Pundit Says You 'Cannot Count Pittsburgh Out' Against the Ravens
The Ravens enter the postseason riding a four-game winning streak and playing their best football. Conversely, the Pittsburgh Steelers are limping into the playoffs on a four-game losing streak.
It's easy to see why the Ravens are 10-point favorites for their AFC Wild-Card playoff game against the Steelers Saturday night at M&T Bank Stadium.
However, ESPN's Ben Solak isn't dismissing the Steelers' chances of pulling off an upset in the battle of AFC North rivals.
"They get a Baltimore team with whom they are intimately familiar," Solak said on FanDuel TV's "Up & Adams." "They're playing in a stadium they've played in consistently; they know how to play there. [They're] playing a quarterback in Lamar Jackson who they've consistently defended better than other teams have defended him. There is a circle the wagons opportunity here for Pittsburgh.
"The Ravens are the better team, and Pittsburgh's got issues in the passing game, and Russell Wilson's not playing well. There are serious problems there, but you cannot count Pittsburgh out of an intra-divisional game like this."
Solak contended that the Steelers' struggles over the past month were largely due to injuries.
"They were very banged up in December. I think that was an under-reported, under-appreciated thing," Solak said. "They missed George Pickens for a lot of games; they missed Joey Porter Jr. for a couple of those games; T.J. Watt is clearly less than a hundred percent; Larry Ogunjobii was missing time; DeShon Elliott was missing time. These are important players to them.
"So I absolutely, truly believe Pittsburgh is better than the four-game skid would indicate."
Steelers beat reporter Mark Kaboly wasn't shy about boldly making his prediction early in the week.
Why Ravens Can Win the Super Bowl and a Potential Fatal Flaw
Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer spoke with a handful of league executives to gain insight into why each playoff team could win the Super Bowl and what could derail their quest for the Lombardi Trophy.
Here are some excerpts from Breer's assessment of the Ravens:
Why they'll win it all: "They've become more difficult to defend on offense, with Lamar Jackson continuing to grow as a passer under second-year coordinator Todd Monken. Young weapons such as Zay Flowers and Isaiah Likely are coming of age, and first-year starters Pat Makari and Roger Rosengarten are starting to shine on the line, too. And, oh yeah … Derrick Henry's presence.
"'They're absolutely multiple on offense now,' said one exec. 'And it starts and ends with the quarterback and running back, but they've developed a pass game, look at the numbers, look at the tape, you'll see a big step.'"
Fatal flaw: "If the defense regresses to where it was a few weeks back, and the Ravens fall behind, opponents can take Baltimore out of its comfort zone, minimizing the impact of Henry, and forcing their receivers to win in coverage consistently."
Big unknown: "How will the secondary look under the bright lights and big competition of the playoffs? Moving Kyle Hamilton to centerfield has stabilized the defense, allowing the group's start to control traffic and see the field. But there is a reason why the Ravens were aggressive in pursuing Marshon Lattimore at the deadline. So, will Nate Wiggins's progress at corner keep going? And how will the depth beyond Wiggins and Marlon Humphrey at corner hold up?"
On a related note, the Ravens were No. 6 in NFL.com’s Jeffri Chadiha’s rankings of the 14 playoff teams.
"Jackson is playing at a level we've never seen him reach, especially when it comes to dissecting opponents from the pocket," Chadiha wrote. "What he must prove next is whether he can sustain that excellence throughout the playoffs. His struggles in January are notable and last season's loss to Kansas City in the AFC Championship Game was soul-crushing. There's a very good chance Jackson will have to go through Josh Allen and Patrick Mahomes on the road to reach his first Super Bowl. If he's really the MVP, that will be a great time to show why."
The teams ranked Nos. 1-5 (in order) were the Buffalo Bills, Philadelphia Eagles, Kansas City Chiefs, Detroit Lions, and Minnesota Vikings. The Steelers were No. 14.
Debunking the Myth About Ravens' Inability to Play From Behind
ESPN's Dan Graziano said the notion that the Ravens aren't built to come from behind is a myth.
"From 2018 (the year they drafted Lamar Jackson) through 2023, the Ravens went 3-15 in games in which they trailed by multiple scores at any time," Graziano wrote. "Jackson has upped his game significantly in those situations this season. The Ravens are 4-2 in games in which they trail by multiple possessions at any point in 2024 – yes, more wins just this season than they had in the previous six combined in those situations.
"Their 7.8 yards per play when trailing by more than one score is the second best in the league, behind only Minnesota. And Jackson's 89.3 Total QBR when trailing by multiple scores is the best in the league this season. In obvious passing situations – defined by NFL Next Gen Stats as plays on which there is a 75% or better chance that the team will throw – Jackson has an EPA of 76.1, far and away the league's best."
Henry Wins PFF's Best Runner Award
Despite the Eagles' Saquon Barkley becoming just the ninth player to eclipse 2,000 rushing yards, Henry won Pro Football Focus’ 2024 Best Runner award.
"Barkley fell short of Henry in several underlying facets, including yards after contact per attempt (3.50 to 3.17), forced missed tackles per attempt (0.25 to 0.18) and PFF rushing grade (93.1 to 85.6)," PFF's Ben Cooper wrote. "He also ran behind PFF's top-ranked offensive line.
"In the end, King Henry answered all questions that arose when the Ravens signed him this offseason. A new team? Concerns about his age? One of the hardest defensive schedules in the NFL? New run concepts? None of it mattered. The King reigned supreme."
Henry, who turned 31 on Saturday, finished with 1,921 rushing yards (second-most in his career) and 16 rushing touchdowns (tied for second-most in his career). His 5.9 yards-per-carry was a career-high, and his 18 total touchdowns equaled his career-high.
"This year was nothing new for Henry, who has now thrice earned a 90.0-plus PFF overall grade in a season, but his 94.1 mark is a career-high," Cooper wrote. "He never earned a game grade below 60.0 this season — a first in the veteran's nine-year NFL tenure.
"This season wasn't without challenges. Henry had to adjust to more trap, power and pull-lead runs in a new offense. The shift didn't faze him, as he earned a league-high 93.1 PFF rushing grade on such plays."
ESPN Writer Gives Jackson the Nod Over Allen for MVP
ESPN's Bill Barnwell revealed his picks for this season's individual awards. He went with Jackson over Allen for MVP.
"In the end, although I was leaning Allen as recently as last week, I have to go with Jackson," Barnwell wrote. "Allen was the more consistent quarterback on a snap-to-snap basis by virtue of his incredibly high floor; when a player doesn't ever take sacks, rarely turns the ball over, and can extend plays and pick up meaningful yardage with his legs, it's almost impossible to stop him. This wasn't the most spectacular version of Allen we've ever seen, but it was a devastatingly efficient performance.
"Jackson was just a tiny bit better. He was comfortably more productive as a passer throughout the season, and although Allen had his spectacular moments, Jackson might have had more. He played more often against stiff competition and did so at an extremely high level. And although he had better playmakers than his Bills counterpart, he didn't have the same caliber of offensive linemen."