We don’t want to cheer about an injury to anyone. Even an injury to a Pittsburgh Steeler.
That said, the Ravens chances Saturday night in their AFC Wild Card match just got a lift. Le’Veon Bell, Pittsburgh’s standout all-purpose back, won’t be playing after taking a bad whack that hyperextended his knee last week in the Steelers’ win over the Bengals.
Bell said Thursday that he hadn’t attempt to run yet because he didn’t feel comfortable testing the knee and the team announced Friday that it has ruled out Bell. Rookie Josh Harris, who spent much of the season on the practice squad, is expected to carry most of the burden in replacing Bell. Dri Archer, who is smaller and faster, will likely serve as a third-down back in a pass catching role. Also, newly signed Ben Tate might get some carries for Pittsburgh.
Here’s four other reasons our crack staff believes the Ravens will win Saturday night:
1. We know how to beat Pittsburgh: We beat the Steelers in the second game of the season, 26-6. With a division rival like this, playing on the road shouldn’t be an issue. Even before it was announced that Bell couldn’t play, the Ravens were just 3-point underdogs. Consider this a pick ’em game now.
2. Defense: The Ravens finished the season with the 6th best defense, in terms of points allowed, and the 8th best, in terms of yards allowed per game. Pittsburgh will have its hands full upfront with Brandon Williams, Pernell McPhee, Haloti Ngata, Terrell Suggs, Elvis Dumervil, etc. With Bell out and rain and a sloppy field projected for Saturday night, this will likely be a low-scoring contest, which should favor the Ravens if they can get keep the chains moving with Justin Forsett and their quick passing game. We also think the Ravens line might surprise some folks with All-Pro guard Marshall Yanda moving to right tackle—he looked at home there against Cleveland, save for a down or two.
3. Flacco: It’s no small thing in the NFL to have an experienced quarterback capable of rising to the challenge in the postseason. Joe Cool completed 22-of-33 passes for 287 yards and three first-half touchdowns in the Ravens’ Super Bowl win in 2012. He also knows how to gamble and take a deep shot when necessary.
4. Our receivers: The Steelers’ secondary has received kudos for coming together in recent weeks, but we think the opportunity remains for the Ravens’ big receivers to take advantage of Pittsburgh’s smallish defensive backfield. Torrey Smith has good size to go along with his speed at 6 feet and 205 pounds; Marlon Brown is 6-5 and tough in traffic; Kamar Aiken, who is 6-2 and 215 has been coming on this year; Jacoby Jones is 6-2 and 215 and generally comes to play in big games; and Owen Daniels and all our tight ends are 6-3-plus. But who knows? It might be wideout Steve Smith, at 5-9, playing against guys his own size, who steps up.
We can’t wait ’til Saturday night. As long as the Ravens are in playoffs, it feels like the holiday season just continues.