If anyone thinks the Pittsburgh Steelers can breath easier this week because of the Baltimore Ravens resting multiple starters, you need to stop thinking like that right now. The Pittsburgh Steelers need this win to have a decent shot at the playoffs and despite the fact the Ravens are locked in as the No. 1 seed in the AFC, they would still love to end the Steelers season.
The Steelers are beat up all over the field and these four guys need to step up and play their best this week when the team needs them the most. And there’s no coincidence these guys all play offense.
QB Devlin Hodges
This one might be obvious but the reality is with Mason Rudolph on IR there is zero hope if Hodges doesn’t play better. He must take fewer shots downfield and make better use of the skill talent on the roster. We still want to see Hodges do more tot take what the defense gives him even if it means using his feet to get extra years and move the chains.
Here is everything you need to know so you can watch, listen to or stream this week’s Pittsburgh Steelers game. The Pittsburgh Steelers travel to Baltimore to take on the Ravens and hope they can get enough help to make the playoffs. But no matter what happens anywhere else, they need this win.
You can also follow the game with us @TheSteelersWire and of course here on Steelers Wire with our live updates during the game, along with highlights of all the key moments from this week’s game. Join us straight after the final whistle for more in-depth coverage, injury updates, and analysis of all the action.
Steeler Nation doesn’t just reside in the surrounding areas of Western Pennsylvania, Ohio, and West Virginia. It is a world-wide army that lives and dies with the team that calls Pittsburgh it’s home. This is the preview that all fans of the black and gold come to find everything they need to know about the Steelers and their upcoming opponent! Mike Drakulich (@PghSportsNation) of Steelers Wire brings you inside the huddle for both teams, providing a weekly game story, the Steelers keys to victory, score prediction, fantasy football advice, game day information, a detailed breakdown of each team, including individual stats, team stats, and team injury reports. Heck, you’ll even know the weather at kickoff. The only thing you’re missing is a game uniform.
Steelers head into season finale needing a win and some help to make playoffs
If the Pittsburgh Steelers (8-7) are to make the playoffs, they’ll need to beat their rivals in Baltimore (13-2) and then hope Houston finds a way to take care of Tennessee. The Texans may or may not have anything to play for depending on the outcome of the Chiefs-Chargers game at 1:00 p.m. this Sunday afternoon.
First, to beat a team that has already wrapped up the AFC #1 seed, and will be resting several key starters, including probable MVP Lamar Jackson, the Steelers will need their offense, namely their quarterback, to score more than just one offensive touchdown, something Pittsburgh has done in seven out the last eight games.
Devlin “Duck” Hodges was the toast of the town when he started off 3-0 for the Steelers. The quarterback of Samford, not to be confused with Stanford, was an undrafted free agent, cut by the team at the end of training camp, only to be resigned after the team traded Josh Dobbs away.
No one ever dreamed that Hodges would see one play this year, let alone almost leading the team to a playoff spot after Ben Roethlisberger was injured in week two, and Mason Rudolph suffered not one, but two different injuries that lead to Hodges manning the Pittsburgh offense.
He has done about as good as anyone could’ve written for a rags to riches Hollywood-esque style story as the Steelers quarterback. He doesn’t have the greatest arm, but what he lacked in pure talent, was offset by a cool presence in the pocket and a brash confidence that would make any Southerner proud.
Since the Buffalo Bills game, Hodges has hit a wall, throwing just one touchdown and six interceptions. He has also been sacked seven times in the last two games.
Now, with Rudolph out again, this time for good, Hodges will have one more chance to make amends and put this team in position to make the playoffs as the AFC #6 seed.
His teammates and coaches still believe he can right the ship and create the storybook ending. They want the Duck that played aggressive and without fear.
“Yeah, you can be aggressive — just throw it to the right person,” said Steelers WR Juju Smith-Schuster with a smile.
“That’s it. ‘Duck, c’mon man, we’re not playing duck-duck-goose. Throw it to the right person, Duck. Let’s get it.’”
Smith-Schuster is looking to re-establish himself in the passing game after a down season racked with injuries. Like Hodges, Juju has one game left to make something of the 2019 season.
