3. Get to Ben Rothlisberger and finish:
The Baltimore Ravens have always known what it takes to beat the Steelers. They know that if number seven is taking snaps, they have to go get him. The Ravens know every hit on Roethlisberger isn’t equal. You have to take him to the ground, you have to get the sack The question you have going into this one, is how many sacks do the Ravens need to win this game? I’m going to say five, with one leading to a turnover as a good target. That would give Pittsburgh something they haven’t had to deal with this season in their undefeated start as Roethlisberger has only been sacked eight times.
The Ravens made a big move by trading for Yannick Ngakoue and it could make a gigantic impact on this game. The Ravens defense was good without Ngakoue, now its a completely new deal on defense. Baltimore has one of the top pass rushers in the league. On top of the creativity of Don Martindale and decent pass rush already on the roster, the Ravens now have elite talent flying off the edge.
The Ravens need Ngakoue to make the kind of impact in his first game that Marcus Peters did last year. Last year, Peters was traded to the Ravens and then had a pick six that helped the Ravens beat the Seattle Seahawks. How about a strip fumble for a defensive touchdown for Ngakoue? That should help the purple and black prevail.
The Ngakoue effect needs to be that the Ravens have more natural pass rush without blitzing. Martindale must call a great game and he must disguise his looks. With a super talented secondary, turning the pass rush up will help the Ravens settle down the Steelers. The defense that has the most dominant performance and makes the biggest plays is going to win this game. Ngakoue increases the chances that the Ravens will be that team.