Last week, the Pittsburgh Steelers had one of their worst defensive performances in recent history, allowing James Cook and the Buffalo Bills to run for 249 yards. This week, things don’t get much easier as they prepare to face Derrick Henry, Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens.
CBS Sports’ Pete Prisco is expecting a Ravens victory, and he thinks Henry will have a big game in the process.
“Just turn and hand the ball off to Derrick Henry. Turn it, here you go, Derrick, Derrick, Derrick. You saw what the Steelers did last week against the Bills’ run game: 240 yards. I mean, they couldn’t stop ’em. If I’m the Ravens, I am not doing anything the first couple of drives except giving it to the big fella [Henry]. And if he gets going, which I think he will, I think they’re gonna have trouble stopping him. That’s going to be the key to the whole offense,” Prisco said Tuesday on CBS Sports HQ. “I like the Ravens. I think they’ll win this game.”
It’s hard to blame Prisco for his lack of confidence in the Steelers’ run defense. It was absolutely awful last week against Buffalo. The Bills ran the same play against the Steelers over and over, and a lack of outside contain, or any sort of gap integrity, plagued the defense all day long.
The last time the Steelers played the Ravens, in last year’s Wild Card round, it was even worse. Baltimore would have rushed for 300 yards if a late QB kneel-down hadn’t brought the total back to 299. The Ravens picked up 16 first downs on the ground that game, and Henry ran for 186 yards by himself. It was as ugly a performance as we’ve seen.
Yet, a win against this Ravens team would be easier than in years past. Baltimore deserves credit for coming back from 1-5 to a 6-6 record. But those wins were against some bad teams, and the Ravens had an ugly performance of their own against Cincinnati on Thanksgiving. Lamar Jackson has really struggled since returning from injury, and it’s hurting the entire offense.
But the best way to remedy a bad passing attack is to run the ball effectively. While the Steelers have had bounce-back games against the run, like holding Jonathan Taylor to 45 rushing yards, their weaknesses in that area were on full display last week.
Prisco’s suggested approach is likely the one the Ravens will take on Sunday. They destroyed the Steelers on the ground last time, and Pittsburgh’s defense hasn’t made any significant strides since. Henry has still been effective this year, with his 931 rushing yards the seventh-most in the NFL. If the Steelers are going to win this game, stopping the run is mandatory.
