Mike Tomlin said earlier this season that he didn't mind his Steelers dealing with distractions because they would go through plenty if they were going to get to where they wanted to go -- the Super Bowl.
Little did Tomlin know what awaited his team when he made that statement.
And little did he know exactly how deep the latest distraction would run.
The Steelers were forced to finish a game last Monday night in Cincinnati with Ryan Shazier in a hospital following a spinal injury, recovering from a 17-point deficit to win, 23-20. Shazier returned to Pittsburgh two days later and underwent surgery, with his health remaining an overwhelming issue for the team all through a week of preparing for a key AFC North game against Baltimore.
How key is this game?
A win would give the Steelers (10-2) their third division title in the past four seasons and hand the rival Ravens (7-5) a critical loss that could derail their playoff hopes.
But add in that JuJu Smith-Schuster was handed a one-game NFL suspension for a block on the Bengals' Vontaze Burfict and the league's decision to not suspend Cincinnati's George Iloka for a helmet-to-helmet hit on Antonio Brown, and you have to wonder where the Steelers' focus might be.
"We know a lot is going to be expected of us. The Ravens are coming in here," Cameron Heyward said. "They’ve got to keep winning. We’ve got to keep winning. It’s for the AFC North for us."
But is that enough? Could there be another factor pushing the Steelers?
Shazier has provided that.
"Because Ryan wants us to play hard. Ryan wants us to do well," Heyward said. "It sucks that he’s not out there. It sucks, the injury that happened. I think the air was let out of the building for a while. But we understand we have to keep playing. All we’ve got to do is stay focused on our jobs right now. It’s not easy. He was an integral part of our defense and our team, but we’ll keep him in our prayers, keep in contact with him. But we keep our focus on football."
For their part, the Ravens have been respectful of the Steelers' situation. They responded on the team's Twitter account following Shazier's injury in the first quarter of the game against the Bengals:
Our thoughts and prayers are with @Steelers LB Ryan Shazier.
— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) December 5, 2017
Then, when the team held its first practice earlier this week, Baltimore coach John Harbaugh brought his players together for a moment of silence for Shazier.
"Our thoughts are with him. Our prayers are with him," Harbaugh said afterward. "We actually had a team prayer this morning, to open up our team meeting, for his health and well-being. We have great respect for him, and for all the players that play in the league, and what goes with that. So to him and his family, our prayers are with them.”
The Ravens might be thoughtful of Shazier, but the Steelers have been living through this since just before 9 p.m. Monday night. In that respect, the game itself might be a welcome distraction of another kind.
"We have a game to prepare for, and we know that’s what Ryan wants," Ben Roethlisberger said. "Talking to Ryan, that’s what he wants. So we’re going to go out and prepare for the Baltimore Ravens like Ryan would want us to do and is asking us to do."
The football field has seemed to be an escape for the Steelers all week, as has just being around each other.
"I think it’s going to be hard. It’s going to be difficult, but we have to do it. It’s a big game," said Vince Williams, Shazier's best friend on the team. "But we can’t really say we’re going to play for (Shazier)."
But, he noted, "There’s added incentive. We understand you can’t take this for granted.”
• Who: Steelers (10-2) vs. Ravens (7-5)
• When: 8:30 p.m.
• Where: Heinz Field
• TV: WPXI, NBC (national)
• Streaming: NBCSports.com
• Radio: 102.5 WDVE, ESPN Pittsburgh
• Satellite: SiriusXM Channel 83 (Internet 826)
• Forecast: Partly cloudy, 25
• Lots open: 3:30 p.m.
• Will call open: 4:30 p.m.
• Gates open: 6:30 p.m.
• Boxscore: NFL Game Center
• Media notes: Steelers | Ravens
• Odds: MyBookie.AG
THE INJURY REPORT
Steelers: CB Joe Haden (fibula, out), LB Ryan Shazier (back, out), LB Tyler Matakevich (shoulder, out), S Mike Mitchell (ankle, questionable)
Ravens: LB Za'Darius Smith (shoulder, doubtful), OL Jermaine Eluemunor (shoulder, questionable), LB C.J. Mosley (neck, questionable), WR Jeremy Maclin (back, questionable)
ON THE BULLETIN BOARD
When Tomlin made his statements three weeks ago about how his team's meeting Dec. 15 against New England at Heinz Field was the first of two meetings the teams would have this season and that he expected the Steelers to win the Super Bowl this season, some felt it might be bulletin board material for Pittsburgh's next two opponents, Cincinnati and Baltimore.
The Ravens, however, say they took no offense at Tomlin's statements to Tony Dungy in an interview on NBC's 'Football Night in America.'
"It's not, really," Baltimore quarterback Joe Flacco said. "It's just talk at this point. Everybody's probably creating all different scenarios in their head. It's just one of those things you talk about as you are preparing for AFC playoff time. And who knows how it was meant? But it wasn't anything crazy, so we aren't going to take offense to anything like that.”
THE KEY VARIABLE
The Ravens come into the game at the top of the league in turnover ratio at plus-14, having forced an NFL-best 29 turnovers, including 20 interceptions.
