5 Things to Watch: Steelers Welcome New Faces to Ravens Rivalry

The Pittsburgh Steelers are headed home with their first winning streak of the season after wins against the Indianapolis Colts and Atlanta Falcons. The Baltimore Ravens won in dramatic fashion at the buzzer last weekend against the Denver Broncos. The faces change, but this remains one of the very best rivalries in all of sports, and Week 14 should offer plenty of drama and excitement.

Here are some things that you'll want to watch for during the contest.

No Lamar Jackson a Big Problem for Baltimore

Lamar Jackson, the MVP of the league back in 2019, has given defensive coordinators fits ever since the day he was inserted into the lineup over Joe Flacco.

As much success as he's had as a pro, the Steelers' defense has been his kryptonite, as he's turned the ball over eight times with only four touchdowns in his three career starts against Pittsburgh.

In recent years, Baltimore has opted to invest in backups with similar, albeit a lot less dynamic, skill sets as Jackson in the event that he's unable to go. Jackson's backup is once again Tyler Huntley, who will be facing the Steelers for a second time after struggling in this matchup last season, turning the ball over three times in a 16-13 loss last season.

Even taking into account the Steelers' previous track record of success against Jackson, this is a huge blow to the Ravens' chances on Sunday. There might not be a single player in the NFL that carries more of the weight of their prospective side of the football than Jackson, as the entire offense is built solely around his unique, dual-threat capabilities.

Huntley is a talented runner who's both athletic and tough as nails but extremely limited as a passer. Jackson's talents alone have an offense devoid of playmakers ranked ninth in EPA/play, and while Huntley is competent enough to keep games from getting out of hand, he's just not dynamic enough to uplift a subpar supporting cast.

If the Steelers can get out to an early lead, forcing Baltimore to abandon their running game, which is their strong suit, the odds will undoubtedly be in their favor.

Welcoming Kyle Hamilton to the Rivalry

The freakishly built hybrid safety out of Notre Dame unexpectedly fell out of the top ten of the 2022 NFL Draft before Baltimore scooped him up with the 14th overall pick. Thanks to his versatile skill set, Hamilton was the fourth overall player on my big board released before the NFL Draft, and he's acclimated himself nicely to the next level.

Earlier in the season, Baltimore was trying to figure out the best way to use this promising player of many talents, but over the past month, it seems like things have slowed down for him, partially thanks to a more defined role.

Since Week 8, 59% of Hamilton's snaps on defense have come when he's been aligned in the slot. This is where Hamilton played a vast majority of his snaps in college, and those skills have translated to the next level as he's allowed just 55 yards across the past four weeks when working inside, per Pro Football Focus.

Baltimore will play three safeties quite a bit, as they have incredible depth at the position, including Marcus Williams, who could potentially suit up this Sunday as he appears close to returning from an injury.

Steelers tight end Pat Freiermuth, who primarily works inside, whether in the slot or in-line, has been Kenny Pickett's go-to guy in big spots. Hamilton will be one of the Ravens' defenders tasked with slowing him down. There's a good chance that this is just Act I, and these two are going to be a massive part of this rivalry moving forward.

Ravens Run Defense a Good Litmus Test

The bye week gave the Steelers' offense time to figure out what their identity was on offense, and it seems as if they’ve found it. Establish the running game while taking care of the football to form an old-school ball control unit.

Pittsburgh’s offense is averaging 161 yards per game during that stretch, ranking 5th in rushing EPA/play and 2nd in rushing success rate since Week 10. During that same stretch, Baltimore’s defense is holding teams to just 52 yards per game, ranking 1st in rushing EPA/play and 2nd in rushing success rate.

Something has to give here, right? Pittsburgh has leaned even more heavily into their zone rushing concepts since the bye week, and the results have been magnificent, as they’ve averaged 4.7 yards per carry on inside/outside zone plays. Baltimore’s defense has been particularly impressive since the addition of stud linebacker Roquan Smith, but it’s also fair to point out that the rushing attacks that they’ve faced recently haven’t been the greatest, either.

There’s no doubt that Matt Canada and Mike Tomlin want to continue to impose their will on the ground, and Baltimore will give them perhaps their best test yet. Week 14 figures to be a battle of attrition in the trenches, and it will tell us which of these two units has legitimate staying power.

George Pickens Usage and Opponent

Unless you've been living under a rock for the past week, you've probably heard about George Pickens's sideline outburst in lieu of being targeted just twice against the Atlanta Falcons. Tomlin swore up and down that it wasn't a big deal and that part of what makes Pickens so great is that competitive edge that he carries around everywhere.

Pickens had an alpha dog reputation at Georgia but also came with some maturity concerns as well. While the passion on the sidelines wasn't too well-received by the masses, Pickens just wants to win, and he knows that the ball being thrown his way helps the Steelers in the pursuit of that goal.

It would likely behoove Canada to stop inserting Pickens in the slot as much after the rookie spent 37% of passing snaps inside last week, which is a total waste of his skill set within the current structure of the offense.

Pickens ability to win vertically, whether it be by stacking cornerbacks or winning 50/50 balls in contested catching situations, could come in handy this week against Baltimore, who's allowed the fourth most completions of 20+ air yards so far this season, according to Sports Info Solutions.

Marlon Humphrey's physicality and versatility make him arguably the most complete player on the Ravens' defense, but it's actually his counterpart that offers the more interesting matchup. On the other side of the field, it'll be Marcus Peters, the nosy, playmaking pest who plays exclusively on the defense's left side.

Just like Pickens, Peters plays with that same fire and has been known to get into plenty of scraps after the whistle making this matchup appear like a ticking time bomb on the surface. The former first-round corner from Washington is also known in league circles as a bit of a cheater, someone who loves to jump routes and read the quarterback's eyes which makes him more susceptible to big plays over the top.

Steelers-Ravens: Always Predictably Unpredictable

When talking about epic rivalries in sports, it takes two to tango, and Tomlin referred to the Ravens as good dance partners this week. While I don't think there's really any love lost between Tomlin and John Harbaugh, there's plenty of respect, even if the two don't spend a ton of time sharing cigars in the offseason.

Tomlin has the hot hand, though, as the Steelers have come away victorious in eight of the past eleven matchups, including four straight since the dawn of 2020. The difference in the past four duels between these two teams? A whopping nine total points.

There are a few givens beyond just the head coaches that you'll see every matchup. It's going to be physical, most likely ugly with low-scoring totals and the finish is going to come down to the wire.

This rivalry is where good players become legends for their hometown teams because the importance of coming out on top is second to none in the minds of both the organizations and the fan bases. If you didn't know any better, you'd swear that you're watching a tape delay of a previous Steelers-Ravens game because they all feel the same, ending in dramatic fashion.

Ben Roethlisberger led a game-winning drive to beat the Ravens on twelve separate occasions, but it won't be him under center on Sunday; it'll be his heir apparent, Pickett.

It seems likely that Pickett will have the rock in the fourth quarter in a make-or-break moment, and that's a situation you dream of as a quarterback. It would be a heck of a way to inject him into this historic rivalry.

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