5 Steelers to watch in second seasonal matchup with Ravens
Before every game of the 2020 NFL regular season, Steel City Underground will do a full-roster analysis to find five Pittsburgh Steelers players to keep a special eye on when watching on game day. This week we focus on the Steelers we think will make a difference in the game against the Baltimore Ravens in Week 12.
Most Americans are aware that COVID-19 continues to affect daily life in 2020, and the NFL hasn’t been immune. With news that the Baltimore Ravens (6-4) placed running backs J.K. Dobbins and Mark Ingram, along with defensive tackle, Brandon Williams, into the COVID/reserved protocol, the keys to the Pittsburgh Steelers (10-0) sweeping their AFC North rivals looks a little differently than it might have a week or two ago. It certainly looks much different than when these two teams met earlier in the season.
With both teams facing each other on a short week after being given the honor of playing one of the NFL’s Thanksgiving games, Pittsburgh is the favorite to take the win and will don their fan-favorite Color Rush jerseys. To earn the win, they’ll need to continue to be dominant in all aspects; offense, defense, and special teams. Here are five key Steelers players to keep an eye on in Week 12.
Havoc along the defensive front
The Steelers have turned the 2020 NFL regular season into a reign of terror with their seemingly nonstop ability to get to opposing quarterbacks. With Baltimore’s run game a question mark, without Ingram and Dobbins, keeping Lamar Jackson guessing and limited will be an impetus for the defensive front. Once again, Cameron Heyward‘s leadership and experience will be key in doing just that.
“All of us have been playing together for a while,” Stephon Tuitt said this week. “You have prolific edge rushers that help make the quarterback step up for me and (defensive tackle) Cam Heyward, you know Cam Heyward is a great defensive lineman, as well. We have a lot of guys who can get after the quarterback and cause havoc.”
The Steelers have logged an NFL-best 38 sacks and an NFL-best 21 takeaways (heading into the Monday Night Football game between the Rams and Buccaneers). Their 67 consecutive games registering at least one sack is just two shy of the all-time NFL record (since the statistic began being counted by the league).
A big jump from Edmunds
Steelers fans had expressed concern that Terrell Edmunds may be on the decline early in the season. There were pundits who claimed that, as a former first-rounder, Edmunds was the weakest link in the Steelers’ defensive secondary. Edmunds may have had a bit of a sophomore slump in 2019 but he has steadily improved during the 2020 season and, in Week 11, grabbed two Jake Luton interceptions. Those two picks matched those made by Minkah Fitzpatrick and were Edmunds’ first of the season. That makes Edmunds a guy to watch against the Ravens.
More Layne in the lineup?
Casual fans may not be aware of who Justin Layne is, or what position he plays for sure. Layne, drafted by the Steelers in the third round of the 2019 NFL Draft, has been a depth player at cornerback for the Steelers. With little known about starting left corner Joe Haden‘s injury during the game against the Jaguars, Layne is more likely to be in the lineup this week than not. Layne has seen action in ten games this season and although he hasn’t been a highlight-reel, spotlight player, he has contributed to the success the Steelers’ defensive backfield and special teams coverage unit has had.
Second-half run game
Although the Steelers have been targeted by analysts for a run game that hasn’t looked flashy or effective this season, they have been able to utilize it to open up the pass. Last weekend, the short-run game was something head coach Mike Tomlin was pleased with. He’d promised the media that there would be a focus on that area of the offense and, while there were few breakout plays, the ground game did help convert several critical downs. It’s still an area where improvement could be made and a lot of that depends upon how well the offensive line is able to make key blocks against the Ravens in the trenches.
While James Conner has continued to be the ‘bell cow’ in this Pittsburgh offense, Anthony McFarland has taken on a bigger role. Part of the reasoning behind that was the early issues Benny Snell had with ball control and a smaller role for Jaylen Samuels in the current scheme.
The Ravens, who’ve typically been a tough defense to run against, are allowing opponents 4.6 yards-per-carry and 116.0 yards-per-game, on average, this season. Where they’ve struggled the most has been in the second half of games when their defense is gassed due to a decline in offensive prowess.
The Ebron – ‘Big Ben’ connection
The Steelers are short at the tight end position. Vance McDonald is expected to return to practice this week for evaluation but there are no assurances he’ll be ready to play on Thursday night. Zach Gentry suffered what the team considers to be a “significant” knee injury. Against the Jaguars, the lone tight end available for Pittsburgh was Eric Ebron.
In the first meeting with the Ravens, Ben Roethlisberger was able to throw for 182 yards, two touchdowns, and log a 101.3 passer rating. His connection with Ebron has been one that continues to develop. With Baltimore allowing just 217.0 passing yards per game entering Week 12, Ebron makes a tempting target that ‘Big Ben’ could utilize as the Ravens focus on record-chasing rookie Chase Claypool and oft-targeted Diontae Johnson. If JuJu Smith-Schuster isn’t kept out of the game due to a toe injury sustained in Week 11, a connection with Ebron – especially when a linebacker is on the big tight end – looks like a recipe for success. Ebron will need to continue to communicate with Roethlisberger and make the tough catches but he’s not shying away from that opportunity.
“I feel like this team has a purpose,” Ebron said this week in anticipation of playing the Ravens again. “Everybody knows what page we are on… (The Ravens) are just another opponent. At the end of the day, you are about to come into our house. I don’t like losing at home. That is another opponent coming into our house that we have to defend.”
One Last Word
“All black means all business,” said Mike Hilton. “Those Color Rush are probably our favorite uniforms.” The Steelers have traditionally done very well when wearing the blackout jerseys and hope that helps motivate them to remain team-focused on a win.