How good is that? Nearly half of the teams in the league (14) haven't reached double-digits in interceptions this season, including the Raiders, who have just one.
That helps cover for an offense that ranks 30th in total yards, averaging 288.5 per game.
However, that hasn't stopped the Ravens from scoring points. Baltimore has scored seven of its 29 touchdowns this season on returns, providing a boost for an otherwise mediocre offense. Take those out of the equation and the Ravens have scored 22 touchdowns, the same number their seventh-ranked defense has given up. Those touchdowns account for 3.5 points per game.
It's helped the Ravens rank 13th in the league at 23.3 points per game despite their popgun offense. The Steelers are 12th, averaging 23.4 points per game despite an offense that has risen to seventh in total yardage.
That means the Steelers' recipe should be to take care of the football and not allow anything on special teams, where two of Baltimore's returns have come on kicks.
Roethlisberger, whose 13 interceptions this season are tied for second-most in the NFL, knows he'll have to be careful with the football.
"Opportunistic defense," he said of the Ravens. "They score. I think that we saw seven touchdowns with their offense on the sideline. That’s a lot of points. They get after it and they have some really good football players. So it’s going to be a challenge for us."
Chief among those is free safety Eric Weddle, a close friend of Roethlisberger. Weddle is tied for second in the NFL with five interceptions and returned one for a touchdown in last week's 44-20 win over Detroit.
"He's a guy that has really come along in the second half of the season," Roethlisberger said of Weddle. "He is really making more and more plays. I like to make fun of him, because obviously, he makes all the interceptions and stuff, but now he is starting to get sacks and stuff, too. You really have to know where he is all the time. I played against another safety there in Baltimore for many years in Ed Reed that was a lot the same way, all over the football field. If the ball touched his hands, it was going to be intercepted, and every once in a while, he was going to blitz and try and get you down.”
[caption id="attachment_499825" align="aligncenter" width="640"]
Antonio Brown, left, and LeVeon Bell celebrate a touchdown against the Bengals. - MATT SUNDAY / DKPS[/caption]
THE MAIN MATCHUP
The NFL hasn't had two teammates lead the NFL in receiving and rushing yards since 1999, when Edgerrin James and Marvin Harrison accomplished the feat for the Colts, James with 1,553 rushing yards, Harrison with 1,663 receiving yards. The Cowboys' duo of Emmitt Smith and Michael Irvin also led the league in 1991.
Prior to that, well, there's nobody since 1960 who has done it.
That's what makes what Le'Veon Bell and Antonio Brown are doing this season so special.
Bell enters Week 14 with a league-best 1,057 rushing yards, 118 more than his closest competitor, Todd Gurley of the Rams. Brown, meanwhile, is running away with the receiving title. He has 1,296 receiving yards, over 200 more than DeAndre Hopkins of the Texans.
Slowing down that duo -- notice we didn't say stopping them -- is the task that faces Baltimore's seventh-rated defense this week. The Ravens did a nice job of slowing Brown in the previous meeting, a 26-9 win by the Steelers Oct. 1 in Baltimore, limiting him to four receptions for a season-low 34 yards. He also got frustrated early in the game when he broke wide open and Roethlisberger didn't see him open down the field, then took out his frustration on a Gatorade cooler.
But cornerback Jimmy Smith was a big part of that. And Smith suffered an Achilles' tendon injury last week and was placed on injured reserve. He also was suspended four games by the NFL for PED use.
Rookie Marlon Humphrey, a first-round draft pick, will take his place in the starting lineup opposite veteran Brandon Carr. Neither figures to be matched on Brown one-on-one.
"He’s crafty. He’s a savvy receiver," Carr said of Brown. "He gets a lot of targets, and he has incredible chemistry. There are certain times when he cuts his routes off, or makes up a different route, and (Roethlisberger) knows exactly where he’s supposed to be. So, you have to play him from whistle to whistle.”
Slowing Bell also will be a big task. With Brown bottled up in the last meeting, Bell carried the ball 35 times for 144 yards and two touchdowns while also catching four passes for 42 yards.
But the Ravens didn't have defensive tackle Brandon Williams in that game because of an injury. Williams is now back in the lineup.
"He’s a good player in there, stout against the run," said center Maurkice Pouncey. "He’s one of their best players on defense. But he’s been in there before. Last year, we ran well, too."
Last year would be a game in which Bell ran for 122 yards and a touchdown on 20 carries, while Brown caught 10 passes for 96 yards and a touchdown in a 31-27 win in Pittsburgh on Christmas Day that clinched the AFC North title.
Brown's touchdown finished off that game, stretching through a tackle attempt by Weddle and Mosley to reach the ball across the goal line with just nine seconds remaining and the Steelers out of timeouts.
Flacco said he almost never thinks about that play.
"Not really. It is so far in the past," he said. "There's not really much that talking about that game will do for us going into this one. It's a new year, we're new teams, new scenario. Yes, you can draw on just experience from playing there, but that game, besides seeing that one commercial on NFL Network where you see Antonio Brown reaching for the end zone over and over again … Besides that, we don’t really think about it.”
