Oct 20, 2013; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Baltimore Ravens guard Kelechi Osemele (72) blocks Pittsburgh Steelers defensive end Brett Keisel (99) during the first half at Heinz Field. Mandatory Credit: Jason Bridge-USA TODAY Sports
Key to victory #1: Win the battle in the trenches
In a classic case of unstoppable force meets immovable object, the Ravens top 3 NFL offensive line will be squaring off against the Panthers strong defensive front seven. After dominating the Bucs and the Lions in the trenches on their way to a 2-0 start, the Panthers defense faltered against the Steelers in week 3.
Even with that aberration of a game, defensive tackle Star Lotulelei is still rated as the 5th best in the NFL, Charles Johnson is a top 3 4/3 end, and Luke Kuechly is a top 3 inside linebacker. This is still an elite defense, at least along the front seven. The Panther’s strength has always been up front, which covers up their deficiencies in the secondary.
Meanwhile, the Ravens offensive line has quietly been one of the NFL’s best this season following last year’s debacle. They are opening up holes consistently in the run game, and performing equally as well in pass protection. Joe Flacco has only felt pressure on 15% of his snaps and has only been sacked twice. Meanwhile, the run game is picking up 4.6 ypc with a rotating cast of backs.
So who will win this down and dirty battle? It’s a tough call, but we tentatively expect the Ravens to have a little more trouble running the ball in the game. It’s likely why Gary Kubiak decided to throw 62 times against the Bengals, even though they were having success on the ground. But as we all know, that’s just a recipe for a loss. Whether or not the Ravens can find room to run might be the deciding factor of this game.