PITTSBURGH (AP) — Ray Rice had a 4-yard touchdown run, Billy Cundiff made three of four first-half field-goal attempts and the Baltimore Ravens held a 16-6 lead over the Pittsburgh Steelers at the end of the third quarter of a crucial AFC North game Sunday night.

Rice’s touchdown came with 4:27 left in the third quarter to cap a 12-play drive that lasted more than six minutes. The possession was aided by a pass interference call on Pittsburgh’s Ike Taylor two snaps earlier that gave the Ravens a first-and-goal at the 4.

Rice had 15 carries for 37 yards, and Joe Flacco was 18 for 28 for 180 yards for the Ravens (5-2), who are looking to sweep their bitter rivals and move past them in the division.

Cundiff had field goals of 18, 43 and 51 yards, the latter coming on the final play of the first half. Cundiff also missed from 40 yards, and Pittsburgh’s Shaun Suisham kicked field goals of 36 and 30 yards in a game befitting the NFL’s two best statistical defenses.

The Ravens converted 10 of 14 third downs and had 224 yards of offense against the team that ranks No. 2 in the NFL in defense, trailing only Baltimore.

Pittsburgh’s Ben Roethlisberger was 14 for 26 for 235 yards — but Terrell Suggs intercepted him on the first drive of the second half with the Steelers at the Baltimore 14.

The Steelers (6-2) have won four consecutive games and are 6-1 since a 35-7 blowout loss at Baltimore in the season opener.

Baltimore took the opening kickoff and held the ball for 14 plays and 6:50, getting a first-and-goal at the 1 after a pass interference call on William Gay in the end zone.

But Ryan Clark nearly intercepted Flacco’s pass on the ensuing play, and Rice was stuffed running up the middle on the next two plays, setting up Cundiff’s first field goal.

Rice had taken the first play from scrimmage 76 yards into the end zone, but the play was called back for a holding penalty on Ravens wide receiver Torrey Smith.

Baltimore’s second field goal that gave it the lead again came at the end of a 10-play drive in the second quarter.

A week after holding the ball for almost 40 minutes in a 25-17 win over New England, the Steelers had less possession time than the Ravens through three quarters.

The Steelers drove to the Baltimore 18 early in the second quarter, but the drive stalled after Hines Ward could not hold onto a pass near the first-down marker on third-and-7 due to a helmet-to-helmet hit from Ray Lewis.

Ward left the game with a stinger and his return was questionable. Ward, who missed last week’s win over New England due to an ankle injury, was sitting on the sideline without his helmet.

Suisham’s second field goal came with 1:05 left in the first half, but Davis Reed returned the ensuing kickoff 32 yards. That — along with a personal foul call on Clark for hitting a defenseless receiver — allowed Flacco to drive the Ravens in position for another Cundiff field goal.

Pittsburgh has beaten Baltimore six of the previous nine meetings — including in playoff games following the 2008 and ’10 seasons. That includes five of the past six played at Heinz Field, although the Ravens did win here in the regular season last season.

The previous meeting was the Ravens’ most lopsided victory in the 15-year series between the teams. In that game, Baltimore sacked Roethlisberger four times and forced seven turnovers.

Pittsburgh, though, has just two turnovers during its four-game winning streak.

Flacco had three touchdown passes in the September meeting against the Steelers, but has only five since.

Pittsburgh welcomed back former All-Pro linebacker James Harrison, who had missed the past four games since sustaining a broken orbital bone in a loss at Houston. Harrison had his third sack of the season late in the second quarter.

Former Pro Bowl linebackers James Farrior and LaMarr Woodley are not active for the Steelers due to injury. Also inactive for Pittsburgh was nose tackle Chris Hoke and wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders.

The winner of the game keeps pace in the division with Cincinnati (6-2).

This is the fifth consecutive season these two teams have played a prime-time game.

