5 Baltimore Ravens who played more than expected against Pittsburgh Steelers

2. The Baltimore Ravens could not rest Michael Pierce more

With 640 total snaps, Michael Pierce smashed his regular season career-high by 47 snaps. The Ravens had been managing his snaps in recent weeks. Weeks 14-16 were three of his five lowest snap counts of the season, and all of them were below his season average. 

However, Pierce played 35 snaps. 55%. It was the most he has played since week 13. The Ravens may have needed him like they needed these other positions. First, keeping Justin Madubuike rested was the main priority. Second, with the Ravens' depth, they play every lineman every week anyway. So, even on a low snap share, he was going to play. 

Lastly, while Travis Jones can take snaps at the nose tackle spot, that is not his best, and he is not quite as impactful as Michael Pierce in that role. The Ravens wanted to stop the run, which meant calling on Michael Pierce for a normal workload.