With both the Ravens and Steelers seeing key starters sit in Week 17, our bold predictions feature some new names and stats to reflect it.
The Baltimore Ravens will look to sweep the Pittsburgh Steelers this season, finishing their regular season campaign in Week 17 against their division rival. But both teams will be without key contributors that could make this a more sluggish affair.
So our bold predictions for this week reflect the change in rosters, giving us some new names to focus on. Take a look at what the writers here at Ravens Wire believe could happen this week.
Matthew Stevens:
Justice Hill has his first 100-yard game on the ground
Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images
I’ve been a big fan of Hill after seeing him play in Baltimore. In spite of his smaller stature, Hill has shown enough grit and power to go along with his speed and that makes him very dangerous. With Mark Ingram sitting out and Gus Edwards potentially seeing a smaller snap count this week, the Ravens’ rushing attack should fall on Hill’s shoulders, especially if he starts out strong.
Hill breaks off a few big runs and gets enough carries to go over 100 rushing yards in this game, which bookends his first career touchdown run from last week.
I sat down with Steelers Wire managing editor Curt Popejoy to not only get some insight on what Pittsburgh has going on now but their future.
The Baltimore Ravens wrap up their regular season with yet another AFC North rivalry, this time against the Pittsburgh Steelers. However, this game doesn’t mean much to Baltimore and will see several key starters sitting out to rest up for the postseason.
I sat down with managing editor Curt Popejoy of Steelers Wire to not only see what Pittsburgh has going on right now but to get an early preview of their offseason. Take a look at our five questions with the enemy this week to see where the Steelers stand in Week 17.
James Conner is ruled out. Who will be his replacement and what differences can we expect there?
Conner has missed so much football this season it’s hard to imagine the team is even giving it much thought. Once again it’ll be some combination of Benny Snell Jr., Jaylen Samuels and Kerrith Whyte trying to create something of a run game. I want to say the Steelers are going to make a stronger effort to establish the run this week but I’ve been saying it for a month and it hasn’t happened.
The Pittsburgh Steelers were hoping to get a fully healthy James Conner back this week against the New York Jets. But while he seems free of his shoulder injury, Conner suffered a thigh injury and according to the team has been ruled out for the remainder of the game.
Conner had six carries for 32 yards prior to the injury. With Conner out of the lineup, the run game has been stagnant. This means it could be down to quarterback Mason Rudolph to carry the offense after coming in off the bench to replace a struggling Devlin Hodges.
The Pittsburgh Steelers have reported Pittsburgh Steelers running back James Conner has suffered a thigh injury against the New York Jets and is questionable to return. Conner was finally looking healthy from a shoulder injury that has kept him out of five of the last six games. But now we find Conner on the exercise bike on the sidelines while his offense struggles.
With Conner sidelined it will cone again be Benny Snell Jr. and Jaylen Samuels trying to help out Mason Rudolph as he comes in for a struggling Devlin Hodges.
In a defensive outing between both teams, the Buffalo Bills offense did just enough to put them over the edge of victory to send them back to the post season for the second time in three years. It was a testament to coaching, discipline, and a …
In a defensive outing between both teams, the Buffalo Bills offense did just enough to put them over the edge of victory to send them back to the post season for the second time in three years. It was a testament to coaching, discipline, and a winning culture that Sean McDermott has established in Buffalo.
The Bills sit at 10-4, are officially in, and could very easily loosen up a bit, but there is still another opportunity at stake, and that is to win the AFC East title for the first time in over 20 years. The chances are slim, but it is still a very reasonable feat, as they head to Foxborough to play the New England Patriots next Saturday. The Bills need to win out, and the Patriots need to lose not only to the Bills, but the Miami Dolphins in Week 17 as well.
Buffalo and Pittsburgh brought their hard nosed defenses to the table last night for Sunday Night Football, and both teams excelled in stopping drives, forcing punts and turnovers, and keeping the game close for their offenses. It was the Bills, fortunately, that made it all happen, behind Josh Allen, John Brown, and even tight end Tyler Kroft.
It was a great win for a team, in the national spotlight, that proved many doubters wrong in the process.
Podcast host Matt Johnson recaps the big Week 15 win, and a look ahead.
Buffalo Bills opponent information on the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin. Credit: Joe Maiorana-USA TODAY Sports
The Bills find themselves in a wonderful predicament, but could be all for naught if they can’t find a win over the next three weeks. The 9-4 Buffalo Bills meet the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday Night Football, their first appearance in that primetime slot in some time. Major playoff implications are at stake here, as a Bills loss can knock them back a spot in the Wild Card Race, though still in by a hair.
This is easily the biggest Bills-Steelers match up in some time, so let’s get into their history, statistics and more:
The Bills and Steelers first met on Oct. 11, 1970, in Pittsburgh, with the Steelers winning 23-10.
They met in the 1974 postseason, with Pittsburgh taking a 32-14 win in that game.
The Bills won five straight games against Pittsburgh, from Nov. 9, 1986 to their 1992 AFC Divisional Round Game on Jan. 9, 1993.
Buffalo and Pittsburgh also met in the 1995 AFC Divisional Playoff Game, with the Steelers winning 40-21.