Rice had 15 carries for 37 yards, and Joe Flacco was 18 for 28 for 180 yards for the Ravens (5-2), who are looking to sweep their bitter rivals and move past them in the division.

Cundiff had field goals of 18, 43 and 51 yards, the latter coming on the final play of the first half. Cundiff also missed from 40 yards, and Pittsburgh’s Shaun Suisham kicked field goals of 36 and 30 yards in a game befitting the NFL’s two best statistical defenses.

The Ravens converted 10 of 14 third downs and had 224 yards of offense against the team that ranks No. 2 in the NFL in defense, trailing only Baltimore.

Pittsburgh’s Ben Roethlisberger was 14 for 26 for 235 yards — but Terrell Suggs intercepted him on the first drive of the second half with the Steelers at the Baltimore 14.

The Steelers (6-2) have won four consecutive games and are 6-1 since a 35-7 blowout loss at Baltimore in the season opener.

Baltimore took the opening kickoff and held the ball for 14 plays and 6:50, getting a first-and-goal at the 1 after a pass interference call on William Gay in the end zone.

But Ryan Clark nearly intercepted Flacco’s pass on the ensuing play, and Rice was stuffed running up the middle on the next two plays, setting up Cundiff’s first field goal.

Rice had taken the first play from scrimmage 76 yards into the end zone, but the play was called back for a holding penalty on Ravens wide receiver Torrey Smith.

Baltimore’s second field goal that gave it the lead again came at the end of a 10-play drive in the second quarter.

A week after holding the ball for almost 40 minutes in a 25-17 win over New England, the Steelers had less possession time than the Ravens through three quarters.

The Steelers drove to the Baltimore 18 early in the second quarter, but the drive stalled after Hines Ward could not hold onto a pass near the first-down marker on third-and-7 due to a helmet-to-helmet hit from Ray Lewis.

Ward left the game with a stinger and his return was questionable. Ward, who missed last week’s win over New England due to an ankle injury, was sitting on the sideline without his helmet.

Suisham’s second field goal came with 1:05 left in the first half, but Davis Reed returned the ensuing kickoff 32 yards. That — along with a personal foul call on Clark for hitting a defenseless receiver — allowed Flacco to drive the Ravens in position for another Cundiff field goal.

Pittsburgh has beaten Baltimore six of the previous nine meetings — including in playoff games following the 2008 and ‘10 seasons. That includes five of the past six played at Heinz Field, although the Ravens did win here in the regular season last season.

The previous meeting was the Ravens’ most lopsided victory in the 15-year series between the teams. In that game, Baltimore sacked Roethlisberger four times and forced seven turnovers.

Pittsburgh, though, has just two turnovers during its four-game winning streak.

Flacco had three touchdown passes in the September meeting against the Steelers, but has only five since.

Pittsburgh welcomed back former All-Pro linebacker James Harrison, who had missed the past four games since sustaining a broken orbital bone in a loss at Houston. Harrison had his third sack of the season late in the second quarter.

Former Pro Bowl linebackers James Farrior and LaMarr Woodley are not active for the Steelers due to injury. Also inactive for Pittsburgh was nose tackle Chris Hoke and wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders.

The winner of the game keeps pace in the division with Cincinnati (6-2).

This is the fifth consecutive season these two teams have played a prime-time game.

Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

PITTSBURGH (AP)—Ray Rice(notes) had a 4-yard touchdown run, Billy Cundiff(notes) made
three of four first-half field-goal attempts and the Baltimore Ravens held a
16-6 lead over the Pittsburgh Steelers at the end of the third quarter of a
crucial AFC North game Sunday night.

Rice’s touchdown came with 4:27 left in the third quarter to cap a 12-play
drive that lasted more than six minutes. The possession was aided by a pass
interference call on Pittsburgh’s Ike Taylor(notes) two snaps earlier that gave the
Ravens a first-and-goal at the 4.

