Steelers vs. Ravens, Week 5: How the Ravens defense will try and stop the Steelers offense

The Pittsburgh Steelers are gearing up for the Baltimore Ravens in Week 5 of the 2019 regular season. After dropping their first three games to start the season, they rebounded with a win vs. the Bengals and now prepare to face a 2-2 Ravens team at Heinz Field.

Since this is a familiar matchup for the Steelers, playing an AFC North team, many fans might feel as if they know everything about this matchup. But the truth is there are a lot of different pieces of the overall puzzle between both of these teams, especially the Baltimore offense. So, I wanted to get a lowdown on what the Ravens might have in store for the Steelers by talking with Baltimore Beatdown, SB Nation’s Ravens website, editor Kyle Barber to pick his brain on the upcoming matchup.

In this second of many installments, I asked Kyle what he thinks the Ravens will do on defense when they have to try and slow down the Steelers’ offense. Check out his response:

I truly don’t know what this defense will do. They’ve allowed 500 yards in back-to-back games.

I think defensive coordinator Don ‘Wink’ Martindale is going to simplify the scheme. With Tavon Young and Jimmy Smith both out, the Ravens can’t sit back in man coverage and wheel four-to-six man blitzes. The entire Baltimore Beatdown staff is hoping to see CB Marlon Humphrey on an island and for Earl Thomas III to get back to his Seahawk days and cover anything and everything deep. The middle is the weakness as Patrick Onwuasor and Kenny Young aren’t gaining the step we all expected with C.J. Mosley’s departure.

Watch for Pernell McPhee and Matt Judon early in the game. They have a knack for starting off hot and cooling down as the game progresses.

For all the confusion surrounding the Ravens’ defense, there is a similar amount of intrigue/confusion with the Steelers’ offense. In the Week 3 loss to the 49ers the Steelers attempted to put the same offense on the field that Ben Roethlisberger ran the past few years under Randy Fichtner, but it failed to produce a victory. In Week 4 they scrapped that plan, and turned to some unique plays/schemes to beat the Bengals.

In other words, no one knows what to think when it comes to the Steelers offense, and a similar song is being sung about the Ravens defense.

Let us know your thoughts in the comment section below, and be sure to keep tabs on BTSC for the latest news and notes surrounding the Steelers as they prepare for the Ravens in Week 5.