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**Wildcard Saturday - Steelers at Ravens**(-8.5, 44.5) 8:00 on Prime Video (1 Viewer)

Ravens -9.5 now... I expect it might get as hight as 13.4 or 14.. Steelers are trash and this game being on a Saturday night is crazy. Hope there is something else on for people to tune into.
 
Here's LaMar's chance to shed some of his playoff nightmares and get right
Steelers will show up even though they haven't looked very good recently
I think they play loose give the home team all they can handle
But if LaMar plays loose and doesn't think about the ghosts of playoffs past he'll come out on top
So...

Baltimore Ravens- 29
Pittsburgh Steelers- 23
 
Ravens will be able to take starters out by early 3rd quarter. Steelers appear to have given up and even if they haven't, the QB is terrible and coaching staff is beyond clueless.
 
My fellow old-timer @Uruk-Hai might be the only other person on this board who remembers what happened the only other time Baltimore has hosted the Steelers in a playoff game

A guy - probably drunk - flew his airplane into the upper deck of Memorial Stadium about 10 minutes of the game ended. He survived, apparently had a beef with Colt Bill Pellington who had previously thrown the pilot out of his restaurant

More info (and a crazy pic of the crashed plane) here: https://statter911.com/2016/12/19/4...dium-after-colts-game-hitting-police-officer/
 
Ravens -9.5 now... I expect it might get as hight as 13.4 or 14.. Steelers are trash and this game being on a Saturday night is crazy. Hope there is something else on for people to tune into.
Yeah. They can tune into their bed.
The Ravens aren't unbeatable in recent Playoffs
The Ravens recent failures in the playoff seemed to center around the abandonment of the running game. I do not expect Mr. Harbaugh to forget that King Henry is on his team. Lots of Henry and lots of running Lamar mixed in with some killer play action completions to Andrews. Dominant Raven win and no crashes, planes or otherwise.

Ravens 31, Steelers 12.
 
My fellow old-timer @Uruk-Hai might be the only other person on this board who remembers what happened the only other time Baltimore has hosted the Steelers in a playoff game

A guy - probably drunk - flew his airplane into the upper deck of Memorial Stadium about 10 minutes of the game ended. He survived, apparently had a beef with Colt Bill Pellington who had previously thrown the pilot out of his restaurant

More info (and a crazy pic of the crashed plane) here: https://statter911.com/2016/12/19/4...dium-after-colts-game-hitting-police-officer/
I remember it well (yes I am old)
 
I don't expect the Steelers to win at all. But I also don't think this is a terrible draw for them. Going to Houston might've been easier on paper, but that would have been the exact kind of game that Tomlin's teams historically play down in and there's no team the Steelers can beat easily. I don't think there's as much risk of the Steelers showing up flat for a Ravens game at night. At least I'd hope not.

The first game this year was a strange Steelers win, but even the second game was a tie game late into the third quarter before a late pick six really put it away. Before that, the Steelers had won 4 straight in Baltimore.

If Flowers is out and playoff Lamar shows up, or the Steelers defense puts pressure on Lamar to put the game on his shoulders, it wouldn't completely shock me if this game ends up closer than a lot people expect it to be. A few breaks could really decide the game and the Steelers aren't playing well enough to get those breaks.

Ravens 25, Steelers 20
 
Only way to make the Steelers watchable in these playoffs is to put them in a game with the Ravens. These usually deliver somehow. Still expect the Ravens to win though.
 
My fellow old-timer @Uruk-Hai might be the only other person on this board who remembers what happened the only other time Baltimore has hosted the Steelers in a playoff game

A guy - probably drunk - flew his airplane into the upper deck of Memorial Stadium about 10 minutes of the game ended. He survived, apparently had a beef with Colt Bill Pellington who had previously thrown the pilot out of his restaurant

More info (and a crazy pic of the crashed plane) here: https://statter911.com/2016/12/19/4...dium-after-colts-game-hitting-police-officer/

In those days of course you had no camera/video from iPhone
I couldn't find a live shot of it but scary
 
this will probably be the worst game of the weekend. Ravens by 30.

Sadly, fully agree. As I said in the Steelers fanboy thread... I have a better chance of playing the 4th QTR than Lamar Jackson does here... BAL 38, PIT 10

Having said that... I would be very happy to be wrong as hell.
 