Rice had 15 carries for 37 yards, and Joe Flacco(notes) was 18 for 28 for 180 yards
for the Ravens (5-2), who are looking to sweep their bitter rivals and move past
them in the division.

Cundiff had field goals of 18, 43 and 51 yards, the latter coming on the
final play of the first half. Cundiff also missed from 40 yards, and
Pittsburgh’s Shaun Suisham(notes) kicked field goals of 36 and 30 yards in a game
befitting the NFL’s two best statistical defenses.

The Ravens converted 10 of 14 third downs and had 224 yards of offense
against the team that ranks No. 2 in the NFL in defense, trailing only
Baltimore.

Pittsburgh’s Ben Roethlisberger(notes) was 14 for 26 for 235 yards—but Terrell
Suggs(notes) intercepted him on the first drive of the second half with the Steelers at
the Baltimore 14.

The Steelers (6-2) have won four consecutive games and are 6-1 since a 35-7
blowout loss at Baltimore in the season opener.

Baltimore took the opening kickoff and held the ball for 14 plays and 6:50,
getting a first-and-goal at the 1 after a pass interference call on William Gay(notes)
in the end zone.

But Ryan Clark(notes) nearly intercepted Flacco’s pass on the ensuing play, and
Rice was stuffed running up the middle on the next two plays, setting up
Cundiff’s first field goal.

Rice had taken the first play from scrimmage 76 yards into the end zone, but
the play was called back for a holding penalty on Ravens wide receiver Torrey
Smith(notes).

Baltimore’s second field goal that gave it the lead again came at the end of
a 10-play drive in the second quarter.

A week after holding the ball for almost 40 minutes in a 25-17 win over New
England, the Steelers had less possession time than the Ravens through three
quarters.

The Steelers drove to the Baltimore 18 early in the second quarter, but the
drive stalled after Hines Ward(notes) could not hold onto a pass near the first-down
marker on third-and-7 due to a helmet-to-helmet hit from Ray Lewis(notes).

Ward left the game with a stinger and his return was questionable. Ward, who
missed last week’s win over New England due to an ankle injury, was sitting on
the sideline without his helmet.

Suisham’s second field goal came with 1:05 left in the first half, but Davis
Reed returned the ensuing kickoff 32 yards. That—along with a personal foul
call on Clark for hitting a defenseless receiver—allowed Flacco to drive the
Ravens in position for another Cundiff field goal.

Pittsburgh has beaten Baltimore six of the previous nine meetings—
including in playoff games following the 2008 and ’10 seasons. That includes
five of the past six played at Heinz Field, although the Ravens did win here in
the regular season last season.

The previous meeting was the Ravens’ most lopsided victory in the 15-year
series between the teams. In that game, Baltimore sacked Roethlisberger four
times and forced seven turnovers.

Pittsburgh, though, has just two turnovers during its four-game winning
streak.

Flacco had three touchdown passes in the September meeting against the
Steelers, but has only five since.

Pittsburgh welcomed back former All-Pro linebacker James Harrison(notes), who had
missed the past four games since sustaining a broken orbital bone in a loss at
Houston. Harrison had his third sack of the season late in the second quarter.

Former Pro Bowl linebackers James Farrior(notes) and LaMarr Woodley(notes) are not active
for the Steelers due to injury. Also inactive for Pittsburgh was nose tackle
Chris Hoke(notes) and wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders(notes).

The winner of the game keeps pace in the division with Cincinnati (6-2).

This is the fifth consecutive season these two teams have played a
prime-time game.

(Sports Network) – A blowout victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers back in Week
1 helped to propel the Baltimore Ravens to the top of the list of contenders in
the AFC.

Pittsburgh has slowly been making its climb back into the conference mix and
has hit its stride just in time for Sunday’s rematch with Baltimore, this time
on the home turf of Heinz Field.

