The Pittsburgh Steelers come in at an even 1-1-1 record as they return home for their Week 4 matchup. They will be returning home to take on AFC North arch rival Baltimore Ravens. With the Ravens having a game on the Steelers, this is an excellent chance for Pittsburgh to make up ground. Here are all the numbers you need to know for the Steelers Sunday Night contest against the Ravens.
3.1 – That is the average yard per rush for the Ravens rushing offense this season. Just 3.1 yards per attempt ranks the Baltimore team 31st in the NFL. This bodes trouble for Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco. If the Steelers can control the scoreboard while shutting the down the run, the game will be left in the hands of Flacco. At this point of his career, Flacco is not who he used to be and leaving the ball in his hands tends to result in victories for the opposing team.
10 – There is perhaps no bigger rivalry in the NFL than the Steelers and Ravens, as the two teams always rise to the occasion when they cross paths. Even though the two teams have been on opposite ends of the standings as of late, they both play at high levels against one another. Out of their last 13 regular season matchups, 10 have been decided by one score. Their latest matchup in Pittsburgh was decided by a single point, and there is good reason to believe that Sunday will be a closely contested contest again.
13 – You will be hard pressed to find a football team that performs better under the bright lights than the Steelers. The Pittsburgh team have won 13 consecutive prime time games, even better is that the Steelers have won by an average score of 11.8. The Ravens have been hot themselves though, winning six of their last eight prime time games. With both teams enjoying success under the bright lights, Sunday’s contest will come down to who wants it more.
20 – Instead of focusing on a statistic here, focus on a yard line instead. Both the Steelers and Ravens offense have been unstoppable inside the 20-yard line. The two teams have been two of the NFL’s most efficient red zone teams so far this season. The Ravens have gone 12/12 in the red zone, while the Steelers have just been a tad behind at 7/8. Sunday’s game may ultimately end up coming down to which defense can limit the other in the red zone. So far both defenses have been great as the Ravens are 4/8, and the Steelers are 8/12. Once again both teams are looking evenly matched.
169.3 – Through three games, Ben Roethlisberger has thrown for 1140 yards along with seven touchdowns. Sunday night will be his biggest test though as he gets the Ravens secondary. And while Ravens can certainly fly, they have made sure their secondary is the no-fly zone, allowing just 169.3 yards passing per game. But just as the Ravens secondary poise the biggest test to Roethlisberger, the quarterback will also be the biggest test the Ravens have faced. After defeating the likes of Nate Peterman and Case Keenum, the Baltimore team will get their first taste of an elite quarterback at the peak of his game this Sunday in Big Ben.
