The Pittsburgh Steelers will put their undefeated record on the line against the Baltimore Ravens in week 8. This rivalry almost always delivers an incredible football game. With the way these two teams have played in 2020, don’t expect this one to be much different. Each team has been among the five best teams in the NFL on the defensive side of the ball. Speaking of the Steelers defense, they’ll have their hands full. Lamar Jackson and the Ravens offense haven’t been as potent as last year, but they still have their explosive potential. Defensive captain Cameron Heyward will play a big role for the Steelers in slowing down the speed of the Ravens offense.
Cameron Heyward: Week 8 X-Factor
Against the Run
The Ravens have a very good offensive line, but they are much better on the outside than up the middle. Their interior offensive line is where they are most vulnerable. Rookie guard Tyre Phillips hasn’t been great so far this year, and that’s a matchup Cameron Heyward should have no problem winning. Overall, the Steelers front three- Heyward, Stephon Tuitt, and Tyson Alualu, have been lockdown against the run this year. Phillips and center Matt Skura will have their hands full with these three. Heyward always plays really well against the Ravens and will need to do so again in this game to slow down their rushing attack.
Stopping the run in this game is so important because the Ravens offense runs through their ground attack. If they are running the ball successfully, it will allow them to get creative with play action passing. That’s the last thing Pittsburgh wants to see against a passing game that runs through Lamar Jackson and Mark Andrews. We know Pittsburgh is capable of shutting down a good rushing attack; they just did it against Derrick Henry. But the Ravens have a different style of running. They have the speed to beat teams around the edge whereas Henry does his best work in the power running game. Still, if Cameron Heyward and company can blow up the offensive line up the middle, the edge defenders and linebackers will have it so much easier against the Ravens speed.
Stopping Jackson in the Passing Game
Last year in week 17, the Steelers faced a Ravens team led by Robert Griffin III instead of Jackson. The defense played by Pittsburgh that game is still applicable to this game, though. They made it a point in that game to contain the edge and hit the quarterback as often as possible. T.J. Watt and Bud Dupree are two of the better athletes for edge defenders that you’ll find in the league. Those two are pretty reliable to hold the edge and not let Jackson break contain and run forever. He’ll still probably make a few plays with his legs, but he shouldn’t kill them with scrambles the way he does to other teams.
Pressure up the middle is definitely the way to throw Jackson off his game. And that, once again, is where Cameron Heyward comes into play. If Watt and Dupree get pressure off the edge, Jackson will look to scramble up the middle. His longest runs this year have come under those exact circumstances. But if Heyward is able to get pressure up the middle, Jackson will have nowhere to go. With Devin Bush out of the lineup, the Steelers don’t have the speed at linebacker to run with Jackson. So if he gets past the defensive line, he’ll create problems. Heyward and Tuitt can’t let that happen. Their number one priority has to be keeping Jackson in the pocket. Get pressure on him when he drops back, but still clog the scrambling lanes to make it hard on him to break loose. That’s the key to beating the Ravens, and the Steelers have the tools to do it. Heyward is a huge part of that equation.
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