“I would expect that he would eliminate any mistakes that he’s made, and whatever mistake he makes in this game would be a new one,” offensive coordinator Randy Fichtner said Thursday. “He’s been pretty good at that, minus a handful of balls that just could have been in other places (or when he) could have been more protective of the football. As far as game management and some of the things he’s done with protection and learning the system, he’s done really well.”
Both Benny Snell and Jaylen Samuels are eager to get the ground game going with James Conner out again with another injury. Balance for this offense would help immensely and hopefully take some of the pressure of the shoulders of Devlin Hodges.
“The mentality, everything stays the same,” Snell said Friday. “Nothing really ever changes. It’s just an opportunity to show what I can do.”
Snell is second behind Conner on the Steelers with 335 rushing yards.
Kerrith Whyte is also looking for an opportunity to shine.
“Whatever the team calls me for, I’ll be ready,” Whyte said. “I’m a change-of-pace back. When I come in, I try to make something happen and provide a spark for the team.”
This week the Pittsburgh Steelers travel to the Baltimore Ravens with the playoffs on the line for Pittsburgh and nothing on the line for the Ravens. So we reached out to our friends at Ravens Wire to see what they think will happen this week.
What should we expect from the Ravens offense this weekend?
I wouldn’t expect much, to be honest. While Robert Griffin III can run the same scheme as Lamar Jackson, he’s not nearly as dynamic as a rusher to pull it off to the same level of success. With Pittsburgh also having a chance to make the postseason and potentially be a thorn in Baltimore’s side later, I wouldn’t expect the Ravens to show too much of their hand either. I’d expect a slightly more reserved version of Baltimore’s offensive scheme, which likely means a lot of running backs Gus Edwards and Justice Hill and letting Griffin make throws off the Steelers playing harder against the run.
Week 17 flex scheduling may affect the Pittsburgh Steelers chances at making the playoffs
In general, flex scheduling is a good idea imposed by the NFL. It was introduced to help ensure that meaningful games late in the season got national exposure while games that had little to no effect on the playoff race are swapped out of primetime slots. But in week 17 both the Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Baltimore Ravens and Tennessee Titans vs. Houston Texans were flexed to the 4:25 kickoff spot. Here’s why that hurts the Steelers.
The AFC Playoff Picture
Let’s start at the top with the 1 seed which is held by the Baltimore Ravens. They have wrapped up the AFC North and the top seed in the AFC and do not have much of a reason to risk injury to their starters in week 17. The Buffalo Bills are in a similar scenario, they failed to win the AFC East but have clinched the 5 seed as the first wildcard, and like the Ravens, won’t be able to improve their seeding in the AFC playoffs. But the three teams between the Ravens and Bills are the 2 seed New England Patriots (12-3), the 3 seed Kansas Chiefs (11-4) and the 5 seed Houston Texans (10-5). All three teams have won division titles, and therefore earned playoff spots. But each team only trails the team seeded in front of them by 1 game and owns their respective tie-breakers.
For example, The Chiefs have a head to head win over the Patriots so if the Patriots lose and Chiefs win on Sunday, the two teams would have the same record and the Chiefs would move into the 2nd seed while the Patriots would fall to the 3rd. The same scenario holds true with the Texans. If they win and the Chiefs lose, the Texans would be able to move from the 4th seed to the 3rd seed in the AFC playoffs. When it comes to the 6th seed, the Titans will clinch the 6th seed if they beat the Texans. The easiest way Steelers will clinch the 6th seed occurs if the Tennessee Titans lose to the Texans and the Steelers beat the Baltimore Ravens. Also there’s a scenario where the Oakland Raiders can sweep in and snag the 6th seed.
Flex Scheduling’s Effect
As mentioned above the seeding of the Patriots, Chiefs and Texans can change and each team has something to play for. The Steelers, are the betting favorite at Baltimore this week because the Ravens have announced that they are sitting their starters. But, the Steelers need the Texans to win if they’re going to clinch the 6th seed. The Texans, now playing an afternoon game will have the advantage of knowing the outcome of the Kansas City Chiefs game when they take the field. If the Chiefs win earlier in the day, there’s no way for the Texans to improve their playoff seeding. If that’s the case, there’s really no point to play their starters either.
