The fate of the entire Pittsburgh Steelers franchise and the rest of their season hinges on the health of Ben Roethlisberger’s knee. The bye came at the right time for the Steelers, who used the off week to get that important joint cleaned up so Big Ben could be upright and back on the field. Mike Tomlin has been coy about Ben’s status and team’s aren’t required to submit injury updates during the bye, so we won’t know for sure if Roethlisberger is ready when his team visits the Baltimore Ravens in a key Week 9 AFC North tussle.
This contest in Week 9 of the regular season will go down Sunday, November 6, 2016, at 1 p.m. ET at MT Bank Stadium.
Odds Analysis
With some uncertainty surrounding the Steelers quarterback situation, the spread and total have been delayed in hitting the board. The Ravens are preparing as if Roethlisberger will play but Tomlin has been vague on the subject early in the week saying Roethlisberger “could have a chance to play.” No team has had as much success against Pittsburgh without Big Ben than the Ravens, who are 6-1 when he doesn’t play and 8-9 when he does.
Injury Report
Ben Roethlisberger – Obviously the health of Big Ben has a lot to do with the Steelers success. They just aren’t the same with Landry Jones running the show, and that was evident in their last game. Tomlin played conservative ball in a loss to the Patriots with Jones using a variety of short tosses among his 47 total. Jones didn’t play poorly, but the offense lacks big plays in the passing game without Roethlisberger.
Terrell Suggs – No matter who plays quarterback for the Steelers, they will feel much safer if Suggs isn’t on the field across the line. Baltimore’s linebacker sat out last game with a triceps injury, taking his 5.0 sacks and ability to disrupt the passing game with him.
Player to Watch
The Steelers need Roethlisberger running the offense to have a shot at their Super Bowl dreams and Tomlin might risk playing him just weeks after a procedure on his knee with first place in the AFC North on the line. Ben is a gamer and if he can stand he will likely play, but is it the right move for the Steelers, even with the division at stake? And does a gimpy Roethlisberger really give Pittsburgh a better shot at winning? There is of course the Willis Reed effect. Reed is remembered by sports fans of a certain age for coming off the bench in the NBA Finals decades ago and playing through a knee injury to lead the Knicks to a Game 7 win. But Reed didn’t have 300-pound linemen diving at his knees. There’s only so much protection a brace can give you.
When Roethlisberger initially sustained his injury a few weeks back in Miami, he ended up having one of the poorest performances of his career. He threw for only 189 yards and was picked twice. And that was against a weak defense. So, the Steelers might be better off letting Jones handle the chores while living to fight another day, because the alternative would be devastating.
Free ATS Pick
The Ravens have gotten away from the formula that has led to much success in past years. It’s easy to rely on the strong right arm of Joe Flacco, but the Ravens have never been a club to sling the ball around the yard and yet that’s what they’ve been doing. The numbers can get out of whack when a team is constantly trying to come from behind, but that hasn’t been the case with Baltimore. The Ravens just don’t have the tools to operate a pass-heavy attack. Getting back to the basics of running the ball and controlling the clock are necessary for them to end their four-game slide.
The scheme isn’t pretty, but teams don’t get style points. The bottom line is winning and losing and the Ravens have lost when trying to throw the ball. I expect the Ravens to get back to a run-heavy attack with more Buck Allen. “Yes, we need to run the ball more,” John Harbaugh said this week. The result is a return to Ravens football and the win column.
NFL Odds: Ravens 24, Steelers 22
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