The Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Ravens have one of the most iconic rivalries in all of sports. For years they’ve played competitive content and produced exciting moments. And the games have been meaningful too, as both teams have generally been in the playoff hunt over the last handful of years.
It would stand to reason that regardless of who comes out on top on Sunday, the game will be a dogfight. But not everyone follows this same line of reasoning.
CBS Sports NFL analyst Garrett Podell thinks the opposite. He believes Sunday will be the first matchup in the series decided by more than one touchdown since 2019 among his bold predictions for Week Four, and shared some of his thoughts on the matchup as well. He sees the game favoring Baltimore.
“The Ravens and Steelers matchups play out on the field the way they are narratively labeled: tough, hard-nosed, gritty, hard-hitting, and tightly contested.” Podell admits. “However, Sunday’s matchup will not be close. Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson is set to play in his first game against the Steelers in 672 days, his first since Week 13 of the 2021 season, a 20-10 Pittsburgh victory. The Jackson that is set up to take the field in Pittsburgh in Week 5 is on fire.”
While Jackson has looked arguably as good as he ever has since his MVP campaign this season, he hasn’t exactly been a problem for the Steelers historically. In three starts against the Steelers, Jackson has been just 1-2 with middling stats. He’s only thrown four touchdowns in those three games against six interceptions.
However, it’s not just Jackson the Steelers need to worry about. They are going to have to focus on getting their offense and Kenny Pickett going as well. Podell shared his thoughts on this as well.
“Pittsburgh’s offense is cooked under offensive coordinator Matt Canada, as their 18.8 points per game since 2021 with him as their OC rank 28th in the league.” Podell noted. “Its struggles will continue Sunday, breaking a longstanding run of fun, competitive affairs with the Ravens, its archrivals.”
The Steelers need an offensive spark, and this is going to be a tough week to get it. The Ravens have had one of the better defenses in all of football this year, holding opponents to under 15 points per game through four games. That mark places them tied for third in the league.
It’s been said time and time again, but this really feels like time to prove it for Matt Canada and this Steelers offense. With the Week Six bye looming, you’d really like to get some momentum for this offense prior to the long break. If you don’t, there are going to be a lot of antsy fans and players looking for changes.
