Bad News For The Steelers Is Good News For The Ravens
Bad news for the Pittsburgh Steelers is always good news for the Baltimore Ravens. Always.
It looks like the Steelers will start the season without running back, Le’Veon Bell. The talented running back is facing a four game suspension for missed drug tests. In the first four games the Steelers face the Washington Redskins, Cincinnati Bengals, the Philadelphia Eagles and the Kansas City Chiefs. The Ravens have to hope the Steelers drop a game or two in this stretch.
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It’s not exactly an impossible stretch for the Steelers, but they will have to play three playoff teams from last season. The Steelers will also be without wide receiver, Martavis Bryant, who was suspended for the entire season. The Steelers will have to do without two important pieces of their offense to start the season.
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It’s also not exactly like the Steelers are crippled by these suspensions. Ben Roethlisberger and Antonio Brown may be the best combination in the National Football League. The newly acquired, Ladarius Green, could also be be a potent weapon for the Steelers.
With Bell in the lineup, the Steelers have the most balanced offense in the NFL. Without Bell, the Steelers must depend more heavily on their passing attack. Being one dimensional is never good, even when that one dimension is led by Big Ben. If the Steelers suffer two losses or more in the first four weeks of the season, it would put them in a tough spot.
When you look at the Ravens schedule, a hot start to the season is not out of the question. The Ravens can handle the Buffalo Bills at home. They better beat the Cleveland Browns. Then it’s the Jacksonville Jaguars and the Oakland Raiders. If the Ravens can start the season 3-1, or even 4-0, they could build a lead in the race for the AFC North.
The Bengals do enter the equation. I am not counting them out. That being said, the AFC North often comes down to the Ravens and the Steelers. If the Steelers get off to a slow start, while the Ravens start strongly, it could give the Ravens a cushion.
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The Ravens need to build up wins in the first half of the season. If the Ravens get five or six wins the first eight games of the season, it will give them a little room for error later in the season. If the Steelers suffer two losses or more in the first four weeks, and then lose to the Ravens in week eight, the Ravens could build a significant lead in the division standings.