Ike Taylor (with safety help) can shut down Anquan Boldin. With Polamalu, who's been excellent this year ( even when he's on the sidelines), Flacco should struggle.ģ. Granted, that's a small sample size, but the argument becomes more compelling when you consider that Pittsburgh was able to frustrate Flacco last year without All-World safety shampoo enthusiast Troy Polamalu. (It would be unfair to mention how poorly Flacco fared against the Steelers the year before, his rookie season, and so I won't.) In two games against Pittsburgh last season, he was fairly efficient keeping the chains moving (7.6 yards per attempt, 60% complete), but he floundered in critical situations, as the Steelers pass rush sacked him nine times and forced three fumbles. Anquan Boldin is really a pretty low bar for an NFL quarterback to clear.įlacco's history against the Steelers has been perilous, to say the least. Exploiting a mismatch like Eric Wright vs. Granted, he found his stride in Week 3, but it was against the Browns. (Sorry, fantasy owners!) In three contests thus far, he has turned the ball over six times and recorded a pedestrian 6.1 yards per attempt.
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Flacco has not had a good start this year. The Steelers' pass rush can and will rattle Joe Flacco.
Troy polamalu jumping line flacco free#
Perhaps the greatest benefit of facing a Rice-less Ravens offense would be not having to worry about the shifty runner in the screen game (6 catches for 81 receptions in two games last year), leaving Pittsburgh's pass rush free to tee off on quarterback Joe Flacco.Ģ. Moreover, he's prone to coughing up the football, fumbling once per 81 career carries, making him all the more susceptible to an aggressive Pittsburgh defensive front. McGahee is a bruiser (at 235 pounds) who's never really been very dynamic (4.0 career yards per carry). If Rice can't go, the Ravens will turn to Willis McGahee, their multimillion-dollar backup. In two contests last year, Rice was highly effective against the Black & Gold, averaging 155 yards from scrimmage and 5.6 yards per touch. It seems that the worst-case scenario for Pittsburgh is that Rice will be a bit hobbled against the Steelers.Įither way, it's obviously splendid news for the Steelers defense. While his status for Week 4 is still up in the air, the Baltimore Sun is already speculating that Rice could sit out for one week. Baltimore's Ray Rice, one of the league's most exciting and talented young running backs, was forced out of action late this Sunday with a knee bruise. Here are five reasons the Black & Gold can pull it off and head into the bye week with their undefeated record intact.ġ. The Steelers have produced three dominant performances on defense, while the Ravens have looked lackluster in their two wins a Roethlisberger-less victory over Baltimore doesn't seem so crazy after all. A few weeks ago, games against trendy teams like the Atlanta Falcons and the Tennessee Titans seemed winnable but tough, while the Week 4 matchup against division rival Baltimore - a squad that received more offseason love than any team this side of Lambeau Field - seemed an impossible task.Īfter all, the Steelers injuries were growing by the day and their star quarterback, Ben Roethlisberger, was suspended for a month due to his second consecutive offseason with rape allegations.Ĭut to now. This week's impending matchup against the Baltimore Ravens is one numerous Steelers fans - myself included - have had circled in their calendars for quite some time.
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