The Pittsburgh Steelers and the Baltimore Ravens face off Thanksgiving night, there probably won’t be a lot of points scored, but there will likely be a lot of explosive plays.
So far this season, the Steelers offense has produced 51 plays of 20 yards or more, while the Ravens offense has produced 37 of them. The Ravens number, however, is a bit misleading, as 13 of those 37 explosive plays were double explosive, meaning that they were 40 yards or more. Only the Philadelphia Eagles have registered more double explosive plays (18) heading into Week 13.
What is truly unique about these two teams is that both defenses also give up a ton of double explosive plays. The Ravens have given up 15 of them this season, all passes, while the Steelers have allowed a grand total of 13 of them, 10 of which were passes.
In the first meeting this season between these two teams back in Week 7, both teams combined to register only three plays of 20 yards or more with the Ravens having the lone double explosive play, a 41-yard completion to wide receiver Torrey Smith, in the game.
Amazingly, both teams combined to put up only 573 yards off offense in the Steelers 19-16 win. This time around, I expect the offenses to rule the day with it being a short week.
While it is expected to be cold Thursday night in Baltimore, the current forecast calls for no precipitation or high wins. My forecast for the game includes a chunks of yardage as I do not think either team will be able to move the ball well on the ground.