The Bills have not defeated the Steelers in the 21st Century, with their last victory over them on Oct. 10, 1999, in a 24-21 victory.
Buffalo had an opportunity to make the post-season in the 2004-05 season. In a “win and your in” scenario. The Bills starters failed to defeat the Steelers backups, who were 14-1 heading into the final game of the season. Pittsburgh beat Buffalo 29-24, in Buffalo.
Their most recent encounter was a 27-20 win for Pittsburgh, in Buffalo.
Pittsburgh leads the all-time series, 16-9, including playoffs.
2019 So Far
In what has been a challenging year for the Steelers, including their fallout with Antonio Brown, losing Le’Veon Bell, and Ben Roethlisberger succumbing to season-ending injury in Week 2, somehow, the Steelers are still in the playoff picture, and have some favorable circumstances going for them. This season has been a massive testament to Head Coach Mike Tomlin’s ability to lead men on a football field, and is certainly a candidate for Coach of the Year.
Pittsburgh began the season with a blowout loss to the Patriots in the opening Sunday Night Football game for 2019. A 33-3 loss on primetime was no way to start the season, especially with many questioning how Pittsburgh would be effected by the losses of Bell and Brown. From there on, two more losses, a close one against Seattle, 26-28, their last game with Big Ben under center for this year, as well as a 20-24 loss to the 49ers. All three quality teams, and playoff teams at that, right now, in Week 15. Not too shabby for a team of backups despite the losses.
They earned their first win on Monday Night Football in Week 4 against the Bengals, a dominant win against a team that only has one win to it’s credit so far this season. This is also when the Steelers traded for safety Minkah Fitzpatrick, a trade that turned around their defense.
However, since that Bengals win, Pittsburgh has only lost twice. To the Baltimore Ravens, a 23-26 loss in overtime, and to the Cleveland Browns in Week 11, a 21-7 loss that ended in a chaotic situation.
Pittsburgh has defeated the Chargers, Dolphins, Colts, Rams, Bengals again, Browns and Cardinals, and face a relatively favorable schedule these last three weeks. They hold criteria over a few teams that are breathing down their neck, and a win over the Bills would nearly secure their playoff aspirations.
Currently, Pittsburgh is the 29th ranked offense, with 3,771 yards of total offense. They are 31st in passing, with 2,541 pass yards and 25th in rushing with 1,230 yards on the ground.
It’s truly impressive how successful that Pittsburgh has been, especially with their personnel under center. Three quarterbacks have taken snaps for the Steelers in 2019. Ben Roethlisberger, Mason Rudolph, and most recently and successfully, Devlin Hodges. The Bills had four last season and their season was not a success.
Rudolph’s tenure as starting QB was enough for him to be at 31st in the NFL in passing yards with 1,636 passing yards, 12 passing touchdowns and nine interceptions. He had a 5-3 record as a starter. In three starts, Hodges is 3-0, and 39th in passing yards with 682 passing yards, four touchdowns and two interceptions. Roethlisberger had 351 passing yards, zero touchdowns and one interception in his tenure.
It hasn’t been a great year for last year’s emerging rush sensation, James Conner. Conner was a certified stud in 2018, filling in seamlessly for the boycotting Bell. This year has been drastically different, with injuries. James Conner is currently ranked 44th in the NFL amongst rushers, leading Pittsburgh with 390 rushing yards and four rushing touchdowns. Benny Snell is next up in rushing leaders for Pittsburgh with 320 rushing yards and one rushing touchdown. Snell is ranked 49th in rushing.
Pittsburgh’s highest ranked receiver in yardage, is James Washington, who is currently ranked 50th in the NFL. He has accrued 611 yards receiving on the year, Next in line, Ju-Ju Smith Schuster, who is ranked 63rd in receiving yards, with 524 yards. Schuster has dealt with injuries all year, and has not been able to handle the workload of being a No. 1 WR with Brown leaving, and it has harmed him statistically.
One aspect that is keeping the Steelers alive and well in the playoff race is their defense, which is star studded. They are the fifth ranked defense in the NFL, allowing 4,042 yards of offense against them. Pittsburgh is also the fifth ranked passing defense, allowing 2,727 yards by air, and they are eighth in rush defense with 1,315 yards allowed.
Their defense is led by talents of T.J. Watt, Joe Haden, Bud Dupree, Cameron Hayward, Fitzpatrick, and many others.
James Conner looks like he’s playing on Sunday night.
According to NFL reporter Ian Rapoport, Pittsburgh Steelers running back James Conner is expected to play Sunday night against the Buffalo Bills despite being listed as questionable.
Conner has missed five of the last six games with a shoulder injury that just won’t seem to go away. If Conner plays this week, look for him to be on a serious pitch could. Pittsburgh has established a solid three-man running back rotation with Benny Snell Jr., Jaylen Samuels and Kerrith Whyte.
Anything Conner can add to this would be great against Buffalo but head coach Mike Tomlin finally understands the concept of running back by committee and how it can work.
Additionally, if Conner dresses, it’s likely Trey Edmunds would not. This means all the talk about three brothers playing in the same game would be lost.
