What Can We Really Expect From The Ravens Today?
Gameday. I think.
After numerous positive tests and day after day that felt like months of waiting, I think we are finally going to see some football today.
Say what you will about this entire saga but there are clearly no winners in any of this. The Ravens had a strength and conditioning coach who acted recklessly and his actions are costing the Ravens dearly. This roster is DECIMATED going into a rivalry game that the Ravens very much would like to win to turn this season around. This tweet tells the story pretty well of just how little the Ravens have to work with today:
That's 8 out of 22 starters, with Brandon Williams being a 9th guy out due to the lingering ankle injury that's held him out for weeks. Yes, the Steelers (among many others) have been inconvenienced by all of this ongoing drama, but the fact of the matter is they're catching a MASSIVE break in facing a shell of a football team.
Which leads me to a quick mini-rant. The level of entitlement I've seen from Steelers folks in spite of that fact has been impressively idiotic, especially as they use the Broncos as an apples to oranges example of why they somehow deserve better. The lack of critical thinking is incredible. The situations are not at all the same. Yes the Ravens fucked up but would you prefer they ignore rampant transmission of a deadly disease where nobody knows who will be positive next and endanger everyone on the football field, including the Steelers? Or would you prefer we move the game to a Week 18 where the Ravens would be close to full strength? Is that the alternative that interests you? And don't talk to me about a forfeit. There was no chance in hell the NFL was enforcing the first forfeit IN LEAGUE HISTORY and losing a major ratings game for NBC in the process. Use your brain and consider yourself lucky to face half a football team.
Anyways, back to my point that the Ravens are decimated. Obviously Lamar is the biggest loss of the bunch. Most would think that JK Dobbins and Mark Ingram (who are confirmed not playing) are next, but it's actually the losses on the offensive line that makes this such a tall task for the Ravens. They've struggled with offensive line continuity all season and are already dealing with the loss of Ronnie Stanley for the season. I would expect that with Skura and Mekari out that Bozeman is going to have to slide in to Center and somebody else will have to be plugged in at left guard. That would leave only 2 of the opening day starters on the line and exactly 0 of them in their original position. That's a recipe for disaster. We know that Gus Edwards is more than capable of carrying a heavy load and Justice Hill has had success in spurts (including against the Steelers last year), but you have to wonder whether there will be any gaps for them to run through. And that's before we even talk about pass pro for a QB well known to have happy feet in the pocket.
Which leads me to the defensive side of the ball. This side is less decimated than the O, and they're somewhat the saving grace that could give the Ravens a chance today. The D-Line is where there are losses, but I don't trust Mike Tomlin to be smart enough to take advantage of that fact. The Steelers have looked better and better throwing the football as the season has progressed, but we all know that Big Ben can be prone to making deadly mistakes. Marlon Humphrey and Marcus Peters and the rest of the secondary are going to need a herculean effort today, including a game-changing turnover or two. Maybe Yannick Ngakoue finally makes a big splash play. Idk. Wouldn't suck to get a special teams TD either. But they can't sit on their heels and hope that it falls in their lap, they've gotta force the issue.
And now finally. The last piece of the puzzle.
R.
G.
3.
The guy beat the Steelers easily in Week 17 with numerous starters out resting by a score of 28-10. Sure, it wasn't Big Ben under center on the other side but who cares? Is Ben really worth 18 points alone? All I'm saying is that it's easier to imagine because we've lived in this reality before.
Bottom line is if the Steelers do what they're supposed to do, they should win easily and they should be grateful for having the opportunity to roll over a piecemeal football team. Ya never know though, and that's why the play the games. I will be relentless if we somehow steal this one. Let's go Bob.