The Baltimore Ravens are set to take on the Pittsburgh Steelers on Tuesday evening. Here is a look at the four players who can step up:
1. Robert Griffin III:
After all the craziness, the Ravens’ battle with the Steelers is scheduled to take place on Tuesday. The Ravens will be without their starting quarterback, as Lamar Jackson has tested positive for Covid-19. This is a golden chance for Robert Griffin III to show his worth as the backup quarterback.
The good news for Griffin is that the offense wasn’t soaring before his sudden entrance into the action. If the Ravens were going to beat the Steelers, it wouldn’t come easily or all that pretty, no matter who the quarterback was. The offense will be rather vanilla and the objective will be not to lose the game.
Griffin did beat the Steelers in the season finale last year. The situation could not be different for the purple and black. That game probably doesn’t mean all that much going into this postponed game, the Steelers are after all undefeated. In fact, Pittsburgh is on the roll that the Ravens were last year. This game is going to have to be won mostly on defense. Griffin’s job is to give the Ravens enough help on offense to get by.
The objective is to win this game. It’s a game nobody really expects Baltimore to win with so many players out of action. Greg Romans play calling should be simplified in this game. It should be a lot of handoffs and a basic offense that doesn’t ask Griffin to do too much. If Griffin lives up to his reputation as one of the best backups, and the Ravens run game gets going, the Ravens can theoretically win this fight.
A solid performance in which Griffin manages the game and doesn’t make big mistakes could be enough if the defense has a stellar performance. That’s a lot of big it’s, yet you cannot deny the chance that’s in front of the Ravens’ back of quarterback.
2. Justice Hill
The one thing we know about this game is that the Ravens won’t be able to lean on the usual suspects. They will have to call on Justice Hill at times to get the job done in the backfield. Hill has some serious speed and could take the Steelers by surprise.
Hill showed promise last season and has been mostly on the shelf this year. This could be a night where we remember what the Ravens have in Justice Hill. now it’s important to remember that Gus Edwards will be the number one back on Tuesday. There will be no J.K. Dobbins. There will be no Mark Ingram. The Ravens love to let Edwards be a hammer in their run game. Edwards will do a lot of the work. Though with a bad offensive line, Hill’s speed could make some more plays possible than Edwards rumbling up the gut.
3. Any offensive lineman who can step up:
Assuming that the Ravens will be without Matt Skura and Patrick Mekari because of their being on the Covid-19 list, Ben Powers is a viable option at guard. You’d have to think that Bradley Bozeman would move to the center position for the Tuesday night clash. They could put Trystan Colon-Castillo at the center position, though Bozeman would be a better alternative.
The Ravens are running out of interior offensive linemen. It’s hard to see a lineup that doesn’t include Powers. Really any of the offensive linemen the Ravens have at their disposal could go on this list. It’s a whatever works kind of deal. Ben Bredeson, you may get a shot as well.
4. Jaylon Ferguson
Assuming the Ravens will be without Calais Campbell, Brandon Williams, and Pernell McPhee the defensive front will need all the help it can get. Matt Judon should get a ton of snaps per usual. Yannick Ngakoue will be there for pass-rushing downs. This situation calls for a lot of Jaylon Ferguson.
This is a game where Ferguson has to make a difference, especially in run defense. Ferguson has 17 tackles and two sacks this season. Ferguson has improved in run defense this year and has six tackles for a loss.