#Steelers RB James Conner (shoulder) is expected to return to the field today and he should be treated as the starter. However, expect Conner to split carries with Jaylen Samuels and Benny Snell.
The Bills visit the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 15 at Heinz Field. To learn more about Sunday’s opponent, Bills Wire spoke to Curt Popejoy, Steelers Wire’s managing editor, to learn more about the Steelers:
The Bills visit the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 15 at Heinz Field. To learn more about Sunday’s opponent, Bills Wire spoke to Curt Popejoy, Steelers Wire’s managing editor, to learn more about the Steelers:
Who is this man Duck and what can you tell us about his game?
He’s just your normal undrafted rookie FCS quarterback who is leading his team into the playoffs. Honestly, he’s far exceeded any reasonable expectations. He’s athletic and confident and has a really strong arm. He’s got a great grasp of the offense and the guys play hard for him.
JuJu Smith-Schuster & James Conner might play n this one. How big of an impact will those two potentially make on this game?
Count me among those who aren’t terribly excited to have those guys just fall into starting jobs when they are healthy. Part of the reason the offense is playing better is the guys have chemistry. I don’t want to see that disrupted.
Note: Smith-Schuster has been ruled OUT by the Steelers on Friday.
Bring us back to the Minkah Fitzpatrick trade. Compare how it was viewed at the time to now?
At the time it looked like the Steelers might have overpaid because Pittsburgh was eyeing a Top 5 pick to some. But the team’s improvement has been too significant for anyone to criticize. Fitzpatrick is playing as well as any defensive back in the league and is the key reason this defense has improved so much.
This Steelers front-seven seems pretty legit. How can they be beat?
If I were trying to move the ball on the Steelers front seven, I’d run run at them. With Stephon Tuitt out, the middle of the defensive line is more about rushing the passer than it is defending the run. I wouldn’t try to get wide because they are too fast. As far as passing the ball, crossing routes seem to be the best way to confuse the linebackers in coverage. But if you don’t do it quick that pass rush can do work.
Finally, what’s your prediction for Sunday?
I originally thought Buffalo would be too much offense for the Steelers to keep up with. But with each week that Hodges plays better the gap closes. And with the game being in Pittsburgh and in prime time, I’m leaning to Pittsburgh, team of destiny. Steelers 24, Bills 17.
Five matchups to watch during the Buffalo Bills vs. Pittsburgh Steelers Week 15 meeting on Sunday Night Football.
The Bills and Steelers faceoff in a Sunday Night Football contest with massive AFC playoff implications.
With both teams at 9-4 and 8-5, respectively, both also hold the two Wild Card spots in the conference.
The games, within this game, will make a load of difference across the NFL.
With that, here are five matchups to watch during Sunday’s Bills meeting with the Steelers:
Buffalo Bills wide receiver John Brown. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)
WR John Brown vs. CB Joe Haden
Over the course of the last three games, the Bills haven’t gotten good production from John Brown. In the absence of their No. 1 wideout, slot target Cole Beasley has continually stepped up. In Brown’s last three games combined, he has eight catches for 91 yards. That’s not very good for a guy who was once leading the AFC in receiving yards. The only thing that salvaged three games ago against the Broncos was a late touchdown.
On the outside, Brown will likely draw cornerback Joe Haden. The former Brown is Pro Football Focus’ 27th best corner in the NFL this season, via their grading system. The Steelers also have some impressive safeties over the top, namely Minkah Fitzpatrick, who has five interceptions, so getting Brown involved in this one might be difficult.
The Bills will face a mostly unknown commodity at quarterback on Sunday against the Pittsburgh Steelers in quarterback Devlin Hodges.
The Bills will face a mostly unknown commodity at quarterback on Sunday against Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Devlin Hodges.
The all-time leader in passing yards in the FCS level of college football, Hodges played for Samford University in Alabama before suited up for the black and gold this season. He signed with the Steelers as an undrafted rookie free agent following the 2019 NFL draft.
That hasn’t stopped the Kimberly, Ala., native from starting his career with a surprising 3-0 record, though. But this week in the Bills he faces something he hasn’t often faced down south. The cold.
The longterm weather forecast shows a high of 37 and a low of 26 on Sunday so look for the temps to fall somewhere in between.
Playing off his nickname this week, which is “Duck,” the quarterback downplayed the idea of playing in the winter weather up north.
“We’ve had some cold days back home, obviously a little different. Just something to adjust to,” Hodges said. “Usually ducks like it when it’s a little colder anyway, so sounds good.”
But on a more serious note, Hodges knows the real test he’ll face this week is in the Bills defense. Currently the No. 4 defense in the league just behind the Bills, Hodges did defeat the Chargers earlier this year. But he wasn’t overly impressive as he only had 132 passing yards and his touchdown pass was a dump off to running back James Conners which he took 20-plus yards for a score. Having said that, the Bills themselves will respect Hodges’ abilities, but like he said, he’s doing the same for Buffalo’s defense.
“[Buffalo’s defense is] just a solid group. They’ve got really good players just all around, I don’t know if there’s anything they do that’s special, they’re just one of those solid, solid defenses that comes each and every week,” Hodges said.
