Pittsburgh Steelers will be without a rookie they can’t afford to lose ahead of a must-win game against the Baltimore Ravens
The Steelers’ run defense is going to be down a key player yet again.
If you recall the last time the Pittsburgh Steelers played the Baltimore Ravens, it ended with the Steelers getting demolished in a playoff game en route to their fifth straight loss. But it wasn’t only the loss; it was the way the Steelers lost.
A once-proud defense let the Ravens go for close to 300 yards on the ground. It catalyzed an offseason focused on rebuilding the defensive line and the front seven. The tip of the spear was rookie first-rounder Derrick Harmon.
His absence has been greatly felt since going down with an injury, and it will likely be again this week.
Derrick Harmon out vs. Ravens, Patrick Queen questionable
“Derrick Harmon can be characterized as out again this week with his knee injury. Everyone else could be characterized as questionable, and when I characterize people as questionable, oftentimes it means limited participation at the early part of the week and then increased participation as the week goes on, and the quality and quantity of that participation being our guide toward availability,” said Mike Tomlin via the Steelers YouTube Channel on Tuesday.
It’s obvious on tape and in the stat book that the Steelers are much worse without Harmon on the field, especially in the run game. The Steelers’ rushing defense goes from having a -0.07 EPA per play against the run (good) when Harmon is in, to a 0.073 (bad) when he’s out. Their success rates differ by 10 percentage points. His loss, along with questions at the second and third level, will be felt against a Ravens offense that desperately wants to run the ball.
“The guys that fall into that [questionable] category, Patrick Queen with his glute injury and some other guys with some bumps and bruises associated with play,” added Tomlin. “James Pierre is in the concussion protocol, and I never really try to provide too much color regarding that. The medical experts make that determination, but he’s in the protocol and could be listed as questionable as we sit here today.”
Ravens-Steelers is always a blood bath, but things might be one-sided in this affair, especially with the way Pittsburgh has been playing.
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