It’s great when a game lives up to the hype, but then most games between the Baltimore Ravens and the Pittsburgh Steelers do.
The Ravens looked to have dropped another one late in Pittsburgh before Joe Flacco led them on a 92-yard drive to seal the game in the dying seconds. It gives the Ravens the tie-breaker between the two which could be the difference between a potential third game in January taking place at M and T Bank Stadium as opposed to Heinz Field – though we suspect the Cincinnati Bengals might have something to say about that. In any case you really can’t underscore the significance of this win for Baltimore and defeat for the Steelers, and especially given the nature of that drive.
Indeed Flacco throwing the game winning touchdown in Pittsburgh for the second time in three games should be something to build on, and it’s with his big day we first look.
Baltimore Ravens – Three Performances of Note
Flacco Steps Up
Just when you were ready to give up on him, Joe Flacco (+8.2) stepped up to deliver one of the best performances of his career. The Steelers blitzed Flacco early and often and it was easy to see why; he completed 78.3% of his passes when they didn’t. It was far from a flawless performance, with some throws that really could have gone the other way, but overall he was good throughout and finished the game with a fantastic drive against a defense that has given him problems in the past. He was particularly successful in the middle of the field, completing 10 of 15 passes for 127 yards. However there was one obvious play that stood out amongst the rest, that game winner to Torrey Smith on 3rd-and-10 with 14 seconds to go. Going back to Smith after he had made some key drops in the game, Flacco was able to drop the ball in behind safety Ryan Clark and CB William Gay allowing Smith to make a diving catch for the game winning score. It was the type of performance that highlights the ability Flacco has. Now we just need to see him do it consistently, and he’ll have the opportunity to do that in Seattle on Sunday.
Finally Replacing Heap?
When the Ravens cut TE Todd Heap, they put their faith in the young duo of Dennis Pitta (+1.3) and Ed Dickson (+0.4). To say they had failed to live up to expectations going into this game was an understatement. Both have been terrible as blockers and failed to make a big impact in the passing game. But on Sunday night, Pitta looked very much like Heap in the passing game for the Ravens. Targeted seven times, Pitta came away with five catches for 46 yards – all on third down as he became the perfect security blanket for Joe Flacco’s big night.
Human After All
In Week 1, Ed Reed (-1.8) came away with two interceptions of Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger and two passes defensed from the five times he was thrown at. On Sunday, Roethlisberger seemed very aware of that, going after Reed just twice all night. He had success on both occasions he did however, with his passes going for 13 and 25 yards respectively. It was not the kind of performance we have come to expect from Reed, topping off his poor day in coverage with a missed tackle and no defensive stops.
Pittsburgh Steelers – Three Performances of Note
Back with a Bang
Much has been made about Lamarr Woodley’s start to this season. While it hasn’t been as impressive as some would have you believe, his sack total can’t be denied. But anyone who thought that Woodley would be a bigger loss than James Harrison (+5.5) needs just to take a look at Sunday night’s game to see just how wrong they are. In his first game back from injury, Harrison finished with three sacks, three hits and three pressures on just 37 pass rushes – he disrupted the play on just under a quarter of Joe Flacco’s drop backs! On a night where no other Steelers player could manage to hit or sack Flacco, Harrison once again stepped up. One of his sacks included a fumble that put the Steelers in position to win the game. But his performance was more than just about the pass rush, Harrison finished the game with five tackles and seven defensive stops. There really isn’t a better all round 3-4 OLB in the league than him.
Not in Revis’ Class
If you read Sam Monson’s article last week on Ike Taylor’s season so far, you’ll be aware that Taylor isn’t quite deserving of the Darrelle Revis comparisons being thrown his way this season. Sunday Night was no different despite what the broadcast team was telling us. Taylor (-1.8) was charged with keeping Anquan Boldin in check for most of the night and while he didn’t allow the big play (his longest catch allowed was 15 yards) Taylor allowed five catches from the seven thrown to Boldin in his coverage. He didn’t get his hands on any passes thrown by Flacco or do anything to make him think twice about throwing into his coverage.
A Stark Contrast
Much has been made in recent weeks about the improvement Max Starks (+0.6) has made to the Steelers offensive line. I’ll admit to being sceptical. I wanted to see him to it against better competition and what better competition than the man who has made Steelers offensive linemen look downright stupid in recent times, Terrell Suggs. Starks didn’t disappoint, allowing just a single pressure on Roethlisberger’s 40 drop backs. He was far from dominant against the run, and had a penalty called against him but anytime a LT can walk away from the game with a performance like that as a pass blocker you can’t complain. The improvement of the Steelers play at the offensive tackle spots since switching to Starks and rookie Marcus Gilbert (+1.6) can’t be overlooked. It was a far cry from the previous games between the Steelers and Ravens where we have seen Roethlisberger running for his life.
Game Notes
– All nine of the passes Flacco threw to Torrey Smith were catchable, though Smith dropped four of them before catching the game winner.
– As has been the case on more than one occasion this year, Marshal Yanda and Matt Birk didn’t allow a single pressure on Flacco.
– Between receptions, punt returns and kick returns, Antonio Brown averaged 12.91 yards per touch.
PFF Game Ball
In spite of two drops on that final drive, including a potential game winner, Joe Flacco stuck in and finished the drive and showed what he is truly capable of. A 92 yard game winning drive, even against a depleted Steeler defense, is an outstanding achievement and leading the Ravens to a season sweep of the Steelers could be pivotal come January.
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