It’s not an unusual occurrence to see the Baltimore Ravens and the Pittsburgh Steelers meeting in the regular season; they do it two times a season. However, once the playoffs begin, these two teams aren’t as accustomed to meeting with each other.
After splitting the regular season series, the Steelers took the AFC North and the Ravens slid in as the No. 6 seed in the AFC, leading to what is the fourth playoff meeting between the bitter rivals.
Saturday night will also mark the 32nd all-time matchup between the Ravens and Steelers. It’s one of the best rivalries in the NFL and it enters another chapter in the Wild Card round. Enough with the context, let’s get to the top storylines for this game.
Le’Veon Bell out
This week, many experts' eyes were the Steelers’ star running back and his hyperextended knee that he suffered in the Week 17 win over the Cincinnati Bengals. Bell was ruled out for the game and his status for next week is uncertain.
The load will shift to Dri Archer and the newly signed Ben Tate. These two backs are very much unproven and combine for just 411 yards and four touchdowns this season. Against the fourth-ranked Ravens rush defense, it will be a test.
Tate was most recently with the Minnestoa Vikings, where he averaged less than three yards per carry. He was let go by the Cleveland Browns because they had two better rookie options. It doesn't sound like a resume that stacks up anywhere close to Bell's.
Ravens secondary
At this point, it’s hard to name who will play in the Ravens’ secondary for this game. They’ve shuffled through injuries to Jimmy Smith and Asa Jackson, released a handful of others to find the right fit.
It still is a work in progress with Lardarius Webb and Rashaan Melvin, but they’ve at least had a few weeks of work together without injury. Don’t be surprised if you see Antoine Cason, whom the Ravens signed towards the end of the season.
Going up against Ben Roethlisberger, Antonio Brown and the second-best pass offense, this secondary will need to step up immediately or they could be looking at another six-touchdown performance from Roethlisberger, like in Week 9.
Joe Flacco and the postseason
The last time Flacco was in the playoff, he led a historic run that ended in a Super Bowl. He threw 11 touchdowns and no interceptions, putting his career total at 19 touchdowns and eight interceptions.
Flacco just finished his best season of his career, but he has struggled as of late, including a 21-for-50 performance against the Houston Texans. He’ll need to keep up with Roethlisberger, who threw for 300+ yards in four of five games.
The Ravens need wide receivers like Torrey Smith and Marlon Brown to carry more of the load, so Flacco can find Steve Smith more often. If his offensive line gives him enough time, Flacco could come close to reproducing his stats from 2012.
If not, it could be an early exit for the Ravens.
Prediction:
Steelers 31, Ravens 24