The Steelers aim for a fifth straight victory on the season and seventh in a
row at home, including the playoffs. To do that, they’ll have to shake off the
memories of a turnover-filled 35-7 defeat in Baltimore back on Sept. 11.

The Ravens’ defense was in top form in that game. Baltimore forced a
franchise-record seven turnovers, intercepting Pittsburgh quarterback Ben
Roethlisberger three times and forcing a total of four fumbles. Roethlisberger
was also sacked four times, and the Steelers’ seven giveaways were their most
in a game since also turning the ball over seven times versus Minnesota on
Sept. 24, 1995.

With the Ravens having set a club record for their largest margin of victory in
games against the Steelers, many expect Pittsburgh to be better prepared for
Baltimore’s swarming defense in this rematch.

And despite the Steelers having the second-ranked defense in the league behind
only the Ravens, Pittsburgh head coach Mike Tomlin was quick to praise the
opposition on Tuesday.

“It’s probably a coincidence at this juncture. I am not ready to at least put
us in the conversation with the Ravens’ defense,” Tomlin said. “We are not even
close to doing what they are doing right now. Maybe statistically, but the way
they are generating splash plays sets them apart.”

Pittsburgh does have a huge win to build off of, as it defeated Tom Brady and
the New England Patriots at home for the first time since Oct. 31, 2004 with a
25-17 victory last Sunday.

The Steelers held the ball for almost twice as long as the Patriots, taking
some pressure off of their injury-plagued defense. Linebackers James Harrison
and James Farrior were out, as was defensive end Aaron Smith. Linebacker
LaMarr Woodley also suffered a hamstring issue towards the end of the game,
putting his status for this contest in doubt.

Harrison (eye) has been cleared for practice but is unlikely to play until
after the team’s Nov. 20 bye, while Farrior is battling a calf issue and is
questionable. Woodley’s hamstring was reported to be a serious injury that
could sideline him until the bye, but the linebacker said not to rule him out
for this game. Tomlin added that Woodley’s ability to practice will decide if
he plays.

Wide receiver Hines Ward also missed the New England win with an ankle issue,
but is expected to be available for this rematch.

The Steelers are trying to open a season 5-0 at home for the first time since
2007 and have won six of seven since their loss to the Ravens to take a half-
game lead over Baltimore and Cincinnati for first place in the division.

The Ravens won four of five to open the season before suffering an ugly 12-7
loss in Jacksonville on Oct. 24. They were then in danger of losing a second
straight time last Sunday to an Arizona team that came into the game with only
one win, but rallied from 21 points down to beat the Cardinals, 30-27.

Baltimore trailed 24-6 at the break, but outgained Arizona by a 249-56 margin
in the second half and scored 24 unanswered points. The Ravens then won it on
Billy Cundiff’s 25-yard field goal as time expired.

“We woke up, plain and simple,” said wide receiver Anquan Boldin. “Our offense
came out flat. We turned the ball over a couple times. We felt like we gave
them 14 points. We just woke up in the second half. We knew that we couldn’t
keep putting our defense in that situation. Still had a bitter taste in our
mouth from last week, so we wanted to come out and rectify that.”

Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco said earlier this week that the come-from-behind
victory may have given the club more confidence for this game than its Week 1
rout of Pittsburgh.

“We have to look back at it and see what we did well, and see what
we can carry over to this game plan,” Flacco said of the first win over the
Steelers. “I think last week, really, was more important for our confidence
heading into this week than that week was. We always feel like we can play
with these guys and go give them a good matchup and go beat them.”

Baltimore is trying to start a season 6-2 for a second straight season and the
third time in club history.

SERIES HISTORY

Baltimore’s win at M&T Bank Stadium in the 2011 opener cut Pittsburgh’s
overall lead in this regular-season series to 18-13, and the Ravens also
handed the Steelers a 17-14 defeat at Heinz Field during Week 4 of last year,
though Roethlisberger did not play in that contest while serving a suspension.
Pittsburgh has bested Baltimore in the Steel City in seven of the past nine
seasons, however, and the Ravens have not swept the home-and-home set between
the teams since 2006.

