For the third time in nine weeks, the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Baltimore Ravens will square off, this time in the AFC Wild Card round at M&T Bank Stadium Saturday night at 8 PM/ET
The two teams are very familiar with each other. They know the strengths of the opponent, and they know the weaknesses. There will be no surprises in this one.
Realistically, it should be a close, hard-fought game between two AFC North rivals. But many are picking the Ravens to win — and in blowout fashion, too. That’s why they play the games, though.
There will be games within the game to watch, like the turnover battle, tackling battle and more. Make sure to keep an eye on key individual matchups, too. There are plenty of them this week in all three phases for the Steelers against the Ravens in the AFC Wild Card matchup.
Below are my four key matchups to watch on Saturday night in the playoffs.
STEELERS DL LARRY OGUNJOBI VS. RAVENS RG DANIEL FAALELE
This might not be the flashiest individual matchup, but it’s a big one in my eyes. There’s going to be a great deal of attention paid to the likes of Alex Highsmith, T.J. Watt and Cameron Heyward, but Steelers defensive tackle Larry Ogunjobi needs to take advantage of his favorable matchup against Ravens RG Daniel Faalele, particularly as a pass rusher.
Faalele is a huge specimen, but he’s struggled since shifting inside to guard. He’s allowed 32 pressures on the season and hasn’t been much of an impact blocker in the run game. Ogunjobi has been quiet this season, too, generating just 14 pressures. He has 17 run stops, though, and is fundamentally sound in his role.
The Steelers need him to make a bit more noise this week.
STEELERS S DESHON ELLIOTT VS. RAVENS TE MARK ANDREWS
In the last matchup between the two teams, the Steelers were without safety DeShon Elliott. That forced Damontae Kazee into the lineup, and the Ravens went after Kazee, leading to a TD pass to wide receiver Rashod Bateman. It also led to a successful day for Baltimore’s tight ends as Mark Andrews and Isaiah Likely caught wide-open touchdowns.
Elliott returns and can be the TE eraser for the Black and Gold. He’s been so good in that role all season, and he’s been a sound tackler as well, recording 108 stops on the season. He missed just one tackle all season and was dominant in that fashion.
Andrews will be a significant challenge though. He’s caught a touchdown in six straight games and is back to being that true, dominant TE he was before his leg injury last season.
RAVENS CB MARLON HUMPHREY VS. STEELERS WR GEORGE PICKENS
Typically, I’ve highlighted the WR who will find himself matched up against Baltimore’s Brandon Stephens. In Week 11, Steelers WR George Pickens got the better of Stephens over and over again, giving the Steelers a real spark. Without Pickens in Week 16, the passing game struggled outside of a Calvin Austin III 44-yard deep shot.
This week in the playoffs, though, I expect the Ravens to assign All-Pro corner Marlon Humphrey to Pickens in an effort to erase him. Humphrey has been quite good over the years against the Steelers and had a pick-6 in the last matchup to help put the game away.
Humphrey allowed one reception for four yards in Week 11, and four receptions for 36 yards in Week 16. He’s rather lockdown.
He’s physical, likes to talk, and can get underneath the skin of his opponents. He’ll try to do that against Pickens on Saturday night. This is a massive test for Pickens, who has had his peaks and valleys this season. He needs to be locked in physically and mentally and to make some plays early.
RAVENS OLB KYLE VAN NOY VS. STEELERS RT BRODERICK JONES
Steelers second-year OT Broderick Jones certainly raised eyebrows earlier in the week stating that he wanted to play the Ravens again to get the bad taste out of his mouth. Careful what you wish for, Broderick.
In the last matchup against the Ravens, Jones allowed three pressures and was charged with two sacks allowed. He had his hands full against a good Baltimore front, particularly in veteran pass rusher Kyle Van Noy. Baltimore’s outside linebacker had his way against Jones, generating three of his four pressure and two sacks in the Ravens’ big win.
In Week 11, Van Noy had another four pressures while Jones allowed four pressures and a sack in that game, too.
So, while Jones might want another crack at the Ravens, he’s going to have his hands full with Van Noy, who is playing some of the best ball of his career and has become a sack artist since joining the Ravens.
With Dan Moore Jr. struggling at left tackle in a big way, the Steelers might need to give him extra help with Odafe Oweh across from him. That could leave Jones on an island against Van Noy. The second-year tackle is going to need to hold his own.
