The Baltimore Ravens host the Pittsburgh Steelers this Sunday at M&T Bank Stadium and with a win accompanied by Cincinnati Bengals loss, the Ravens will clinch the AFC North division with 4 games still left on the schedule. Fortunately for the Ravens defense, Ben Roethlisberger will again be inactive and Charlie Batch will be leading a now stagnant Steelers offense. Without Roethlisberger, the Steelers have struggled, culminating with eight turnovers last week in a loss to a pathetic Cleveland Browns team.
Courtesy: Washington Post
The Steelers chances of winning the division are remote, and with a loss on Sunday, they will be 6-6 and will have to fight to even make the playoffs. Unfortunately for Pittsburgh, the Ravens hold one of the greatest home field advantages in football, winning their last 15 games at M&T Bank. For the Steelers to win, they must establish their running attack early and often.
Charlie Batch may have the weakest arm in the NFL so the burden of scoring points falls on Jonathan Dwyer and company. The Steelers also will have to complete passes in space to their talented and speedy recievers. While Batch cannot drive the ball down the field like Roethlisberger and injured backup Byron Leftwich, if he can get the ball into the hands of Antonio Brown and Mike Wallace, good things tend to happen.
With a chance to lock up the division, look for Baltimore to play crisp and control the game with a heavy dose of Ray Rice and Bernard Pierce. With Troy Palomalu returning from injury, Joe Flacco must account for the future hall of famer on every play and protect the football. The only way the Ravens lose this week is if Pittsburgh is able to wreak havoc on Flacco and force multiple turnovers.
This is my Notes from the Rafters of M&T Bank Stadium…again.
