Steelers seem to be catching Lamar Jackson at the perfect time ahead of pivotal game in race for AFC North title
Two teams that need to win on Sunday, Ravens vs. Steelers will go a long way in deciding who wins the AFC North.
Somehow, someway, with both teams at 6-6, the Baltimore Ravens and Pittsburgh Steelers still have a shot at the postseason. A rocky road for both franchises, Sunday’s matchup will be the first of two games that reshape the race for the divsion crown.
So to prepare for such a pivotal contest, I spoke with Kyle Crabbs of A to Z Sports Baltimore and we talked everything from Lamar Jackson, to a bad Steelers rush defense against Derrick Henry, and of course, he gave a final score prediction.
What’s going on with the Ravens’ offense and Lamar Jackson?
“Baltimore’s been a tough one to solve offensively. They’ve really ramped up the disruption on defense, and Kyle Hamilton is, once again, one of the league’s best in creating margin of error for the rest of his unit. Hamilton moves around on a seemingly annual basis and they’ve unleashed him after their bye to sort out a bunch of issues.
But the offense looks stale. Lamar Jackson looks like a hollow shell of his usual self while battling injuries. As a result, this offense is missing explosiveness and their model to success has been predicated on ball control and playing opportunistic football.” – Crabbs
How worried should a banged-up Steelers’ rush defense be against Derrick Henry?
“I do think Baltimore will have some juice in the run game. They’ve been steadily getting Derrick Henry rolling amid the return of FB Patrick Ricard. Lamar’s not adding his usual juice with the quarterback run game but the Ravens have their collection of tight ends and fullback back together after missing multiple pieces at the start of the season. I’d suspect the Ravens will draw ample inspiration from what Buffalo did to the Steelers on the ground this past week.” – Crabbs
Final Score Prediction
“I think Baltimore’s extra prep for this game and just how far from their game script they got against Cincinnati on Thanksgiving play in their favor. An easy fix? Simply hold on to the football! That’d be a great start. I think they can out-Pittsburgh Pittsburgh in this game and win a close contest and really attack the Steelers’ offensive weaponry.
Baltimore: 20, Pittsburgh: 12″ – Crabbs
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