Will Pittsburgh’s former Ravens play a key role in the Steelers beating Baltimore?
At times on Sunday, the Steelers are likely to employ a defense featuring three former Ravens against Baltimore. ILB Patrick Queen and S DeShon Elliott are every-down starters while OLB Jeremiah Moon is a rotational pass rusher. With Alex Highsmith out, Moon is all but guaranteed to see some work.
The question is, can they help the Steelers beat their former team? The Ravens have, I think inarguably, the best offense in the NFL right now. They are only 7-3 because of their offense since the defense is allowing over 25 points per game. Only twice before has a team finished over .700 while allowing 25-plus points per game.
So even with the Ravens’ bad defense, the Steelers will still need their offense to match, unless their defense can slow Baltimore down. That is a task far easier said than done, and frankly, they don’t have many “complete” games this year. The defense started the season strong, but better offenses are exposing more cracks.
Last week, the Steelers did slow the Washington Commanders a bit, but they still scored 27 points. They only need to score one more point than the Ravens, though, as the Steelers did against the Commanders. That is more about being opportunistic in pivotal moments, and the defense has displayed those traits.
Even last week after Russell Wilson threw an interception, the defense, which had struggled a bit, nearly pitched a three-and-out. After fumbling on the next drive, they did pitch a three-and-out. And after taking the lead, they preserved it by forcing a turnover on downs.
And guys like Patrick Queen and DeShon Elliott certainly played a role in that. They led the team in tackles, and each had multiple tackles for loss. Queen is still looking for his first splash play with the Steelers, though, and doing it against the Ravens would be fitting. And Jeremiah Moon has a chance to show the Ravens they made a mistake in waiving him last season. The Steelers claimed him off waivers, and he has been a fine depth piece and special teamer.
The Steelers’ 2024 season is underway, following another disappointing year ending in a first-round playoff loss. They have had a long offseason since the Buffalo Bills stamped them out of their misery back in January. There are positive signs, but things could jump off the rails any moment.
The biggest question hanging over the team is the quarterback question. Is Russell Wilson earning a lucrative new deal next year, and is Justin Fields still in consideration? How will the team continue to address the depth chart, which is surprisingly still in flux?
The regular season is here, following weeks of camp and preseason games. The Steelers made numerous moves through signings and trade—and release. More than usual, they seemed comfortable creating holes, confident they can fill them. Some they managed to fill, others not so much. Now that we have so many pieces of the puzzle, however, we merely have a new set of questions to ask.
