Friday Football Footnotes: An all Steelers-Ravens rivalry edition

Neither the Pittsburgh Steelers (2-2) nor the Baltimore Ravens (3-1) are playing like they were in 2010 when they were both 12-4. But the rivalry between the clubs is still strong. And with the entire AFC North already beating itself up and a bye looming in Pittsburgh, refusing to let the Ravens strengthen their hold on first place makes this game as crucial as ever.

Here’s an all Steelers-versus-Ravens edition of “Friday Football Footnotes” to get you ready for the latest chapter on Sunday at Acrisure Stadium.

• We all know the Steelers aren’t great on third downs. Matt Canada’s offense is at a 36.21% conversion rate, 23rd in the NFL.

Wanna know the best way for the Steelers to get better on third downs?

Don’t get to third down as often. Do better on first and second down.

The Steelers are lousy in that regard. They average 14.5 third-down attempts per game, seventh in the league. Yet they are 28th in plays per game (57.5) and are 29th in time of possession (26:09).

So they run fewer plays — and are on the field less — than almost every other team in the NFL. Yet, only six teams have more third-down plays snapped.

In other words, they must stink on first and second down, too. Thanks to “Sharp Football’s” numbers, that theory is easily corroborated.

Via Warren Sharp, “61.1% of the Steelers’ set of downs have reached third down, the highest rate in the league. The league average is 47.5%.”

Furthermore, “55.4% of the Pittsburgh set of downs create a new set of downs, the lowest rate in the league. The league average is 70.3%.”

Translation? On occasion, once in a while, move the chains on first or second down so you aren’t constantly in third-down, coin-flip situations.

“I think that’s a viable deal,” Canada admitted. “How do you convert more on second down and stay out of third downs to have less of those? Obviously, we want to be balanced. We want to run the ball. Be effective there. Complementary football and all those things. We’ve got to be better at every down. We have to score more points.”

Yeah, the Steelers aren’t great there either — 15.5 points per game (tied for 25th in the NFL).

• Remember that wild stat about the Duke-UNC basketball rivalry that surfaced in February?

At that point, over the previous 100 games, the series was tied 50-50. The total points scored were nearly identical, with Duke leading 7,861-7,844 (+17).

Steelers-Ravens isn’t far behind. ESPN.com’s Jamison Hensley sent out this tweet before the first matchup of the 2021 season.

How close is the Ravens-Steelers rivalry?

Since John Harbaugh became Ravens coach in 2008, Baltimore and Pittsburgh have split the 26 regular-season meetings down the middle.

Head-to-head since 2008, Ravens have scored 546 points, and Steelers have scored 515 points.

— Jamison Hensley (@jamisonhensley) December 5, 2021

If we update that now, since John Harbaugh became Ravens coach in 2008, the Steelers lead the regular season series 16-14.

Head-to-head since 2008, the Ravens have scored 607 points. The Steelers have scored 581 points. That’s a difference of only 26 points over 30 games.

• While the Steelers are dealing with lots of injuries (including the addition of Alex Highsmith to the injury report Thursday), the frequently banged up Ravens are actually getting healthier.

The only two Ravens who didn’t practice Thursday were OLB Odafe Oweh (ankle) and safety Daryl Worley (shoulder).

Meanwhile, WR Rashod Bateman (hamstring), OT Ronnie Stanley (knee), safety Marcus Williams (pectoral) and CB Jalyn Armour-Davis (hamstring) were full participants.

Wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. (hamstring), RB Justice Hill (foot/hamstring), CB Marlon Humphrey (foot), and T Morgan Moses (shoulder) were all limited.

Who knows, but would guess that Humphrey sees some action this week against the #Steelers

— Brian Wacker (@brianwacker1) October 5, 2023

For Stanley’s part, he told the Baltimore Sun that there is a “strong possibility” he will return for the Steelers game.

• Want a good bet this week? According to “Draft Kings,” Zay Flowers’ over-under yardage total is only 46.5 receiving yards. The rookie out of Boston College is averaging 61 yards per game so far, and he is off to a very solid start in his NFL career.

“Dynamic player. Not surprised that he’s having the type of success that he’s having,” Tomlin said of Flowers. “He’s got really good speed, short area burst, change of direction and body control.”

That looks easy. What’s the hitch here?

Related:

• First Call: Ravens LB has a grudge against Mike Tomlin; Cooper Kupp should be ready to face Steelers in L.A.
• Tim Benz: Mike Tomlin was asked the necessary questions. You decide if he gave appropriate answers
• U mad, bro?: After a 30-6 loss in Houston, angry Steelers fans swarm on Mike Tomlin, Kenny Pickett, Matt Canada

Well, as mentioned above, OBJ and Bateman may be returning for Baltimore. As a result, the targets for Flowers may dip.

But don’t sweat it, Ravens fans. Your team is going up against the Steelers secondary — where Pro Bowls for receivers are made.

Brandon Aiyuk, Amari Cooper, Davante Adams and Nico Collins all had at least 90 yards receiving. They averaged 139.75 per game against the Steelers.

Flowers may be next.

• Canada had a clear endorsement of Najee Harris Thursday.

“I thought he played with great energy and great passion,” Canada said of Harris’ 71-yard performance in Houston. “He did everything we could ask him to do to try to win the game — taking holes when they were there, making something happen if it wasn’t as perfect as we wanted it to be. I thought he played really hard, and we’ll continue to lean on him for that.”

What they should learn then is to give Harris the ball more often. He only had 14 attempts Sunday. And refusing to give him the ball on fourth-and-1 late in the third quarter doesn’t fit with the quote that Canada just gave.

This week against Baltimore, the sledding will be tough. The Steelers only average 78.8 yards per game (29th in the NFL). The Ravens only give up 92.5 yards per game on the ground, seventh best in the NFL.

So, if the Steelers want to get anything going at all on offense via the run game, they must be patient.

And patience with this Steelers offense in Pittsburgh is running extremely thin.

LISTEN: Tim Benz speaks with Jeremy Conn of 105.7 the Fan in Baltimore to preview Sunday’s Ravens-Steelers game.