4 Mistakes the Steelers can’t afford to make against the Baltimore Ravens

Playoff lore is rife with mistakes and blunders of varying types. They range from Roger Craig's fourth-quarter fumble that cost San Francisco a three-peat to Russell Wilson's Super Bowl interception on the one-yard line. Jackie Smith's drop in Super Bowl XIII still lives in infamy in Dallas while revered in the Steel City.

James Harrison’s Super Bowl pick-6 provided a 14-point swing that led to Mike Tomlin’s first Super Bowl. However, down the stretch, Pittsburgh has played recklessly. Mistake-free football was a core tenet of Tomlin’s overachievers that it’s become troublesome watching them miscommunicate on defense and offensively.

Pittsburgh got to 10 wins with a lackluster offense by finishing the year second in turnover differential and controlling the clock — that's what they need to get back to if they hope to have a chance against Baltimore. In case Mike Tomlin is crowdsourcing opinions, here are a few suggestions for what not to do against the Ravens.

Wideouts dropping balls

Drops are drive-killers and the Steelers are one of the worst teams at turning a set of downs into a new set. The most reliable receiver is Pat Freiermuth. The most talented is George Pickens. Pickens is the linchpin of the passing attack. Unfortunately, he’s also part-NFL Blitz receiver brought to life. Against Kansas City, his failure to run a correct route led to an end zone interception. 

In Cincinnati a week ago, he had more drops (3) than receiving yards (0). Additionally, he argued with fans, and his focus was everywhere except on the field. He makes any one of those catches, the outcome could have been different for Pittsburgh in a narrow three-point loss and they’re likely playing a more favorable opponent in Houston or Los Angeles. 

Wilson relies on his ability to take big chunks out of stingy defenses. However, those opportunities come sparingly. Pickens has been a flat tire for the offense since he returned from a hamstring strain.

Any ball hitting the turf after making contact with a receiver’s palms is a bad sign. Pickens has been known to lose his senses and expose the ball or outright drop it trying to do too much (see: loss to Indianapolis)

It’s not all on Pickens, even if he’s the number one culprit. The aforementioned Freiermuth's fumble in the fourth quarter against Kansas City sealed the deal on Christmas Day. It was only the second fumble he'd lost all season, but when it rains, it pours. It’s a troubling trend the Steelers have to stop ASAP. 

Give Lamar Jackson time in the pocket 

Only a handful of quarterbacks have been as efficient as Lamar Jackson with more than 2.5 seconds in the pocket. Baltimore passers taking’ 3.14 average time to throw is the highest in the NFL. Tomlin’s defenses haven’t embraced the Blitzburgh identity in years, except against Lamar Jackson. The Steelers have blitzed Lamar on 48% of his dropbacks in two matchups this season. Against every other opponent, they blitzed on fewer than 30% of passing downs.

Zay Flowers’ absence complicates the Ravens' aerial offense. As one of Jackson’s favorite targets, that’s one less threat for the Steelers to lose sleep over. Flowers was a critical component of Baltimore's quick passing game, and its No. 1 target when Jackson faced blitzes.

Excluding Batimore’s most recent win over Pittsburgh, Jackson has always struggled against Pittsburgh defenses. Week 16 may have been an instance of Jackson turning the corner against Pittsburgh’s blitz-heavy schemes, but it’s a tried and true practice they shouldn’t just give up cold turkey. Besides, does anyone have a better idea for crippling Baltimore’s explosive offense with Jackson this season that doesn’t delve into Tonya Harding territory?

Protect the ball

During their four-game losing streak, they remained within striking distance against both the Eagles and Ravens. Unfortunately, unforced errors put the kibosh on those efforts to execute upset wins.

Russell Wilson has taken care of the ball this season. He’s thrown 16 touchdowns to five interceptions and ripped the tops off of defenses. However, Kyle Hamilton is one of the premier safeties in the NFL and the Ravens secondary has been lights out for the last six weeks.

Wilson’s fumble at the goal line in Week 16 was ultimately a costly error. In their earlier matchup, Wilson attempted an ill-fated lob pass to Darnell, Washington, which was picked off in the endzone and nearly cost them the win. Against the Eagles, Najee Harris fumbled the pitch from Wilson that prevented them from tying the game late. If the Steelers are going to live up to their overachievers status, they have to win the turnover battle. 

Forget how to tackle (again)

Derrick Henry is a behemoth of a man who has a penchant for embarrassing solo tacklers. During their 34-17 loss to Baltimore in Week 16 the Steelers missed 16 tackles. They also missed 20 according to Steelers Depot against an Eagles team that operates a similar run-first brand.

The Steelers defense suffered from communication breakdowns toward the end of the season. However, whiffing on tackles that can end drives or result in bigger gains that create favorable second—and third-down situations is an individual fundamental issue, not a synergy concern. That cannot happen against Derrick, Henry, and Lamar Jackson’s No.1 rushing attack.