Back the Ravens to Stomp Steelers

Steelers vs. Ravens, 8:20 ET

I'll give the NFL this, they are nothing if not consistent with who they put in primetime games. Last year the Steelers seemed to play in nothing but primetime and this year they've been taken down a notch or two (maybe because Big Ben is gone) but they are still featured quite a bit. Either way, no complaints for me because no matter who is (or is not) on the field for these teams they put together a solid game most of the time.

The Steelers come into this matchup with a 7-8 record and are just a win away from eclipsing their preseason win total. Personally, I didn't expect them to win many games and took the under, but I wouldn't be surprised if they win one of the next two games. They certainly are hot enough with wins in four of their past five games. They took down the Raiders in the last few minutes - which also cost one survivor pool contestant a shot at six million dollars. The last time they played the Ravens, the game was at home and it also featured a Lamar Jackson-less Ravens squad. In that game, Baltimore won 16-14 in Pittsburgh. Now that the Steelers head to Baltimore, can they get some revenge? The Steelers do still have a chance to make the playoffs, but it is slim. Kenny Pickett is not a great quarterback but he might be the best quarterback in this game.

There is some hope that Lamar Jackson plays in this game. Head coach John Harbaugh wouldn't say one way or another about it which means that he is probably just trying to not give Pittsburgh a chance to prepare for Jackson if he plays or makes them have to at least consider some preparation for him. The Ravens come into this game winning three of their past five games and have been able to handle business against most teams even without Jackson. They had a bad loss to Cleveland, but it was somewhat expected at the time. Now they need to try and recreate what they did a few weeks ago and beat the Steelers. Neither team is great at passing the ball unless Jackson is back, but even then, there aren't many receiving options in Baltimore.

I think that Jackson plays in this game, but even if he doesn't, I don't like what I've seen out of Pickett. The Baltimore defense should be able to handle whatever the Steelers try to attack them with, their rush defense has the edge in this one and I'm not trusting Pickett on the road. I'll take the Ravens -3.

(This article was written prior to any Jackson news announced)

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