Pittsburgh won for the 5th time in 6 games last Sunday with a rousing come-from-behind 34-27 victory over Denver. Baltimore was blown out for the 2nd-straight week, falling 34-14 to Kansas City. The Ravens won the Week 4 matchup 23-20 in OT.
The Steelers would like to be balanced on offense but their running game was stuffed last week (17 carries, 23 yards). The Ravens allow 100 ypg and 3.8 ypc so don’t expect a big day from RB DeAngelo Williams. QB Ben Roethlisberger and the passing game have been on fire and I expect them to have another big game this week. WRs Antonio Brown, Markus Wheaton and Martavis Bryant are all a big play waiting to happen while TE Heath Miller remains a steady weapon on 3rd down. Baltimore has allowed 28 TD passes while picking off only 4 passes. They do have 31 sacks so Roethlisberger may not have tons of time for deep throws. However, his receivers are very adept at turning short catches into long gains.
Baltimore is leaning on QB Jimmy Clausen to finish the year and that’s not a good thing. He simply isn’t a starting-caliber QB in the league. Pittsburgh’s defense has been gashed by opposing QBs with regularity but they should be able to contain this passing attack. WR Kamar Aiken has made the most of his opportunity to play and has a shot at a 1,000 yard receiving season. Look for the Steelers to shade their coverage his way. The Steelers pass rush had a slow start but they have 40 sacks now. No player has more than 7 meaning Pittsburgh is bringing heat from all directions. Rookie RB Javorius Allen is the lead back because of injury but his ypc average is below 4 and he has yet to score a TD. Baltimore scored a TD on their opening drive last week (1st time this season) before being shut down for the rest of the game.
Steelers 77% Under 54%
