Ravens vs. Steelers predictions: Ebony Bird round table
Who will win the big rivalry game between the Baltimore Ravens and the Pittsburgh Steelers? Here are predictions from the Ebony Bird crew:
Site expert, Chris Schisler: Ravens wake up and win
The Baltimore Ravens need this game against the Pittsburgh Steelers and I think they will get it. The Ravens schedule allowed for over confidence after the first two weeks. The Ravens have gotten their wake up call and should provide a better effort in the fifth game of the season. The Ravens defense has been bad. There’s no way to get around that. The question is how bad are they really going to be this season? You have to think that if they’re going to right the ship defensively it’s going to come against Mason Rudolph and the Steelers.
It’s hard to be confident after two straight losses, one that was a real gut punch. It’s also hard to believe that the Ravens wouldn’t respond to that kind of situation. John Harbaugh has a reputation for keeping things from spiraling out of control during a season. It’s why he has had only one losing season in his tenure in Baltimore.
The psychology of this match up favors the Ravens. The Steelers think they got right after playing a helpless Bengals team. In reality their problems haven’t gone away and there is a reason they were 0-3. The Ravens have a chance to climb out of a bad spot with two straight games against AFC North foes. They know that if they win the next two games, they will be 4-2 an in a decent situation before their next brutal slab of the schedule. They just got clobbered so the purple and black won’t take anything for granted. Look for the best effort of the entire season. I think this team has more pride than they showed against the Browns.
In the end I like the match up for the Ravens offense. I think Mark Ingram tires the Steelers down defensively and it will open up chances for Lamar Jackson‘s arm to win the day. I think Marquise Brown and Mark Andrews have a big day. The stats may say that the offense is rolling but everything still hasn’t come together. This is the game where I think the Ravens really start to gel offensively and become a very dangerous team.
Bold predictions:
- Marquise Brown has 130 receiving yards
- Mark Ingram has over 100 yards
- The defense creates three turnovers and looks hungrier than ever.