Steelers will have like 6 starters back compared to the game with the Ravens a few weeks ago which Russ gave to Balt, and Balt might not have Flowers, which isnt a huge deal, Bateman has been coming on lately as well as Andrews again. It will be ugly, but the Steelers offense is so bad, so, so bad, they cant score more than 17. 24-17 Ravens.
 
When "Hard Knocks" showed the Ravens team Defense meeting during prep for the last Steelers game, their analytics guy told the players that Russ's game is all 3s and lay-ups. He looks for the deep ball and then checks it down if it's not there. Pickens has had success on deep balls in the past vs Baltimore and didn't play in the recent game in Baltimore; I think the Ravens now know that if they don't let that beat them, it's very unlikely Russ will manufacture enough long sustained scoring drives to outpoint the Ravens.

Still, the Ravens were careless with the ball in both match-ups vs the Steelers this year, Pittsburgh recovered the bounces in the first game but they all went Baltimore's way in the rematch. Ravens need to clean that up, because losing the turnover battle is the only way I see them losing this game.

Ravens ran the ball down Pittsburgh's throat in the recent game. In Week 18 the Browns put 9 and 10 guys in the box on every snap, clearly determined to make Lamar beat them throwing the ball in the frigid and windy conditions. It mostly worked, until Henry finally broke free for the long TD run once the game was out of reach and Cleveland kind of packed it in. I wouldn't be surprised to see Pittsburgh do the same thing, especially because Lamar didn't pass all that well and now he's going to be without his top WR, Zay. Tomlin is going to try to keep it low-scoring and ugly, and hope the Steelers get the break they need to win it at the end.

But I truly believe the last Pittsburgh game showed a different Lamar. Part of his past playoff struggles and struggles vs Pittsburgh have been him getting too hyped up. One of Lamar's true superpowers is that even when he's playing laid back and chill, he's still moving and processing faster than everyone else on the field, Matrix-style. When he gets amped up, he becomes frenetic and spasmodic, skittering around, tripping on his own feet, forgetting ball security, trying to force the action instead of letting it come to him. As a Ravens fan, it's been so disappointing to see him put up epic performances on Monday Night Football, or Christmas, or whatever "big game" that doesn't really matter, and then play his worst in the games that truly count. In the latest Steelers game, he finally played like himself - cool, confident and unhurried - in a playoff atmosphere. My expectation, and my hope, is that he has learned that to play better in the biggest moments, he has to play easy, to basically just be himself.

If Lamar turns in his usual game, the Ravens win this handily and are a legit Super Bowl contender.
 
The Ravens recent failures in the playoff seemed to center around the abandonment of the running game.

This played out in the two earlier games between the Steelers and Ravens as well. First game Henry had 13-65 and the Ravens lost. Second game Henry had 24-162 and the Ravens won. Hopefully Henry only gets 13 carries in this game as well. If they keep feeding him the ball the Steelers have no chance outside of fluky turnovers by the Ravens. The Steelers may even need a defensive TD because they O is terrible right now.

On a side note, I hate that D. Henry is a Raven because I really like watching him play :lol:
 
The Ravens recent failures in the playoff seemed to center around the abandonment of the running game.

This played out in the two earlier games between the Steelers and Ravens as well. First game Henry had 13-65 and the Ravens lost. Second game Henry had 24-162 and the Ravens won. Hopefully Henry only gets 13 carries in this game as well. If they keep feeding him the ball the Steelers have no chance outside of fluky turnovers by the Ravens. The Steelers may even need a defensive TD because they O is terrible right now.

On a side note, I hate that D. Henry is a Raven because I really like watching him play :lol:
I feel your pain! I root for the Steelers but Lamar and Henry are probably my two favorite players. Lol at me.
 
First-half points for the Lamar Jackson-led Ravens in the playoffs

2018 vs. Chargers: 0 (L)
2019 vs. Titans: 6 (L)
2020 vs. Titans: 10 (W)
2020 vs. Bills: 3 (L)
2023 vs. Texans: 10 (W)
2023 vs. Chiefs: 7 (L)

Those are some stinky first halves. Even so, the Ravens are 2-0 if they can manage just 10 first-half points, 0-4 when they can't
 
I’ve been tracking the prices of tickets for this game on Ticketmaster and it’s interesting that prices have dropped substantially.

The cheapest seats in the 500 level started at about $165 when they first became available and as of Wednesday evening they are $120.

