Steelers vs. Ravens Week 13 film study: Smart 2nd-half possessions keyed Steelers victory
NFL football analyst Matt Williamson will break down each of the Steelers games this season in the Trib’s Steelers Film Study. Here’s what he saw in the Steelers’ Week 13 win over the Ravens.
The first-place Ravens came to Pittsburgh Sunday afternoon for a crucial divisional meeting with great implications throughout the AFC in a game that could squash or reinvigorate Pittsburgh’s 2021 season. With the 30th matchup between coaches John Harbaugh and Mike Tomlin now in the books, the series now favors Tomlin 16-14. Half of those games have been decided by three points or less.
Statistical analysis
Here are the most important numbers to know from this game. Let’s start with what we had seen when both teams went into the locker room at halftime.
• After 30 minutes of play, the Steelers had 6:30 time of possession against 23:30 for the Ravens. That was the Steelers’ lowest first-half total under Tomlin. When the Steelers finally got the ball for their third drive of the game, the time of possession differential was 18:35 for Baltimore compared to just 2:48 for the Steelers. Pittsburgh snapped the ball just six times at that point of the game while the Ravens, who led the NFL in time of possession coming into this game, had run 30 plays.
• Steelers running back Najee Harris had five carries for 13 yards, and his three receptions for 25 yards led the team at the half. And the Steelers mustered just those 13 rushing yards as a team in the first half of play.
• The Ravens’ offensive numbers at that point were not overwhelming, but quarterback Lamar Jackson had been sacked four times while Baltimore hadn’t yet sacked Ben Roethlisberger. Clearly the Ravens dominated the first half, but only took a 7-3 lead into the locker room.
• When it was all said and done, Pittsburgh had 23:30 of possession time and rushed for 85 yards, 71 by Harris.
• After 60 minutes of play, the Ravens ran just a dozen more plays than Pittsburgh.
• The Steelers averaged 5.6 yards per play against 4.3 by Baltimore.
• The Ravens were penalized 10 times for 55 yards, but Pittsburgh’s five penalty calls yielded 81 yards for Baltimore. • Jackson’s one interception was the only turnover of this game.
• The Ravens converted eight of 16 third down attempts, and the majority of those were from long down and distance situations.
• The two individual stat lines that stand out for the Steelers are wide receiver Diontae Johnson’s eight receptions for 105 yards and two touchdowns, and outside linebacker T.J. Watt’s three and a half sacks.
• The Steelers sacked Jackson seven times. Roethlisberger was sacked just once.
Steelers ‘D’ steps up
Even though Jackson and Devonta Freeman gave Pittsburgh problems carrying the ball, the Steelers’ early down defense was strong enough. Even though Baltimore converted a lot of difficult third down situations, Pittsburgh still deserves credit for forcing the Ravens into such situations in the first place.
And of course, the Steelers pass-rush was a dominant facet of this football game. The Ravens have shown a lot of vulnerability against the blitz over the past few weeks. Their blitz recognition has been poor, and Jackson simply isn’t a great anticipatory passer that gets it out quickly to beat the blitz.
Jackson’s legs obviously make it difficult to corral him and get him on the ground, but the Steelers had success with athletic blitzers adding into that mix. There were a lot of slot cornerback pressures, which hasn’t been a big part of the Steelers defense since Mike Hilton left in free agency.
Wormley shines vs. former team
This was probably defensive lineman Chris Wormley’s best game in the NFL. The Steelers defensive line — outside of Cameron Heyward — has been greatly criticized of late. And rightfully so. But Wormley has held up pretty well, even during that ugly stretch, and he was fantastic in this game with two and a half sacks against his former team.
He also was instrumental in keeping Jackson in the pocket, something the Steelers executed well Sunday. Also, give some credit to new addition Montravius Adams. Adams plays a little top-heavy and out of control at times, but his activity gave the middle of Pittsburgh’s defensive line a much-needed shot in the arm in his 34 snaps played.
Isaiahh Loudermilk only played a dozen snaps, but once again showed up in a positive way in his limited time on the field.
Time in backfield
Not only did Pittsburgh sack Jackson seven times, but Watt, Heyward, Wormley and outside linebacker Alex Highsmith also combined for nine tackles for loss, including three by Watt. Watt was the best player on the field. He was great from the start and obviously little effect from his recent stint on the covid list, but once tackle Patrick Mekari left the game and was replaced by Tyre Phillips, Baltimore had zero answers for Watt.
