The Steelers knew they needed to decelerate the Ravens’ run recreation with a purpose to win on Sunday. To an extent—simply sufficient—they did. Whereas Baltimore nonetheless ran for 137 yards, most of it got here early. Pittsburgh did a significantly better job controlling the Ravens’ floor recreation within the second half, Keeanu Benton mentioned.
“Simply realizing what we had been seeing. We had concepts popping out what they had been doing, and so they form of held true to an extent”, Benton advised reporters yesterday, by way of the Steelers’ web site. “However simply these little nuances and particulars that we discovered within the first half, we had been in a position to cease within the second half”.
In fact, he didn’t go into element about what these particulars and nuances had been. However the Ravens additionally didn’t run a lot within the second half. Within the first half-hour, the Steelers allowed 122 dashing yards on 19 makes an attempt. Within the second half, Baltimore solely picked up one other 15 yards. Nevertheless it additionally solely tried one other eight runs.
Then once more, that’s partly as a result of the Steelers had been stopping the Ravens’ run recreation within the second half. On their first play of the third quarter, James Pierre tackled Derrick Henry for no acquire. When your outdoors cornerback is arising and making the deal with, it units a tone. Two performs later, T.J. Watt recorded an interception, and the Steelers quickly took their first lead of the sport.
Henry picked up three after which eight yards on his subsequent two carries to start out the Ravens’ second drive, however that might account for almost all of dashing yards the Steelers allowed within the second half. On the subsequent play, Alex Highsmith dropped Keaton Mitchell for a loss. After that, it was a recreation of forwards and backwards, each groups usually taking part in from behind.
“It goes again to resilience”, Benton mentioned of the Steelers stopping the Ravens’ run recreation within the second half. “You ain’t gonna make all of the performs, however the ones which you could, go on the market and make. And there’s gonna be extra to make”.
Benton, for his half, had a career-high seven tackles, together with 4 run stops. Clearly, the Steelers might have performed the run higher, however the Ravens do that to everyone. Derrick Henry rushed for practically 1,600 yards this season and the Ravens as a staff rushed for two,662.
However I’m positive the Steelers are glad they received’t have to fret in regards to the Ravens’ run recreation for some time. In fact, they might must play the Payments or Patriots, each of whom had top-10 run video games this season. The Steelers, in case you had been questioning, completed twenty sixth in dashing offense. However in addition they had the fifth-fewest dashing makes an attempt within the NFL.