The weather forecast isn’t bad so I’m surprised but maybe they will jump back up closer to Saturday
 
I’ve been tracking the prices of tickets for this game on Ticketmaster and it’s interesting that prices have dropped substantially.

The cheapest seats in the 500 level started at about $165 when they first became available and as of Wednesday evening they are $120.

The weather forecast isn’t bad so I’m surprised but maybe they will jump back up closer to Saturday

Same thing for Philly/GB. My tickets usually sell like hot cakes, but so far, no luck selling them.
 
I know the Ravens should win. I just find it odd that the line is so big and so many are so confident.

The Steelers beat the Ravens once this year, and in their second matchup Henry ran for 160 yards, Pickens didn't play, and the game was STILL tied at 17 late in the 3rd quarter.

Heck, it was only a 7 point game into the 4th quarter before Russ threw a pick 6. Zay Flowers went for 100 yards that day, but he likely won't be out there Saturday.

This isn't a bad matchup for the Steelers if they're healthy heading into it. Not that I expect a Steelers win, but I do expect it to be close, late, turning on a few key plays.
 
My fellow old-timer @Uruk-Hai might be the only other person on this board who remembers what happened the only other time Baltimore has hosted the Steelers in a playoff game
Maybe not...

A year after the "Colts have arrived in '75". During the period where the Colts played (and lost to) the defending champs during those last three "glory days". It all ended when a NFC team ruined the pattern. That and running a flea flicker with the starters in the preseason and the hold out that foreshadowed what was to come.
 
The Ravens recent failures in the playoff seemed to center around the abandonment of the running game.

This played out in the two earlier games between the Steelers and Ravens as well. First game Henry had 13-65 and the Ravens lost. Second game Henry had 24-162 and the Ravens won. Hopefully Henry only gets 13 carries in this game as well. If they keep feeding him the ball the Steelers have no chance outside of fluky turnovers by the Ravens. The Steelers may even need a defensive TD because they O is terrible right now.

On a side note, I hate that D. Henry is a Raven because I really like watching him play :lol:
The Ravens won’t ever go into a game with the intention of not pounding Henry. The first game of the Ravens 7 first half drives 2 of them were ended early on by fumbles and 2 more had holding penalties the first or second play. Immediately putting the Ravens off the field or behind the sticks which Hill comes in for. And then the Ravens only had 3 second half drives prior to going into their 2 minute offense late in the game. One of which was ended by a pick on the 3rd play. If the Ravens hadn’t shot themselves in the foot in the first half Henry easily adds another handful of carries at minimum first half alone and lets the whole game unfold differently. The Ravens only ran 54 plays all game.
 
The Ravens recent failures in the playoff seemed to center around the abandonment of the running game.

This played out in the two earlier games between the Steelers and Ravens as well. First game Henry had 13-65 and the Ravens lost. Second game Henry had 24-162 and the Ravens won. Hopefully Henry only gets 13 carries in this game as well. If they keep feeding him the ball the Steelers have no chance outside of fluky turnovers by the Ravens. The Steelers may even need a defensive TD because they O is terrible right now.

On a side note, I hate that D. Henry is a Raven because I really like watching him play :lol:
The Ravens won’t ever go into a game with the intention of not pounding Henry. The first game of the Ravens 7 first half drives 2 of them were ended early on by fumbles and 2 more had holding penalties the first or second play. Immediately putting the Ravens off the field or behind the sticks which Hill comes in for. And then the Ravens only had 3 second half drives prior to going into their 2 minute offense late in the game. One of which was ended by a pick on the 3rd play. If the Ravens hadn’t shot themselves in the foot in the first half Henry easily adds another handful of carries at minimum first half alone and lets the whole game unfold differently. The Ravens only ran 54 plays all game.
All true.

But in the 2nd game, the Steelers played without Pickens, the Ravens rode Henry early and often, and Lamar threw 100 yards worth of passes to Zay Flowers who won't be there this time... despite all that, the game was STILL tied late into the 3rd quarter and was a 1 score game until Russ made an awful throw late. A 17 point margin in a game that was much closer than that.

Feeding Henry isn't going to guarantee a Ravens victory. But not getting him his carries is going make it tough.
 
The Ravens recent failures in the playoff seemed to center around the abandonment of the running game.

