Predicting the winner of Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Baltimore Ravens, Week 5

It has been a while, but the hatred between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Ravens seems to have been renewed, at least on paper. After Pernell McPhee spoke up about how the Ravens hate the Steelers, it brought back visions of Hines Ward, Ed Reed, Troy Polamalu and Ray Lewis.

Will this game live up to the same standards set forth by those who previously donned the colors of their respective teams? Only time will tell, but there is an excitement surrounding this 1-3 Steelers and 2-2 Ravens locking horns in Week 5 at Heinz Field.

This week I was fortunate enough to ask Baltimore Beatdown’s writer Kyle Barber some questions, and of course I asked him what his prediction for the game was, and you can check out his response below:

30-24 Ravens. Justin Tucker shines through with two critical field goals, while Mason Rudolph racks up around 300 yards passing. The Ravens defense is bailed out by two takeaways in the red zone, which kill the Steelers’ momentum. JuJu Smith-Schuster struggles against Humphrey, IF they give Humphrey the ability to defend the Steelers’ top receiving option. Steelers receiving game is led by short routes, just like the Browns did last week. Conner and McDonald both go for 80 receiving yards due to the mistakes in the linebacker unit.

If Barber has one thing correct it is how it will likely be a close game. Sure, this rivalry has had their blowouts in the past, but the vast majority of these contests come down to the bitter end.

There are so many aspects of this game which are complete unknowns it is tough to precit. Lamar Jackson’s first start vs. the Steelers, and Mason Rudolph’s first start vs. the Ravens. A Baltimore defense who has given up over 500 yards the past two weeks, and a Steelers offense which has been anything but consistent since Ben Roethlisberger was injured.

For some reason, and maybe this is just my hope in the defense starting to turn the corner, I see the Steelers showing up in a big way Sunday. It will be close, and it will be a Chris Boswell field goal that separates the Steelers and Ravens as Pittsburgh wins 30-28, and will likely be in first place of the AFC North by Tuesday morning.

What is your prediction for the game? Let us know in the comment section below, and be sure to stay tuned to BTSC for the latest news and notes surrounding the black-and-gold leading up to kickoff.