Pittsburgh also used Watt in coverage a fair amount and off the line of scrimmage in general, giving him a lot of freedom to read and react to Jackson. He played the run extremely well against a challenging Ravens rushing attack. Watt’s pressure on Jackson also was instrumental in safety Minkah Fitzpatrick’s crucial interception early in the game and the inability to get tight end Mark Andrews the football on the last second two-point conversion that might have ended the Steelers season if executed properly.
Oh, Watt now has 16 sacks — a franchise record — with five games to play. That leads the NFL. He’s also missed two games. There isn’t anyone better on the defensive side of the ball in the NFL right now.
Inside linebackers quiet again
The Steelers still need more from inside linebackers Devin Bush and Joe Schobert. While neither was as much of a liability in this game as they have been lately, they also didn’t make splash plays and both, but especially Schobert, were picked on in coverage.
Jackson also went after cornerback Ahkello Witherspoon, who rightfully got the start over James Pierre in Joe Haden’s absence. Witherspoon played well and probably should have picked off Jackson in one instance. He could be an important player going forward.
Offense still has bugs
Pittsburgh’s offense isn’t without its issues though of course. The Steelers deep shots downfield remain remarkably predictable, and they connected on just one of six attempts 20 yards downfield or longer and just two of eight over 10 yards. Basically, their go-to deep throw is down the right sideline.
The Steelers’ passing game without question left too many opportunities for chunk plays on the field. And that wasn’t Roethlisberger’s fault.
Throwing short of the sticks on third down does remain a constant for this team though. The usage of play-action increased against Baltimore but still is not being utilized enough. Claypool’s long reception was off play-action and Roethlisberger did some of his best work after a play fake. This is something that absolutely must be expanded going forward.
Incidentally, the Steelers’ upcoming opponent on Thursday, Minnesota, struggled mightily defending the middle of the field and handling play-action with two backup linebackers starting against the Lions. Pittsburgh should be able to build off its fourth-quarter performance in which they put up 17 points.
Big plays for big guns
The stars of the offense were Roethlisberger, Harris and Johnson. That isn’t to indicate that Roethlisberger was the Roethlisberger of old. He never will be, and his feet and mobility are major problems. But Roethlisberger played a very heady game before and after the snap and managed the offense well, often picking on Baltimore’s Anthony Averett.
He operated the offense with tempo and utilized the no-huddle. He also threw the ball well for this 39-year-old version of the Steelers quarterback. Roethlisberger routinely hit his receivers in stride, allowing them to make big yardage after the catch. His ball security really stood out and was instrumental in his team’s victory.
Roethlisberger’s average completion was just 3.3 past the line of scrimmage and the ball came out in 2.24 seconds on average, which was the fastest of any quarterback in the league on Sunday. But because he was accurate with the ball and on time, it allowed Pittsburgh’s receivers to make things happen after the catch and also was effective against the Ravens’ blitzes.
Johnson was guilty of leaving a huge play on the field, but more than made up for it. He is nearly uncoverable and is one of the NFL’s best route runners. This now shows up with Johnson every week, and that reliability and consistency has really taken his game to the next level in 2021. Johnson should have had three touchdowns in this game. He is a force every week.
Wide receivers division of labor
The Steelers’ wide receiver usage was noteworthy in this game. As expected, Johnson ran a route on 31 plays. Ray Ray McCloud ran 21, Claypool 20, and James Washington just 14. McCloud out snapped Claypool, who is nursing a toe injury, 39 to 37. Both players were targeted three times. To be frank, Washington has been disappointing.
The first five offensive plays of the game put the ball in Harris’ hands. The rookie’s teammates helped him more on Sunday than in most weeks this year, but Harris still got a lot of yardage that most runners wouldn’t have.
Putting it on the line
The much-maligned Steelers offensive line deserves a lot of credit for this win. In fact, they took the game over in the fourth quarter. Tackle Dan Moore left the game briefly, and guard B.J. Finney was out of the game for good early on, but Pittsburgh protected Roethlisberger well, often against a blitz.
There isn’t one offensive lineman who should be criticized for his pass blocking in this game. The communication in this capacity was excellent, and Roethlisberger deserves a lot of credit in that regard. No one could have predicted that guard John Leglue would hold up as well as he did when thrown into the fire either. Leglue played 56 of a possible 59 offensive snaps. Side note: The Steelers have now used five different left guards in 2021.
