Week 18. Sunday Night Football The last game of the NFL regular season. Baltimore Ravens versus Pittsburgh Steelers: winner-takes-all; loser leaves the town. What else could you want?
The Ravens should have competed for the one seed and not sneaked into the playoffs. After a 1-5 season, it’s a great place to be for sports fans and those who love the game. How can the Ravens get into the playoffs with a 1-5 start?
Last week, we saw it against the Green Bay Packers. Lamar Jackson was not there. After the disastrous loss to New England, Ravens turned a complete 180-degree and gave Derrick Henry 36 balls in his career. You could say that it worked. Derrick Henry racked up 216 yards and four touchdowns. He was named AFC Offensive player of the week, as well as winning the game. It’s funny.
There’s no need to change the game plan just because Lamar Jackson is expected to play against Pittsburgh. This year, the offense has been inconsistent. It’s time for the offense to get back to the basics, and to run the ball into the defenses’ throats through the playoffs.
They should stick with The King. Rasheen Ali’s pass-catching and ball-holding skills have impressed me. I also love Keaton Mitchel. I don’t think either player should be left out. The Ravens must find a method to give Henry at least 25 touches per game. This is the best way to win and get the team into the playoffs. It will also help them put together a miracle run. The Ravens failed to run the ball in the red zone multiple times against Pittsburgh. They then went on a pass-heavy approach after they got inside the 20. Keep the player who is the most effective on offense at the moment.
On Sunday night, the Steelers’ offense isn’t very good. D.K. Metcalf remains suspended, and Darnell Washington fractured his arm in the last week. The team hasn’t really had a good run game for most of the year. Aaron Rodgers was a whirlwind last time against the Ravens secondary. He threw it all over, including multiple deep passes to Metcalf, and used the running backs under the line a lot. The Ravens’ game plan is to stop the run game, and not let the running backs dominate in space. The Steelers will have to force the ball towards Jaylen Gainwell and Kenneth Gainwell both through the air and on the ground, with Calvin Austin remaining as their best wide receiver. The Ravens defense should be able to limit the Steelers offense easily if they can make tackles without letting the backs break.
The Ravens attempted to get Watt away in the last game. Watt was able to dominate because the Ravens ran away from Watt a lot. Watt was consistently left unblocked. He would crash in on the backsides of run plays to end them. This time, the Ravens need to do exactly the opposite and work everything toward Watt. Patrick Ricard, and other blockers should be aimed directly at Watt. Send screens his way so he cannot pin his ears and pass rush. Bootlegs, sprints out, and shifting pockets to his left are all good ways to get him. Watt will have to deal with all the attention and processing throughout the night. If he dominates then he has done his job. The Ravens must make him work for it. They should put him through as much physical and mental stress as they can.