Week 9 Preview: Steelers
Praise be to the bye week.
When | Sunday, November 6 |
Kickoff | 1:00 PM (EST) |
Where | M&T Bank Stadium, Baltimore, Maryland |
Where They're At
Ravens – Baltimore is finally returning to full strength after a bye in week eight has purportedly allowed Terrell Suggs, C.J. Mosley, Ronnie Stanley, Steve Smith Sr., Marshal Yanda, and Devin Hester Sr. to return to full strength, or at least close enough to it to play. With the Ravens' defensive collapse in October, the return of defensive centerpieces C.J. Mosley and Terrell Suggs is particularly significant.
Steelers – Pittsburgh is expecting their own long list of returning players after also having a bye week. While no one has been confirmed yet, Antonio Brown is anticipating to play Sunday, and today Mike Tomlin announced that Ben Roethlisberger is a possibility to start. Roethlisberger starting would obviously be a huge boost for Pittsburgh, who in his absence, has gone 0-2 and not scored more than 16 points.
Why You Should Watch
Do you like the Ravens and or the Steelers? Then watch! But also...
I've talked a lot about the AFC North the past few weeks for one reason: it seems like no one wants to win it. The Steelers have lost two in a row, the Ravens have lost four in a row, and the Browns have lost [insert large number here] in a row. The only team that's made progress in the division since October 9th is the Bengals, and when they finally had a chance to set themselves up for a possible tie for first place, they tied. It's like these teams are playing a game of hot potato where the loser goes to the playoffs. In week nine, the static division race gets a little push downhill. Either the Steelers will move out to a 1.5 game lead in the North, or the Ravens will tie them, and the Bengals will be half a game behind the two (I still can't believe they tied). So if you're curious about how the NFL playoff picture is shaping out, then the Steelers vs the Ravens is the place to be Sunday afternoon (or morning depending on your proximity to the dumpster fire below).
