Welcome back to another edition of 5 Questions, a weekly collaboration with other SB Nation sites to preview the Ravens’ upcoming matchups. This week, the Ravens are playing the Pittsburgh Steelers, so Ryland Bickley of Behind the Steel Curtain is on hand to answer Baltimore Beatdown’s questions about Week 14.
And, check out Baltimore Beatdown’s responses to BTSC’s questions about the Ravens!
1. How has the Aaron Rodgers experience been so far? He seems to be an upgrade from Russell Wilson and Justin
Fields, but is he enough of an upgrade?
Recently it’s been a bit of a mess. Earlier in the season, Rodgers was succeeding as a distributor on offense. His time to throw was short and he wasn’t pushing the ball downfield much, but the Steelers offense was scoring points and capitalizing on yards after the catch.
However, as the season has gone on and Rodgers has been banged up, his level of play has dipped. Rodgers looks increasingly uncomfortable in the pocket and his accuracy has taken a nosedive on anything 10 yards beyond the line of scrimmage. Overall, he’s been better than Wilson and Fields, but he’s clearly regressed and has become a weak point on the offense in recent weeks.
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2. Fans in Pittsburgh seem to be losing faith in Mike Tomlin. What can he do to win them back, and do you think the Steelers would consider trading Tomlin?
In the short term, Tomlin could regain some fans’ support by winning a playoff game or two this season. Most of the frustration stems from the fact that Pittsburgh hasn’t won in the postseason — or even looked competitive in those games, really — since the 2016-17 season.
But in the long term, Tomlin needs to modernize the team’s approach, especially when it comes to hiring coordinators and assistants.
That said, I don’t see the team firing or trading Tomlin anytime soon. Most of the “reports” on that have been unsubstantiated rumors that run opposite to how the Steelers organization operates. Pittsburgh has had just three head coaches since 1969 and tends to be extremely loyal to its staff.
Given the current state of the Steelers, there’s a chance Tomlin’s seat is growing warmer. But if the two sides part ways, it will probably be when Tomlin’s current contract runs out in 2027.
3. What have been the biggest issues behind the Steelers’ defensive inconsistencies this season? How do they match up with the Ravens’ offense compared to last year?
I’ve largely described those issues as a mix between the Steelers defensive stars losing a step and the general scheme failing to do much to help the players out.
Names such as T.J. Watt, Cam Heyward, and Jalen Ramsey are still excellent players, but they’re not as consistently dynamic as they were in their primes. The team’s failed Darius Slay experiment might be the most extreme example of how the veteran-heavy strategy can go wrong, with Pittsburgh signing the 34-year-old to start and later benching and waiving him after midseason.
Across the front seven, execution in run defense has been inconsistent, especially among the younger defensive tackles and the inside linebacker room. And in coverage, the team has struggled to adjust to opposing offenses, although that’s improved in the second half of the season.
While the Steeler defense is statistically worse than it was last season, the Ravens offense has also taken some steps back from its electric 2024. With Derrick Henry starting to show his age, Lamar Jackson slowed down due to injury, and a lack of high-end receiving talent for another season, I don’t see Baltimore putting over 450 yards of total offense on Pittsburgh like the wild card round last season.
With Jackson under 100%, I think the Steelers still have the defensive firepower to keep the game competitive. I’m more worried about the Pittsburgh offense.
4. The Steelers run defense really struggled against Buffalo last week without Derrick Harmon available. But the Ravens have also struggled to get push up front with their offensive line and haven’t run the ball consistently this season. How do you think that matchup will go?
With Harmon out again against Baltimore, I don’t have a lot of faith in Pittsburgh’s personnel in run defense right now and would give the slight edge to the Ravens. It was that bad against Buffalo last week. To be fair, the Bills have the league’s top rushing offense, but they were creating holes you or I could’ve gained a yard through against the Steelers in Week 13.
But it is worth noting that before its collapse at the end of last season, the Steelers had historically enjoyed some success scheming up ways to stop the modern Baltimore offense. It’ll be interesting to see how Sunday’s battle plays out.
5. Will Adam Thielen play on Sunday? Will he make an impact, and if not, what Steelers skill player (outside of D.K. Metcalf) will step up?
To the point of it becoming a bit of a meme around the Steelers fanbase, the team can be slow to add midseason additions to the gameplan, with Tomlin often citing the difficulties of hopping on a “moving train.”
Still, with Pittsburgh claiming Thielen on waivers this week rather than waiting to try and add him to their practice squad, it signals some intent to play him soon, especially considering his experience.
Obviously, Thielen is nowhere near the player he was in his prime, but Rodgers had frustrations with his young receiving core last week, meaning the addition of a veteran presence might be a welcome one. Still, I don’t see a 35-year-old wide receiver being the missing piece towards revitalizing the Steelers’ stale offense.
Besides Thielen and Metcalf, keep an eye on Roman Wilson in the receiving room. Pittsburgh’s third-round pick in 2024, he’s shown some success getting separation in recent weeks and seems due for a bigger role in the offense if Rodgers can get the ball to him.
