To beat the Baltimore Ravens this week, the Pittsburgh Steelers might need to alter their offensive identity slightly. The Ravens’ run defense is fantastic, but their pass defense is their biggest weakness. Therefore, the Steelers might need to throw the ball more to win this game, leaning on Russell Wilson. Analyst Gregg Rosenthal believes the Ravens should invite the Steelers to do that, though.
“Mel Kiper tried to ban the two-high safeties,” Rosenthal said recently on his podcast, NFL Daily. “It didn’t happen. It’s still allowed, but nobody does it against Russell Wilson. If ever there was a team to just play back and let Russell Wilson dice you up, let’s see if he can do it, just throwing short over the middle. Dare him to. Just play back.”
That might be easier said than done for the Ravens. They haven’t been able to protect against the deep ball all year. Maybe letting their safeties play deep could help, but it might open up a whole new list of problems.
The Ravens’ run defense might not be as bad as their pass defense, but the Steelers’ rushing attack is no joke. Their offensive line is starting to jell more now that they’ve had some time to play together. Najee Harris wasn’t incredible last week, but he has been running like his hair is on fire. Moving those safeties back might allow Harris to get rolling.
It is true that Wilson hasn’t always loved throwing over the middle of the field, and that’s been the case throughout his whole career. However, part of that is because of how successful he is throwing outside the numbers. Wilson is one of the best at what he does, and he throws a mean deep ball.
Taking that aspect of Wilson’s game away won’t be easy. Even if there’s tight coverage on George Pickens, he can come down with the ball. Mike Williams has done similar things throughout his career. Darnell Washington and Pat Freiermuth are also big-bodied targets. The Ravens’ defense has a fatal flaw, and the Steelers will try to exploit it.
The Ravens are probably going to try to limit Wilson’s deep ball. That’s been a strength for the Steelers, so the Ravens will try to take it away. However, daring Wilson to beat them might not be the best idea. The Ravens are probably better off trying to pressure Wilson and knock him off balance. That sounds wiser than testing a veteran’s abilities.