This played out in the two earlier games between the Steelers and Ravens as well. First game Henry had 13-65 and the Ravens lost. Second game Henry had 24-162 and the Ravens won. Hopefully Henry only gets 13 carries in this game as well. If they keep feeding him the ball the Steelers have no chance outside of fluky turnovers by the Ravens. The Steelers may even need a defensive TD because they O is terrible right now.

On a side note, I hate that D. Henry is a Raven because I really like watching him play :lol:
The Ravens won’t ever go into a game with the intention of not pounding Henry. The first game of the Ravens 7 first half drives 2 of them were ended early on by fumbles and 2 more had holding penalties the first or second play. Immediately putting the Ravens off the field or behind the sticks which Hill comes in for. And then the Ravens only had 3 second half drives prior to going into their 2 minute offense late in the game. One of which was ended by a pick on the 3rd play. If the Ravens hadn’t shot themselves in the foot in the first half Henry easily adds another handful of carries at minimum first half alone and lets the whole game unfold differently. The Ravens only ran 54 plays all game.
All true.

But in the 2nd game, the Steelers played without Pickens, the Ravens rode Henry early and often, and Lamar threw 100 yards worth of passes to Zay Flowers who won't be there this time... despite all that, the game was STILL tied late into the 3rd quarter and was a 1 score game until Russ made an awful throw late. A 17 point margin in a game that was much closer than that.

Feeding Henry isn't going to guarantee a Ravens victory. But not getting him his carries is going make it tough.
Right just saying it’s a kind of a chicken/egg thing. If Henry only sees 15 carries it won’t be schematic by the Ravens. It will be an indication that they turned the ball over and/or were behind the chains due to penalties. If they can get him 25 touches it probably means those things didn’t happen and they were likely playing with a lead late. It’s so annoying when after a Ravens loss the talking heads go well they’re 7-0 or whatever when Henry touches the ball X number of times like they’re isn’t any other relation between the things mentioned above and Henry’s touches. It doesn’t do much good to hand him the ball on 3rd and 7 or 2nd and 15 and you can’t give it to him if the defense is on the field due to a turnover. In the second Pittsburgh game Henry had 8 of those carries in the 4th quarter with a lead. Including 7 of them up 2 scores.
 
I think the biggest threat to the Ravens is that they take this Pittsburgh team lightly. I dont think there is much question about who wins.

the only question I have is by how many points do they actually win?
 
I’ve been tracking the prices of tickets for this game on Ticketmaster and it’s interesting that prices have dropped substantially.

The cheapest seats in the 500 level started at about $165 when they first became available and as of Wednesday evening they are $120.

The weather forecast isn’t bad so I’m surprised but maybe they will jump back up closer to Saturday
There are tickets for sale at less than $100 and it’s likely the prices are going to drop further.

That’s really surprising to me.
 
I’ve been tracking the prices of tickets for this game on Ticketmaster and it’s interesting that prices have dropped substantially.

The cheapest seats in the 500 level started at about $165 when they first became available and as of Wednesday evening they are $120.

The weather forecast isn’t bad so I’m surprised but maybe they will jump back up closer to Saturday
There are tickets for sale at less than $100 and it’s likely the prices are going to drop further.

That’s really surprising to me.
me too. Though people are less and less willing to brave the elements for a bad weather game, and outdoor games in January rarely have good weather in the Northern States.
 
Even if I believed the Steelers were going to win this game, I would prefer to watch it in my basement. Hell that would be the case even if it was 80 degrees outside.
 
Even if I believed the Steelers were going to win this game, I would prefer to watch it in my basement. Hell that would be the case even if it was 80 degrees outside.
I'm not even a fan of either team. (not really) but if the weather was gonna be good and I could get a 100 dollar ticket, I'd go. Sadly I dont live close enough so when you factor in the cost of a flight and hotel, its cost prohibitive for me, but at $100 thats a great price. if the weather somehow turns out to be ok thats a steal of a deal
 
This has blowout written al over it. Yes, the Steelers beat them 2 months ago, but that was a fluke then, and the 2 teams have moved in very different directions since. I don't see Zay Flowers as a huge loss, as they'll probably just run more 2-TE sets.

I think the Steelers will have a very hard time doing much of anything on offense. The best hope is getting Pickens matched up on Stephens, but likely it will typically be with help over the top. I don't see any rushing success happening.