Pittsburgh moved to 3-0 against Baltimore in postseason play with last
season’s win in the Divisional Round. In addition to a 23-14 home verdict for
the Steelers in the 2008 AFC Championship, the Black and Gold also earned a
27-10 triumph in a 2001 AFC Divisional Playoff at Heinz Field.

Including the playoffs, Baltimore head coach John Harbaugh is 3-6 all-time
against the Steelers, while Tomlin owns a 7-4 record versus the Ravens and is
6-3 in head-to-head encounters with Harbaugh.

WHEN THE RAVENS HAVE THE BALL

Flacco and the offense shook off some early turnovers that gave the Cardinals
some easy points. Baltimore managed just a pair of Cundiff field goals in the
first half, but running back Ray Rice (489 rushing yards, 33 receptions, 7
total TD) went off for a career-high three touchdowns in the second half, all
from three yards or closer. Rice ended with 63 yards on 18 carries and also
caught seven balls for 36 yards. Boldin (34 receptions, 2 TD) also had a big
day against his former team, hauling in seven passes for a game-high 145 yards.
Tight ends Ed Dickson (28 receptions, 1 TD) and Dennis Pitta (16 receptions)
made six catches each, but wide receiver Torrey Smith (15 receptions, 3 TD)
caught only three of his nine targets for 57 yards. Though he did not throw a
touchdown pass and was intercepted once, Flacco (1751 passing yards, 8 TD, 6
INT) still posted 336 yards passing, completing 31 of the career-high 51 throws
he attempted. Flacco was also sacked three times, but could have left guard Ben
Grubbs back in the lineup for the first time since Week 1 as he recovers from a
toe injury. Wide receiver Lee Evans remains doubtful with an ankle problem,
however, while both center Matt Birk and receiver David Reed are questionable
because of injuries.

Pittsburgh hasn’t allowed more than 20 points in a game since its loss to
Baltimore, a matchup in which the Ravens racked up 385 yards of offense. The
Steelers, though, now rank second overall in total defense (270.8 ypg) and
stand first versus the pass (171.6 ypg). Unlike the Ravens, the Steelers
struggle in forcing turnovers, however, as they have just two interceptions and
four fumble recoveries on the season. Overall, Pittsburgh has a turnover ratio
of minus-10 and did not force one versus the Patriots. Still, the fact that the
Steelers limited New England to just 213 yards of offense without Harrison (23
tackles, 2 sacks) and Farrior (45 tackles, 2 sacks) is impressive. Woodley (36
tackles, 9 sacks, 1 INT) managed two sacks before suffering his injury, while
Harrison replacement Larry Foote (30 tackles, 1 sack) and safety Ryan Clark (50
tackles, 1 INT) led the team with eight tackles each. Defensive end Brett
Keisel (19 tackles, 3 sacks) added a sack, while cornerback Ike Taylor (20
tackles) ended with six stops. If Woodley and Farrior can’t play this weekend,
Lawrence Timmons (37 tackles) would be the lone regular starting linebacker in
the lineup.

WHEN THE STEELERS HAVE THE BALL

Roethlisberger (2302 passing yards, 14 TD, 7 INT) has done his best in putting
the season-opening game behind him. He has just four interceptions in seven
games since getting picked off three times by Baltimore and has thrown 11
touchdown passes over the Steelers’ four-game win streak, including two versus
the Patriots. Roethlisberger finished that contest with 365 yards on 36-of-50
passing and was also picked off once. Mike Wallace (43 receptions, 5 TD) ended
with seven catches for 70 yards, but the wideout’s long was only 16 yards as
the Patriots looked to take away his deep-play ability. That left plenty of
balls for wide receiver Antonio Brown (34 receptions, 1 TD) and tight end Heath
Miller (30 receptions, 2 TD), with Brown pulling in nine passes that included
his first career touchdown. Miller had seven receptions for a team-high 85
yards. With Ward (26 receptions, 2 TD) out, Emmanuel Sanders (18 receptions, 2
TD) added five catches for 70 yards against New England. Seeing as the passing
offense was clicking and ranks eighth overall in the NFL, starting running back
Rashad Mendenhall (421 rushing yards, 3 TD) got just 13 carries last week, but
did turn those opportunities into 70 yards for a 5.4 average per carry.

