NFL Playoffs: Keys To The 4 Wildcard Games
By Bryce Olin
Baltimore Ravens (10-6) @ Pittsburgh Steelers (11-5)
Key to the game: QB Joe Flacco, Baltimore Ravens
Every team that gets into the playoffs has a chance to win the Super Bowl; that’s just how the NFL works.
Baltimore, however, doesn’t strike me as a team who can win the Super Bowl, but I could obviously be wrong about that, as they just pulled off the feat two years ago.
Pittsburgh and Baltimore split their two matchups this season. The Ravens won the first game 26-6 in Week 2. The Steelers won the most recent matchup in Week 9 43-23.
While this is a huge rivalry game and an awesome playoff matchup, I don’t see the Steelers losing unless Flacco goes 2012 Playoff Flacco on the Steelers.
Baltimore has been up-and-down all season and have looked, for lack of a better word, bad over the last two weeks. If the San Diego Chargers didn’t lay an egg against Kansas City in Week 17, the Ravens wouldn’t even be in the playoffs. On top of that, Baltimore needed a 53-yard reception by Torrey Smith in the final minutes to get the victory against the Cleveland Browns with Connor Shaw as the quarterback.
Le’Veon Bell might miss the game with a knee injury, which could be a huge blow to Pittsburgh’s offense. Even without Bell or with him on a limited basis, the Steelers are going to score. Ben Roethlisberger has proven through the years that he’s capable of making big plays, and I don’t think that’s going to stop when he has still has Antonio Brown.
Flacco has what it takes to get the job done, but he’s the Ravens only hope to win this game in Pittsburgh.
Next: Bengals-Colts