I think the Ravens are able to do pretty much whatever they want on offense, expecting a big Lamar game, especially on the ground, and I think Mark Andrews (still a top-4 NFL TE) steps up big in Flowers absence. I also think Bateman hits some big plays, as does Henry.

Ravens-31
Steelers-10
 
Even if I believed the Steelers were going to win this game, I would prefer to watch it in my basement. Hell that would be the case even if it was 80 degrees outside.
If this game was in Pittsburgh I would be going no matter what the weather.
Yup big crowds are just not my cup of tea. The last Steelers game I went to was when they beat the Dolphins in the playoffs like 8 years ago?
 
This has blowout written al over it. Yes, the Steelers beat them 2 months ago, but that was a fluke then, and the 2 teams have moved in very different directions since. I don't see Zay Flowers as a huge loss, as they'll probably just run more 2-TE sets.

I think the Steelers will have a very hard time doing much of anything on offense. The best hope is getting Pickens matched up on Stephens, but likely it will typically be with help over the top. I don't see any rushing success happening.

I think the Ravens are able to do pretty much whatever they want on offense, expecting a big Lamar game, especially on the ground, and I think Mark Andrews (still a top-4 NFL TE) steps up big in Flowers absence. I also think Bateman hits some big plays, as does Henry.

Ravens-31
Steelers-10
Who knows if Pickens even wants to play. That guy puts in effort when he feels like it. I agree with you completely. Lots of Steelers fans think this will be close based on “well the matchups between these 2 are always close.” Looking at it objectively, I can’t think of a single matchup that favors Pittsburgh here.
 
This has blowout written al over it. Yes, the Steelers beat them 2 months ago, but that was a fluke then, and the 2 teams have moved in very different directions since. I don't see Zay Flowers as a huge loss, as they'll probably just run more 2-TE sets.

I think the Steelers will have a very hard time doing much of anything on offense. The best hope is getting Pickens matched up on Stephens, but likely it will typically be with help over the top. I don't see any rushing success happening.

I think the Ravens are able to do pretty much whatever they want on offense, expecting a big Lamar game, especially on the ground, and I think Mark Andrews (still a top-4 NFL TE) steps up big in Flowers absence. I also think Bateman hits some big plays, as does Henry.

Ravens-31
Steelers-10
Who knows if Pickens even wants to play. That guy puts in effort when he feels like it. I agree with you completely. Lots of Steelers fans think this will be close based on “well the matchups between these 2 are always close.” Looking at it objectively, I can’t think of a single matchup that favors Pittsburgh here.
Even forgetting about what happened in the rivalry in past years that don'tmatter anymore, wasn't that the case in the first two matchups this year too? Even moreso in the second one when Pickens didn't play, Watt had injured his ankle, and the defense was missing a couple starters?

Through the first 7 quarters this year, the Ravens scored 40 and the Steelers scored 35. In the 4th quarter of week 16, the Ravens got a pick 6 and a garbage time field goal, but overall they've played 2 very even games and despite the edge the Ravens have in talent at some key spots, I expect this to be a competitive game. Pickens playing and Flowers sitting is already a huge switch from week 16.
 
I don't know if we just have a lot of young folks, but the amount of absolute assurance in here that the Ravens will blow them out is wild.

Ravens are a better team. A lot better.

But this is still Steelers-Ravens.
Steelers are flawed but they do a lot of things well. Obviously we know the history of the matchup too.

I wouldn't bet on the Steelers here, but I sure as hell wouldn't bet a lot of money against them either.
 
You think of Denny Green's "they are who we thought they were, but we let them the hook" rant.

Cowher-Tomlin Steelers have been doing that to opposing coaches for decades now.

Harbaugh knows better by now I'm sure

But for any of you that don't, please don't go betting hard on the Ravens.
 
Ravens first couple possessions will tell the tale. If Lamar is his normal, laidback chill self, Ravens will win by 10+ regardless of what the early score is

If he’s hyper, trying to do too much, firing a couple of off-target passes at a million mph then it will be an all-night drag out fight that Boswell probably wins for Pittsburgh

It’s time for Lamar to play like one of the great players not just in the game today but in the history of the NFL. If he doesn’t, it will be a long year to get back here again and he will deserve every choker label thrown his way

I think he learned the lesson in the last Pittsburgh game and will have a very good postseason. But it’s time to get it done and like said, I think he will show early if he’s up to the challenge or not
 

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