The respected Ravens defense may have yielded 27 points last week, but short
fields and a special-teams score inflated that total. The NFL’s top-ranked unit
(263.3 ypg) actually gave up a mere 207 yards of net offense, including just
98 through the air. On the season, Baltimore ranks third against both the run
and the pass. Linebacker Terrell Suggs (33 tackles, 6 sacks, 1 INT) was all
over the field against Arizona, recording a game-high 13 tackles and a sack. He
has 13 1/2 career sacks versus the Steelers in the regular season, the most any
active player has compiled against the franchise. Safety Ed Reed (27 tackles, 1
sack, 2 INT) had a pair of interceptions in the Week 1 meeting with Pittsburgh
and Suggs had three sacks in that game. Linebacker Ray Lewis (55 tackles, 2
sacks, 1 INT) also had a pick and seven tackles in the Week 1 rout, and added
five more stops versus the Cardinals. In all, the Ravens logged six sacks
against Arizona, getting a pair from pass-rush specialist Paul Kruger (6
tackles, 3 sacks) and one each from cornerback Chris Carr (7 tackles, 1 sack),
linebacker Jarret Johnson (26 tackles, 2.5 sacks) and safety Bernard Pollard
(21 tackles, 1 sack). Rookie cornerback Jimmy Smith, who suffered an injury at
the season’s onset and has been working his way back since, is expected to see
an expanded role in this game. Though he did not log a tackle versus the
Cardinals, he did have one pass defensed.

KEYS TO THE GAME

Keep an eye on Rice. The Steelers’ defense has allowed just three 100-yard
rushers in its last 58 games dating back to 2007, but Rice has two of them.
That includes 107 yards in the Week 1 victory and a 141-yard effort in
Pittsburgh on Dec. 27, 2009.

Flacco and Roethlisberger both have their work cut out for them this week, and
whichever quarterback finds a way to make plays will likely come out on the
winning side. The edge could go to Flacco given the Steelers’ issues at
linebacker.

Keep Heinz Field involved. The Steelers are always tough to play at home and
bring an impressive run into this meeting. The Ravens are just 5-10 all-time at
Pittsburgh during the regular season and 0-3 there during the playoffs.

OVERALL ANALYSIS

While a Week 9 matchup certainly won’t decide the AFC North, especially with
Cincinnati lurking in the shadows, the victor of this key clash will certainly
have an edge should the Steelers and Ravens meet for a third time this season
in the playoffs. That being said, Baltimore’s Week 1 victory likely won’t
factor into how this game will shake down. Enough time and games have passed to
make that meeting irrelevant at this point, and the change in venue certainly
seems to favor the Steelers. Pittsburgh’s injuries on defense could be the x-
factor, but the Ravens have been just too inconsistent this year to leave Heinz
Field with a win.

Sports Network Predicted Outcome: Steelers 21, Ravens 17

The Sports Network

On Sunday, November 6, 2011, the best NFL rivalry comes to prime time. It is the Baltimore Ravens visiting the Pittsburgh Steelers. Back in week one, the Ravens dominated at home, 35-7. But much has changed since that game. Now it is the Steelers who are playing great football—winning four in a row. This time they will win. Here’s why:

Momentum

In week one, the Ravens were dominant. Their defense harassed Pittsburgh into seven(!) turnovers. Their offensive game plan worked to perfection. And the home crowd ate it up. But the Ravens were playing their “must win” game of the season. They put everything on the line to win that game. And it showed when they flopped against the Titans in week 2. The Steelers have gotten better since week 1, winning four in a row, including an impressive tear down of the New England Patriots last week. The Ravens are struggling. They got physically pushed around and beaten by the Jaguars two weeks ago. And last week they had to scramble desperately to come back against the pathetic Arizona Cardinals. Clearly the Steelers are playing better all-around football right now.

