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Baltimore Ravens vs. Pittsburgh Steelers: Ground game is the key

By Chris Schisler

BALTIMORE, MD - SEPTEMBER 17: Running back Javorius Allen #37 of the Baltimore Ravens celebrates his touchdown against the Cleveland Browns in the second quarter at M&T Bank Stadium on September 17, 2017 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
BALTIMORE, MD - SEPTEMBER 17: Running back Javorius Allen #37 of the Baltimore Ravens celebrates his touchdown against the Cleveland Browns in the second quarter at M&T Bank Stadium on September 17, 2017 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images) /
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CHICAGO, IL – SEPTEMBER 24: Le’Veon Bell #26 and Antonio Brown #84 of the Pittsburgh Steelers celebrate after Bell scored in the third quarter against the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field on September 24, 2017 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)
CHICAGO, IL – SEPTEMBER 24: Le’Veon Bell #26 and Antonio Brown #84 of the Pittsburgh Steelers celebrate after Bell scored in the third quarter against the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field on September 24, 2017 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images) /

The Steelers want to run the ball too:

The Steelers want to run the ball almost as badly as the Ravens do. Le’Veon Bell is one of the most exciting running backs in football. When he gets things going, the Steelers offense looks like one of the top five offenses in football. When the Steelers ground game is going, Antonio Brown becomes harder to stop. If the Steelers ground game is on fire, the play-action passing of Ben Roethlisberger is just brutal to stop. The good news for the Ravens though, is that Le’Veon Bell has struggled to get things rolling this season.

He only has 180 rushing yards and one touchdown in three games. He hasn’t had a monster game this season. Bell averaged over 100 yards per game last season. This year he is averaging 60 rushing yards through three weeks. Bell hasn’t broken out a run for 20 plus yards this season. The Steelers are craving a big performance from Bell. While the Steelers offense is formidable, it hasn’t reached the juggernaut status they were hoping for. Bell must be contained; the Ravens can’t allow Bell to spark the Steelers offense to a higher level.

Next: 5 reasons the Baltimore Ravens can turn things around

The Ravens and the Steelers have the same goal. They both want a win and only one team can walk away happy. However both teams are going to diligently stick to their ground game. The Ravens need the ground game to survive, while the Steelers need their rushing attack to get them kick-started. One thing is for sure, this game is all about the battle in the trenches.

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