If the Texans are playing their backups against the Titans, the odds of the Titans winning dramatically increases. While Texans Head Coach Brian Billick has said that their starters will play, that stance may quickly change if the Chiefs win. Steelers Nation may be relegated to hoping that the Texans backups can fend off the Titans while the Steelers simultaneously defeat the Ravens backups. It’s a complicated and unique scenario where the performance of the Chiefs would affect if the Texans deploy their starters or backups, and depending on what they decide the Texans coaching staff could greatly affect the Steelers’ chances at clinching the 6th seed. All because two games were flexed to afternoon kickoffs.
The Steelers look to be without two starters on Sunday.
CB Steve Nelson returned to practice, but CB Joe Haden (foot) did not practice. James Conner (thigh) and Maurkice Pouncey (knee) did not practice. Pouncey is already out Sunday and looks like Conner won't play, either.
The Pittsburgh Steelers practiced on Thursday in preparation for the Baltimore Ravens this week and the injury status of several key players is coming into focus. The team will put out its official game status report on Friday but we can guess how it’s going to go.
Running back James Conner and center Maurkice Pouncey both missed another practice and with Pouncey already declared out, Conner is soon to follow. The good news is cornerback Steven Nelson, who missed on Wednesday with a groin injury was a full participant. And fellow starting cornerback Joe Haden, who missed today with a foot injury isn’t expected to miss the game.
The Steelers are beat up heading into their final game.
While much of the NFL take Christmas off, the Pittsburgh Steelers got together for a full workout in preparation for the Baltimore Ravens this weekend. Pittsburgh can’t afford a day off after losing the last two games and needing this win to even have a chance to make the playoffs.
The practice report from Wednesday wasn’t great news. We all expected to see running back James Conner and center Maurkice Pouncey on there. It’s highly unlikely either of these two starters gets on the field Sunday. But the addition of starting cornerback Steven Nelson with a groin injury. Nelson has been arguably the team’s best coverage cornerback this season since coming over from the Kansas City Chiefs and signing the largest free-agent contract the Steelers have ever done.
Pittsburgh is favored in its final regular-season game.
The Pittsburgh Steelers are currently on a two-game losing streak and look lost on offense. But thanks to the Baltimore Ravens having nothing to play for, the Steelers are road favorites this week.
According to Bet MGM, the Steelers are 2.5-point favorites. This is due almost exclusively because the Ravens are sitting quarterback Lamar Jackson along with running back Mark Ingram, safety Earl Thomas and defensive tackle Brandon Williams. Baltimore has the No. 1 seed in the AFC all locked up.
Pittsburgh took the Ravens to overtime in their first matchup this season with Jackson at quarterback. And while the defense is still playing well, the Steelers offense is in complete disarray. Pittsburgh placed Mason Rudolph on IR on Tuesday and it sounds like James Conner isn’t going to be able to play this week.
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When the Pittsburgh Steelers take on the Baltimore Ravens this week, they won’t need to contend with quarterback Lamar Jackson. Ravens head coach John Harbaugh spoke to the media on Monday and announced multiple starters including Jackson will not play at all this weekend against Pittsburgh.
With Jackson out of the lineup the Steelers will instead have to prepare for Robert Griffin III at quarterback. The good news about this is Griffin hasn’t started an NFL game since 2016 when he was with the Cleveland Browns. The bad news is Griffin is an athletic guy so Baltimore isn’t likely to change their scheme up much with him in the lineup.
The Steelers have their own quarterback issues with Mason Rudolph out with an injury. Pittsburgh must beat the Ravens and then the Titans need to lose for the cleanest path to the playoffs.
Steelers’ QB Mason Rudolph is expected to miss Sunday’s game against Baltimore with a left shoulder injury, per league sources. So it’s Devlin Hodges as starter and Paxton Lynch as backup.
The offensive woes of the Pittsburgh Steelers continue. On Monday, EPSN NFL reporter Adam Schefter among others are reporting Steelers quarterback Mason Rudolph suffered a left shoulder injury on Sunday versus the New York Jets and will miss this week’s game.
This means it will be back to Devlin Hodges when the Steelers finish out the regular season against the Baltimore Ravens with the playoffs on the line.
Hodges threw two interceptions in Sunday’s loss to the Jets before being benched in favor of Rudolph. But after leading the team to its only points of the game, Rudolph was hurt and Hodges had to go back in.
Backup up Hodges will be Paxton Lynch, who hasn’t played any meaningful football in two years.