Roethlisberger is elite, Flacco is not

The main reason for the Steelers’ success is superstar QB Ben Roethlisberger(notes). In today’s pass-happy NFL, he provides a unique skill set to propel the offense. Roethlisberger can thrive even when his protection breaks down. Joe Flacco(notes) gets jittery and scattershot. Roethlisberger is decisive and accurate. Flacco usually looks bewildered against Troy Polamalu(notes) and company. Want stats? For the season, Ben has a 95.7 QB rating (8th in the NFL); Flacco is at 75.4 (27th). Flacco’s rating is between benched Kyle Orton(notes) and raw Curtis Painter(notes). Ben is completing 64.4% of his passes, while Flacco is only hitting 53.8%. Superstar Ben beats (Below) Average Joe.

Both defenses are great against the pass, but the Steelers have more weapons

Neither the Steelers or the Ravens allow QBs to shred them. The passing yards will be hard-earned. But the Steelers have more weapons to get the job done. With Ravens-killer Hines Ward(notes) back, the Steelers have legitimate threats in Mike Wallace(notes), Ward, Antonio Brown(notes), Heath Miller(notes), and Emmanuel Sanders(notes). The Ravens have Anquan Boldin(notes) and a one-route speedster rookie in Torrey Smith(notes). The Steelers have been able to shut down their opponent’s number one threat by letting Ike Taylor(notes) erase them. He has fared well against Larry Fitzgerald(notes), Wes Welker(notes), and Andre Johnson(notes).

Steelers are adjusting to difficulties

Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin has a mantra: “the standard is the standard.” That means, whoever plays is expected to play at an elite, Steeler-level. That has been important, especially along the offensive line. While the offensive line has been far from elite, but they have been improving as they play more together. The coaches are helping by adjusting the play calling, too. Against the Patriots, for example, the Steelers had a full wristband of quick pass plays. The line didn’t have to hold up long, but the Steelers marched down the field and dominated the time of possession.

Not without concerns

The Steelers situation at linebacker is still unclear. Injuries have knocked out three of the four opening day starters. Lamarr Woodley(notes), James Harrison(notes), and James Farrior(notes) have been limited in practice during the week. If all three are unable to play, the Steelers will have a very young linebacker group. I would like to see 2010 second round pick Jason Worilds(notes) prove his worth, but he may not be ready to play either. AP writer Will Graves notes, though, that all the Steelers linebackers are trained and expected to move to any position and excel. So far, they have done that. But they will have to stop Ray Rice(notes), the Ravens’ most explosive offensive threat. If they can tackle him early, the Steelers will have a great shot to win.

The other concern, of course, is the Ravens’ defense. As coach Tomlin said, they have play makers on all levels. If they generate turnovers like in the first game, the Steelers will struggle again. But I don’t see it happening. The Steelers are surging, playing at home, and just better than the Ravens. Steelers win 20-10. Here we go, Steelers!

Sean Durity is a Terrible Towel twirling Steelers fan living in Atlanta. He grew up cheering the 1970s dynasty and appreciates the organization’s excellence even more as an adult.

More from this contributor:

“Why I Hate the Ravens”

After week one: “Ravens destroy Steelers in ‘must win’: A Steelers fan laments”

Pre-season, fearless game predictions

SOURCES

Will Graves, “Linebacker situation still cloudy for Steelers”

Mike Tomlin November 1 press conference. Transcript provided to media on steelers.com

Quarterback season stats

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