THE QUOTES
"As soon as I saw Ryan go down, my heart dropped. I felt for him. I saw him grab for his back. And then when I saw them bring the stretcher out, I dropped to my knees and said a prayer for him. I said a prayer for him when I was falling asleep that night and then again when I woke up. It’s an unfortunate situation. But I’m happy to be here." -- Sean Spence, newly re-signed Steelers linebacker
"You never forget your greatest foe. What would Michael Jordan be without the Pistons and the Knicks? Ali and Frazier … Sports is built on great rivalries like this. It brings the best out of you, so that's why I love this game so much.” -- Terrell Suggs, Ravens linebacker
"It’s a special spot in my heart. I know it’s always a physical game. My body doesn’t always like it. But the difference between this game and Cincinnati’s game is, with these two teams, us and Baltimore, we’ve battled it out and, as long as I've been here, there's always respect involved with it. You’re going to get hit really hard or you’re going to hit somebody really hard, but you’re going to help them up and say, ‘Man, nice job.’ You’re going to battle it out all game and, at the end, you’re going to shake hands, give the other guy a hug and say, ‘Man, that was a lot of fun. I can’t wait to do it next year.’ Your body isn’t saying that, though." -- Roethlisberger
THE TEN DATA POINTS
• The Steelers have won their past nine prime time games, dating back to Oct. 12, 2015, at San Diego.
• Chris Boswell has kicked a game-winning field goal in three of the Steelers' past four games.
• The Steelers have won 10 of their first 12 games for just the fifth time in team history and first since 2004.
• Baltimore and Pittsburgh have played 14 times in prime time games, with each team winning seven times. This will be the ninth prime time meeting in Pittsburgh -- the Steelers are 5-3 in those games.
• Bell has 943 total yards (672 rushing, 271 receiving) in eight career games against the Ravens, an average of 117.9 per game. He also has seven touchdowns in those games.
• The Steelers are 24-7 in prime time games at Heinz Field, including 2-0 this season.
• Suggs has sacked Roethlisberger 16.5 times, the most of any defender on Roethlisberger. He has 19.5 sacks in 29 career games against the Steelers.
• Flacco has completed 64.4 percent of his passes for 241.7 yards per game, eight touchdowns and three interceptions in his past seven games at Heinz Field.
• Martavis Bryant has played against the Ravens at Heinz Field once in his career, scoring two touchdowns in that game.
• Weddle is the only active player with 25 or more career interceptions and eight or more career sacks.
THE SNEAKY FANTASY PLAY
Bryant is my pick this week.
I know I've gone to this well in the past, but with Smith-Schuster suspended, Bryant should get plenty of targets, especially with the Ravens paying extra attention to Brown given that Smith's out of their lineup. When Smith-Schuster didn't play two weeks ago against the Packers because of a hamstring injury, Bryant caught four passes for 40 yards and a touchdown. And he has scored four touchdowns in four career games against the Ravens. Look for Bryant to get into the end zone once again against Baltimore.
THE MULTIMEDIA
Christopher Carter and I look at the matchup on Morning Java:
Carter breaks down the Ravens in his Video Classroom:
Carter and I on our DK Sports Radio Steelers Preview show, sponsored by Henne Jewelers:
THE STAFF PICKS
Our football coverage team offers predictions:
Dale Lolley: These games are always interesting and typically close. Many times, that is because the Steelers go into the game expecting a close game and play things close to the vest. It becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. Tomlin was extremely confident his team would beat Baltimore earlier this season, but that was with Shazier and Haden on the field. Even without those two, the Steelers are the better team, although Baltimore has improved of late. None of the Ravens' seven wins have come against a team that currently has a winning record, and they are 0-4 against teams above .500. It won't be easy after a difficult week, but a game against the Ravens will help hold things together. Steelers, 24-20
Chris Carter: The Steelers will test their defense without their X-factor, Shazier, but they will continue to click on offense. Roethlisberger, who's 5-0 against the Ravens in games where he's had a 100-plus quarterback rating, will get help, as the Ravens are missing their best cornerback, Smith, who has slowed down Brown in the past. If Brown gets loose, the Ravens might be in serious trouble because their quiet offense would be left in the dust. Steelers 31-15
Matt Sunday: I'm impressed by the season Mike Wallace is putting together in 2017. He’s been fun to watch against his former team the last couple times out, and the Steelers have obviously had a problem or two defending splash plays. I’ll be spending more time down field than normal while shooting this one, as I anticipate Wallace catching a couple big tosses. But I see the Steelers doing likewise against a thinned Baltimore secondary. Steelers, 23-20
Dejan Kovacevic: A letdown is not only overdue but also, in this extraordinary circumstance, ultimately forgivable. I've honestly got no idea, a few days later, how these Steelers emerged from that intermission in Cincinnati and focused as they did. But then, there's been a ton about this team's resiliency to love over the past couple years, so maybe it really just shouldn't surprise anymore. It's an amazing group. Just amazing. Steelers, 26-13
To continue reading, log into your account:
