Will the Ravens’ pass defense be their kryptonite against the Steelers?
Over the past three games, the Steelers have had a top-10 passing offense in the NFL, while the Ravens have had a bottom-10 passing defense. Only a dominant performance by QB Lamar Jackson spared the Ravens from Ja’Marr Chase torching their secondary. But the Steelers may well have to hope they can find similar success, because that may be the only way they can win.
The Steelers rank fifth in adjusted yards per pass attempt over their last three games and sixth in touchdown percentage. There are some weak spots, like completion percentage and sack rate, but on the whole, their arrow is clearly pointing up. We can’t exactly say the same for the Ravens’ passing defense.
Over the past four weeks, the Ravens have allowed over 300 yards passing three times including 421 last week. They have allowed the most passing yards in the NFL—but they have also faced the most pass attempts. Part of that is because their run defense is good and they play with a lot of leads. But teams are also successful against them through the air, and that’s what the Steelers need to do.
Especially with Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren banged up, the Steelers won’t have an easy time running the ball against this Ravens team. So they better hope their pass defense is their kryptonite. They have allowed 22 passing touchdowns, yet have only six interceptions despite facing 398 pass attempts.
Now, on the whole, the Ravens have faced some pretty good passing offenses, so we have to keep that in mind. They have already played the Bengals twice, the Chiefs, the Cowboys, the Buccaneers, the Commanders, and the Bills. The Steelers now need Russell Wilson to be able to go toe to toe in the same way. Because this is a critical game. If the Steelers can take a two-game lead in the loss column with a head-to-head win in-hand, that would be huge. A loss leaves them with no margin for error at all against possibly the toughest schedule in the league.
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.
