593 replies to this topic

[BSLChrisStoner]

ESPN's Matchup Predictor gives the Ravens a 56.9% chance of winning. 

[BSLChrisStoner]

ESPN: Imperfect Ravens face perfect scenario: In control of AFC No. 1 seed

[You Play to Win the Game]

ESPN's Matchup Predictor gives the Ravens a 56.9% chance of winning. 

That's pretty disrespectful.

[TwentyThirtyFive]

That's pretty disrespectful.

Pretty accurate.

[Slidemaster]

Throw everything that you believe about both teams away when the Ravens and Steelers play. It is always gritty, messy, and close.

Steelers are desperate. They will come to play.

[Mackus]

That's pretty disrespectful.

 

Sounds about right to me.  I consider the Ravens very slight favorites.

[You Play to Win the Game]

65/35 is what it should be. Steelers aren't good. And they aren't good because they aren't good. Ravens can and should play better than they have the past few weeks. Steelers have the 25th ranked defense (12th ranked pass, 28th rush) and 22nd ranked offense (15th pass, 28th rush). Ravens have the 4th best offense (13th pass, 2nd rush) and 19th ranked defense (32nd pass, 2nd rush). This is a good match-up for the Ravens across the board IMO. At 56%, feels like a toss-up. Could the Ravens lose, and would it be surprising? Yes they can, and no it wouldn't be. But 56% is too low. They're the better team and should win. 

 

BTW, Vegas has Baltimore -3.5 (+3 as the road team = 6.5). Sounds about right to me.

[Mackus]

https://www.boydsbet...ine-conversion/

 

I think we're arguing over the difference between a 2.75 and 3.5 point spread.  Not even a full point.

[You Play to Win the Game]

https://www.boydsbet...ine-conversion/

I think we're arguing over the difference between a 2.75 and 3.5 point spread. Not even a full point.

Which is why you should’ve let me be right and that would’ve been the end of it.

[BSLChrisStoner]

65/35 is what it should be. Steelers aren't good. And they aren't good because they aren't good. Ravens can and should play better than they have the past few weeks. Steelers have the 25th ranked defense (12th ranked pass, 28th rush) and 22nd ranked offense (15th pass, 28th rush). Ravens have the 4th best offense (13th pass, 2nd rush) and 19th ranked defense (32nd pass, 2nd rush). This is a good match-up for the Ravens across the board IMO. At 56%, feels like a toss-up. Could the Ravens lose, and would it be surprising? Yes they can, and no it wouldn't be. But 56% is too low. They're the better team and should win.

BTW, Vegas has Baltimore -3.5 (+3 as the road team = 6.5). Sounds about right to me.

Lots of talk that Vegas no longer gives 3 to the home team. Closer to 1.5.

Back to the ESPN projection...I'd imagine division game, rivalry, expectation of Pittsburgh looking better than Sunday have some impact.

But generally agree with you. Ben is pretty compromised.

[NewMarketSean]

Throw everything that you believe about both teams away when the Ravens and Steelers play. It is always gritty, messy, and close.

Steelers are desperate. They will come to play.

My thoughts exactly. I expect a pretty close, ugly game.

 

23-20 has been a common score going back a few years whenever we play...seems like it'll remain true for another year.

[You Play to Win the Game]

With Lamar’s INT’s this season, and what Fitzpatrick does for that whole secondary when he’s in there, I don’t expect a strong day passing.

[cprenegade]

Ravens should win the game, they are the better team even with their flaws.  But they haven't exactly looked great on the road this year:

 

Lost at Vegas after blowing a 14 point lead

Beat Detroit only because a timekeeper forgot to do the one thing he needs to do

Looked good winning at Denver

Lost at Miami in an awful performance by just about everybody

Beat Chicago(w/out LJ), but mainly because after Chicago took a late lead their defense choked away a game they could have won

 

Bottom line, 5 road games really only one good performance.  Pittsburgh is not very good.  Their O-line is terrible, their defense has not been as good as it was thought to be.  Roethlisberger has not been terrible, but he looks every bit the part of an old QB who has hung on a little past when he should.  Still, they are better than Detroit, Miami, and Chicago and the Ravens made all of them look tough in their house.  So I won't be surprised if this game comes down to a 4th quarter drive either way.  

[NewMarketSean]

It would be really nice if our running game did the lion's share of work this Sunday. Pittsburgh is 28th against the run. Have to try to run it down their throat.

 

It would also be nice to see Lamar go 18/23 for like 180 yards and a TD or 2.

 

Last game our QB threw less than 30 passes was against LAC, who had the worst run D.

 

Not crazy about Lamar attempting more than 30-35 passes in this game.

[cprenegade]

Personally I think this is the weekend the Ravens go back to Lamar Jackson running the ball 20+ times.  I think this for two reasons.

 

1)  Harbuagh can sound all nice and fine with the 4 interceptions Lamar Jackson threw, but everyone knows turnovers eat him up.  A fumble in the opening game by Ty'son Williams was the start of him being buried deep on the bench.  Of course, Harbuagh can't sit Jackson, but he can reign in the passing game.  Given that Pittsburgh was gashed by the run the past two weeks that seems like a made to order plan.

 

2)  Even as bad as Pittsburgh has looked, expecting the two old broken down horses of Freeman and Murray to pick up the slack is probably too much.  But Jackson can certainly slice them up the way Eckler and Mixon did the past two weeks.  

 

So it seems logical that this is a return to Lamar Jackson the runner game.  

[jamesdean]

It would be really nice if our running game did the lion's share of work this Sunday. Pittsburgh is 28th against the run. Have to try to run it down their throat.

 

It would also be nice to see Lamar go 18/23 for like 180 yards and a TD or 2.

 

Last game our QB threw less than 30 passes was against LAC, who had the worst run D.

 

Not crazy about Lamar attempting more than 30-35 passes in this game.

Or any game for that matter.  

[NewMarketSean]

Or any game for that matter.  

Yet he has been, all season.

[You Play to Win the Game]

Ravens have mostly played from behind, and lost their top 3 RB's, their LT, their RT to KC, etc. You run against team's you can, like Pittsburgh, San Diego, etc. but this is not a roster designed to not pass the ball, that's just not an option here right now. 

[jamesdean]

Ravens have mostly played from behind, and lost their top 3 RB's, their LT, their RT to KC, etc. You run against team's you can, like Pittsburgh, San Diego, etc. but this is not a roster designed to not pass the ball, that's just not an option here right now. 

I would be on your side of that argument if I had seen them truly commit to Freeman(or whoever) at least once with 20-25 carries.  If they had done that, and the back only averaged 3.0 a carry, then I'd say, "yeah, it's pretty pointless."  But they haven't done that and I do think Freeman can get to the outside if you give him a chance and get him in rhythm.  Until that happens, I'm going to stick to my opinion that they're not optimizing their potential on the ground. 

[makoman]

Watt tested negative twice and was activated.