It’s Ravens week. The Pittsburgh Steelers will play their 13th game of the 2025 season facing off against division foe, the Baltimore Ravens. It’s their first meeting of this season with the division lead on the line. The Ravens come in following a loss to the Cincinnati Bengals.
Below are five key things I believe the Steelers will need to do to come away with win number seven.
Down With the King – The Steelers’ run defense was embarrassed last week. The Buffalo Bills repeatedly called the same two running plays, and Pittsburgh could not stop it. It’s probably not an enviable time to head to Baltimore to face Derrick Henry.
As a reminder, in Week 16 of the 2024 season, Henry ran for 162 yards and averaged 6.8 yards per carry. In the playoffs, Henry tallied 186 yards on the ground along with two touchdowns. He averages 7.2 yards per carry. As a team, the Ravens ran for 299 yards in that game. To say the Steelers need to stop the run in this game is an understatement.
The good news is they have done it before. Before those two games last year, in the four previous contests Henry never topped 75 rushing yards. That includes two games with Baltimore and two games with Tennessee. The common theme: the Steelers won all four of those games.
They must stop the run. After last week, I think we would settle for slowing the running game. In the Steelers last four wins, they have kept the opponent under 105 yards on the ground. If they can keep it under that number, it would go a long way to staying competitive.
Get Groovy, Man – The Steelers’ offense is a mess and is offensive to watch. Every week if you peruse any of the other games in the NFL, you get to see effectiveness. Teams that can get guys open. Teams that can sustain drives. Or teams that can score more than seven points in the first quarter.
Pittsburgh doesn’t do any of that. There is no cohesiveness. No rhythm. It’s downright awkward. They aren’t on the same page. At times, they aren’t even in the same library.
Arthur Smith needs to do what works and stick to it. If 13 personnel is doing the trick, stick to it. If 11 personnel is moving the ball, keep doing it. Not everything needs to be and “I outsmarted them” moment.
The offense has shown a few good moments, good drives. However, they have been far too inconsistent. Get Pat Freiermuth and Roman Wilson, who is getting open, more involved. Give DK Metcalf more opportunities to be the No. 1 receiver. Use Calvin Austin out of the backfield. The Ravens are tied for seventh, allowing 39 pass plays over 20 yards.
This isn’t the Baltimore defense we are used to seeing. The Steelers must capitalize.
Cancel the TE Party – Knowing Smith’s love of tight ends, it may come as a surprise that Baltimore runs 12 personnel more than the Steelers. Thirty-eight percent of the time, the Ravens have two tight ends on the field. The Steelers are around 31 percent.
Mark Andrews is the leader of the group. He is second on the team in receptions and yards, and leads the team with five touchdown receptions. He is also the guy who takes the snap on the Baltimore version of the tush push.
Isaiah Likely has been relatively quiet most of the season but awoke last week to pull in five passes for 95 yards.
In the playoff game last year, they combined for five catches and eight yards. Four of those receptions came in the middle of the field. In Week 16, they totaled seven receptions for 66 yards with each scoring a touchdown. In Week 11, it was six for 97 yards. And they are both used on all levels of throws.
Don’t forget about the third tight end Charlie Kolar. He only has eight receptions, but seven went for a first down and two were for touchdowns.
Cover the tight ends and make Lamar Jackson find his receivers.
Shift From Third to First – Looking at the statistics of both of these offenses, there are lot of similarities overall. Both are in the bottom five in total plays from scrimmage. Just two yards separate them in the passing category. And both are bad on third down.
In their last six games, the Ravens have converted 30 of 72 tries. That’s a 41.7 percent clip. And they won five of those six games. On the season, they are 53 of 141 or 37.6 percent.
We are familiar with the third-down issues the Steelers have had game in and game out. They have actually been decent in two of the last three games and are 18 for 36 in that stretch. A 50 percent success rate which seems acceptable considering the past. But for the season, they are just 54 of 136 (39.7 percent).
Defensively, Baltimore has allowed just 62 conversions on 167 attempts. A solid 37.1 percent. The Steelers have allowed the most attempts on third down this season at 172. Seventy-five were successful (43.6 percent).
Whichever bad third down offense has more success can be a deciding factor.
Let Sleeping Ravens Lie – After missing three games earlier in the season for a hamstring injury, Lamar Jackson has led Baltimore to four wins in the last five games. Not surprising from the two-time MVP. He came roaring back in his first game against Miami, throwing four touchdown passes. In the following four games, he has one touchdown total. Just one through the air and zero on the ground. This is the first time in his career he has gone through three games without a touchdown pass.
Shhh. Do not wake the beast.
Surprisingly, he has won just two of his six career regular season starts against Pittsburgh. He also added a win in the playoffs last year.
Statistically, he has been less than himself against Pittsburgh. He averages 207 through the air and 1.43 touchdowns per game. On the ground, he has averaged 55 yards per game and has not run for a score. Relatively speaking, the Steelers defend him well.
The Ravens are in the same position as Pittsburgh, fighting for their spot in the playoffs. Currently, Jackson is dealing with an ankle injury that may limit what he can do. If the Steelers can stop the run, they can’t let current Jackson play like the All-Pro Jackson.