Harris also was a standout in pass protection, which is rare for a rookie running back. In the run game, the Steelers front came off the ball aggressively and with good pad level, and it didn’t take long for that to pay off on the ground. Of course, Harris did more than his share in this capacity as well, and his style played perfectly in a game like this. Harris fits in the AFC North just fine.
Special teams hit and miss
There are two kicking plays that should be brought up. While Pressley Harvin was inconsistent once again, his punt that put Baltimore on the 1-yard line was a thing of beauty, even though Jackson then drove Baltimore’s offense the entire length of the field.
Then, near the very end of the game, Pittsburgh wisely kicked off in bounds so the clock would run. But Boswell got too greedy trying to pin the Ravens deep and kicked the ball out of bounds. Not only did it give Baltimore outstanding starting field position with 1:48 left in the game, but the clock never started. That was a massive mistake.
Overall thoughts
This was a great team win for Pittsburgh that might have saved its season. The stars came to play in a big way. Everyone in black and gold deserves credit, but Roethlisberger, Harris, Johnson, Heyward and Watt were the driving force. But nearly as importantly, the Steelers’ role players really did their jobs and were not liabilities, which isn’t something that could be said for much of this season.
This game exposed a lot of existing issues with Baltimore, which in a way was a lot like last year’s Steelers in that their record was greater than the product they put on the field week after week. Maybe the biggest issue that Baltimore needs to be concerned about is the offensive line. Jackson’s passing was problematic and his anticipatory passing overall is a real worry, but of course he usually makes up for it with extreme playmaker traits.
Jackson put the ball in harm’s way again too often like he did the week before. The Ravens passing game also had issues pushing the ball downfield, but much of that was because of Pittsburgh’s outstanding pass-rush.
Most will blame Jackson for Baltimore’s woes in the passing game, but he simply isn’t getting enough help. That starts with his protection, but the Ravens scheme is very problematic as well.
The Ravens routes are almost all at the deep and intermediate portions of the field. They don’t give Jackson check down options. Instead, they make Jackson’s legs the check down option. The Steelers recognized this and have very deep drops while bottling Jackson up as a runner on pass plays. That doesn’t leave the star quarterback with the necessary outlet. Baltimore’s scheme and coaching is to blame for that.
Also, in this game, there were too many instances of the Ravens having multiple receivers in the same areas of the field, which just makes covering them far too easy and is something you never see in the NFL.
Baltimore’s defense also isn’t highly equipped to play man coverage and blitz heavily with the state of their current secondary, especially with their best cover man, Marlon Humphrey, now expected to be lost for the season.
Also, while Baltimore is incredibly good against the run coming into this game, they also were the defense that saw the lowest percentage of run plays. If the opponent sticks with the ground game, they can have success against the Ravens. The past four games have greatly exposed the Ravens. Baltimore could be in some trouble.
Up next
The Steelers travel to Minnesota on short week to take on a battered Vikings team that just lost at the buzzer to the winless Lions in Week 13. It is a little early to speculate, but Minnesota could be without Dalvin Cook, Adam Thielen, Christian Darrisaw, and their excellent pair of linebackers, Eric Kendricks and Anthony Barr. Thielen was injured against the Lions and the other four were inactive for that game. The Vikings are now 5-7 and might just be the NFL’s most average team when healthy, which they certainly are not.
In the AFC North, Cincinnati fell to the Chargers and the Browns rested their ailing bones on a much-needed bye week. The Ravens travel to Cleveland in Week 14 and Cincinnati hosts the 49ers. San Francisco struggled against a desperate Seattle team this week, but otherwise has been playing great of late.
As for the conference, it might be time now to write off the Raiders and Broncos, so the massive number of playoff contenders in the AFC is finally dwindling. Although Miami is coming on strong with a five-game winning streak, it will probably take more than nine wins to get into the postseason which means Miami can only afford one more loss to even be in the mix. Miami probably would have to finish the season on a nine-game winning streak to truly make the playoffs.
In conclusion, this was a tremendous, inspirational win for the Steelers. They have warts and deficiencies, but Pittsburgh is also very much alive, and the remaining schedule doesn’t look nearly as formidable as once thought. This might sound insane, but another AFC North crown isn’t out of the question.
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