Sunday Night – Baltimore Ravens at Pittsburgh Steelers

It’s always exciting when the Ravens and Steelers get together to play a little football. It’s even more exciting when they’re playing under the lights on Sunday night. It just brings everything to a new level. There’s no guarantee that the Ravens will still be in the playoff hunt in Week 14, but that won’t have any effect on the intensity of this game. That’s the beauty of rivalries, the flow of the game doesn’t depend on the standings, they’re always playing for pride.

Keys to the Game

Ravens

Baltimore will need to get back to their old ways of playing shutdown defense. They don’t have the talent on that side of the ball that they used to, but they’re still a strong group. It will be on the secondary to make big plays when Roethlisberger makes ill-advised throws (which he will do) and get the ball back in Joe Flacco’s hands. The Ravens could easily create multiple turnovers in this one and that will really turn the tables in their favor. As long as Flacco doesn’t give the ball right back, the Ravens will be in the driver’s seat.

Steelers

This is one of those games that everyone will expect Pittsburgh to win… but it won’t be as easy as the masses will think. Baltimore has some playmakers on offense and a talented defense, the Steelers can’t afford to take them lightly at this stage in the season. Roethlisberger is going to need to make smart plays when he’s under pressure rather than trying to force the ball into coverage. He’s not as young as he used to be and turning the ball over is going to keep Baltimore in this game.