniably played amazing. 11 touchdowns and no interceptions in four games with a QB rating of 117.2. Three of those playoff wins came on the road, as Flacco holds the NFL record with six road playoff wins.
In the playoffs against the Steelers, Flacco has not exactly been “Joe Cool”. In his rookie season he struggled in the AFC championship game going 13 for 30, throwing three interceptions. Flacco got another chance against the Steelers in the 2010 Divisional round game but unfortunately for him he struggled again completing 16 of 30 attempts for 125 yards in a seven-point loss.
This year Flacco has played well in most of the Ravens games. He finished the regular season with 27 touchdowns and 12 interceptions (ten less than 2013). Flacco has been much better in Baltimore than away from it though. Nine of his twelve interceptions have come on the road and his QB rating is 14 points lower away from M&T Bank Stadium. This year the Ravens went 4-4 on the road, compared to 6-2 at home. Hopefully for the Steelers sake, Flacco continues the trend of struggling on the road and against the Steelers in the playoffs rather than regaining his 2012 playoff form.
Jacoby Jones
Nov 2, 2014; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Jacoby Jones (12) returns a punt against the Pittsburgh Steelers during the first quarter at Heinz Field. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
This year the Steelers/Ravens rivalry was a bit different with both teams winning by 20 points. However, the combined score after 120 minutes of play was 49-49. Before this year, 13 of 15 Steelers/Ravens games were decided by a touchdown or fewer. The likelihood that this game is a close one is pretty high. Therefore stopping somebody like Jacoby Jones could make all the difference.
In the week nine game after the Steelers took a commanding 29-10 lead at the start of the fourth quarter, Jones returned a kickoff 108 yards for a touchdown. He also added a 25-yard punt return which led to a Flacco touchdown. In week two Jones had a 33-yard punt return, which led to a Ravens field goal. There was also the 73-yard kick return against the Steelers on Thanksgiving night of 2013, when Mike Tomlin was kind of near the field. Oh yeah, he also had a 63-yard punt return for a touchdown down in 2012.
Jones has proven time and time again to be a Steelers special teams nightmare. While he may not be the deciding factor in this game, limiting his impact will be huge for the Steelers. If he breaks free on just one kick return or punt return and sets the Ravens offense up in Steelers territory it could have a major impact on the final scoreboard.
Who else should we keep an eye on Steelers Nation?