Steelers Scouting Report: Baltimore Ravens, Week 11
Steel City Underground scouts the Pittsburgh Steelers’ opponents each week of the 2024 NFL regular season ahead of the games to inform fans of the latest news, roster moves, important players, and latest social media chatter.
The Pittsburgh Steelers (7-2) will host the Baltimore Ravens (7-3) at Acrisure Stadium on Sunday, November 17 (1:00 p.m. Eastern). The NFL Week 11 game will kick off the first AFC North divisional play for Pittsburgh, while Baltimore comes off of a one-point win over the Cincinnati Bengals. The Ravens have played, and beaten, the Bengals twice this season, and were beaten by the Cleveland Browns in Week 8.
The rivalry between the Steelers and Ravens has been a hotly-contested series. The upcoming game is expected to be a battle for divisional supremacy once again.
No love lost in rivalry
Some of the best NFL action in recent years has occurred between the Ravens and Steelers. The games are always physical and have been known to get chippy. On Sunday, former Steelers receiver Diontae Johnson who joined the Ravens after a short stint with the Carolina Panthers is looking forward to playing in Pittsburgh.
“I can’t wait to get to Sunday to just be back in that stadium…it’s a big moment for me.” – Diontae Johnson
Johnson hasn’t been fully worked into the Ravens roster yet with Rashod Bateman and Zay Flowers grabbing the WR1/WR2 spots in the team’s success. The fact that Johnson has just one reception since joining the team prompted Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin to say on Tuesday, “He’s not on a lot of their video… they’ve got more significant pieces with larger roles that have occupied my attention at this part of the week.”
Steelers linebackers Patrick Queen and Jeremiah Moon will get their first opportunity to play their former team, as well. They understand what the rivalry is all about as much as any other player on either team: dominating in typically close-scoring contests.
Downing the Ravens offense
Baltimore already had a dangerous weapon in quarterback Lamar Jackson, a true dual-threat quarterback, but added Derrick Henry during the offseason. Henry currently leads all NFL rushers with 1,120 yards; he averages 6.1 yards per carry, 112.0 yards per game, and has 12 rushing touchdowns.
Jackson leads the league with a passer rating of 123.2; he has completed 199-of-288 (69.1%) passes for 2,669 yards and 24 touchdowns. He has thrown just two interceptions this season. Jackson has also carried the ball 91 times for 538 yards and 2 touchdowns.
The duo’s production has raised the team’s overall offense to an NFL-leading 31.8 points and 440 yards per game of offense average.
Tomlin has his eyes on how well Jackson leads the Ravens offensively, but could be eying the 13 sacks the quarterback has taken this season as well.
“There’s always a component of (Lamar’s) game that’s moving forward… He’s got a unique skill set… We face another hot offense with a multi-dimensional quarterback and a really good running game and an offense that’s ringing up the scoreboard,” Tomlin said. “And so if I know anything about our group, that fires them up, but it fires them up in the appropriate way.”
The Steelers won’t have Alex Highsmith on Sunday due to an injury he suffered in Week 10, so Preston Smith will be asked to step up with T.J. Watt in applying pressure to keep Jackson in the pocket and off his game.
The Steelers defense is ranked 8th overall in the league. They’re ranked 4th in rush defense, allowing 87.1 yards per game and 7 touchdowns. The pass defense has allowed 215.6 yards average per game and 8 touchdowns. Pittsburgh has logged 22.0 sacks through ten weeks and 10 interceptions.
Wearing down the Ravens “D”
When it comes to pass defense, Baltimore is currently ranked at the bottom of the league. They’ve allowed an average of 294.9 yards to opponents and 22 touchdowns.
With the way Russell Wilson has operated in his first three games with the Steelers, spreading the ball around, the recipe for success may be more pass attempts.
That isn’t to say that the Steelers will abandon the run, but the Ravens lead the league in rush defense, allowing just an average of 73.0 yards on the ground per game and 7 touchdowns. This may be a game that sees the Steelers ask Cordarrelle Patterson to do more short-yardage conversion work as well as goal-line punches.
The offensive line will need to put together a solid performance on Sunday, regardless. The Ravens have 31.0 sacks this season and that pressure will not give Wilson much wiggle room in the pocket. Last week, the Commanders pressured Wilson and he found George Pickens and other targets for some deep balls, including the game-winning touchdown pass to Mike Williams.
Regardless of the preparation, both the Ravens and Steelers will be looking for any chink in each others’ armor to exploit. And that is AFC North football.
Patrick Queen, Mike Williams, Preston Smith, and Jeremiah Moon speak to the media on Wednesday, November 13 ahead of the Steelers game against the Ravens. @PondLehocky pic.twitter.com/H1pix8ZwQy
— Steelers Live (@SteelersLive) November 13, 2024
