Tonight
Authentic
JuJu Smith-Schuster Jersey , viewers across the nation will get another
opportunity to witness the greatest rivalry in sports today when the Pittsburgh
Steelers square off against their hated rivals, the Baltimore Ravens, in the
friendly confines of Heinz Field. Maybe I should clarify the aforementioned
statement a little. The best rivalry in the NFL. I would be remiss if I didn¡¯t
mention the Ohio State vs. Michigan rivalry in college football, which takes the
whole hated-rivals scenario ¡ª and the lengths some fans will take to prove it ¡ª
to an entirely different level.This is a home game for the Steelers, and they
have to hold serve at home in this rivalry because it¡¯s so difficult to win in
Baltimore. Ben Roethlisberger has been more successful than most, and they did
win there last season, but it¡¯s always a tough endeavor, to say the least. It
seems Big Ben owns the state of Ohio, but Baltimore has been his own personal
house of horrors. There have been blowout losses, a broken nose, too many late
hits to mention and, of course, the devastating collision served up by Bart
Scott which would have killed a lesser man. If a defender impacted a passer in
today¡¯s NFL, as Scott
did
www.pittsburghsteelersteamstore.com ,
he would go directly to jail and would not pass ¡°Go.¡±This week¡¯s game finds both
teams entering the fray with more questions than answers. This is a rare
occurrence for two of the most established franchises in the league. With GM
Ozzie Newsome at the helm, the Ravens have won two Super Bowls and been a
perennial playoff contender. It seems they¡¯re always one of the top defenses in
the league. Lately, they¡¯ve struggled to remain a contender, as they try to
overcome the loss of franchise cornerstones Hall of Famer Ray Lewis and no doubt
future Hall member Ed Reed ¡ª all the while being saddled with the albatross
contract of Joe Flacco hanging around their necks. This past offseason, the
Ravens brought in a whole new group of wide receivers and tight ends, as well as
drafting Heisman Trophy winning QB Lamar Jackson, in an attempt to light the
proverbial fire under their presumably unmotivated franchise quarterback. So
far, their offseason additions have had the desired effects. Flacco seems to
have gotten his mojo back and has played at a remarkably efficient level. All of
the skill-position players have been involved and effective, and the offense
appears to be a potent unit at first glance. But is everything as positive as it
seems?For starters, the Ravens absolutely crushed the hapless Buffalo Bills in a
home game to start the season. Have I mentioned how good the Ravens are at home?
This was also a Bills team which decided it was a good idea to march out Nathan
Peterman as their starting QB for the season opener. Yes, the same Nathan
Peterman who threw five interceptions in the first half of his first career
start last season against the Chargers. His first-quarter performance against
the Ravens resembled a dream sequence from a Nightmare on Elm Street movie, and
it only got worse from there. Final score was Ravens 47 - Bills 3. I¡¯m not sure
what can be learned from that debacle, unless it¡¯s never to anoint Nathan
Peterman as your starting QB. To be fair, it did shield young-stud passer Josh
Allen from a traumatic welcome to the NFL moment. It could have scarred him for
life. The Ravens would then go on to lose their next game against the Cincinnati
Bengals on the road on Thursday Night football. Andy Dalton is a bona
fide
Pittsburgh
Steelers T-Shirt , established NFL QB and he proceeded to team up with
A.J. Green and friends to bring the Ravens back to earth ¡ª and in some ways, the
fans and announcers back to reality.Then this past Sunday the Ravens won a hard
fought contest against the Denver Broncos.
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The Broncos shot themselves in the
foot repeatedly with ill-timed penalties, which just so happens to also be one
of the Steelers¡¯ specialties. Best in the league actually. That¡¯s one stat I
don¡¯t think anyone is too proud of and it needs to be addressed
immediately.Honestly, the Ravens played very well. Flacco was motivated and
engaged. He protected the football, made the correct reads and adjustments, and
was extremely accurate throwing the football. Probably his best overall
performance in quite a few years. That¡¯s not a good sign for the Steelers, as
he¡¯s enjoyed more success at Heinz Field than most QBs can claim.On defense
against the Broncos, the Ravens pass-rush created havoc throughout the game for
Denver QB Case Keenum, consistently collapsing the pocket. But there were open
receivers aplenty whenever the line could provide Keenum with a modicum of time
to throw. This week¡¯s contest could come down to which offensive line performs
best and which team avoids those crippling turnovers and penalties.The rookies
from both teams will hear all week about the physicality of the matchup they are
about to experience first hand, but they¡¯ll still be taken aback by the ferocity
of it. The intensity is immediately taken to another level that¡¯s hard to put
into words. Some players will rise to the occasion and perform, while others
will wilt under the pressure.This week is the perfect opportunity for the
Steelers to prove they are who we thought they were ¡ª a powerful offense capable
of rewriting the team's record books plus improved tackling on defense that
would stymie the running game and create opportunities to build on last season's
league-leading pass rush. We¡¯ve seen glimpses of both so far this season, but
that¡¯s been it ¡ª only glimpses and no consistency.This week's game isn't what
the league offices had in mind with all of the offseason rule changes. The
physical nature of this matchup could get out of hand quickly considering what¡¯s
at stake and the shared loathing between the combatants. So expect a deluge of
yellow flags to rain down on Heinz Field in an attempt by officials to stem the
tide.Better double check that chin-strap and give those shoulder pads one last
pop.Buckle up...it¡¯s about to get real. This should be fun.Steelers vs.
Buccaneers Week 3: 1st quarter in-game update The Pittsburgh Steelers and Tampa
Bay Buccaneers entered Week 3 under very different circumstances. Tampa Bay was
red-hot coming in with a 2-0 record, and the Steelers had yet to crack the win
column after starting with an 0-1-1 record. All that aside, this matchup had the
look of a shootout in its purest form. Ryan Fitzpatrick had been the NFC¡¯s best
quarterback through the early portion of the
season
Pittsburgh Steelers
Hats , and Ben Roethlisberger and the Steelers¡¯ offense were no slouch
either.When the game got underway, it was Pittsburgh receiving the opening
kickoff, and a three-and-out was what ensued after a special team penalty pushed
them back on the opening kickoff. After another mediocre Jordan Berry punt, the
Steelers¡¯ defense stood tall and forced a three-and-out of their own on the
Buccaneers¡¯ first possession of the game.On the second Pittsburgh possession it
was Tampa Bay who drew first blood when Justin Evans stepped in front of a
Roethlisberger pass intended for JuJu Smith-Schuster and gave the Buccaneers
tremendous field position after the interception. With the ball on the
Pittsburgh 46-yard line, it took just four plays for Fitzpatrick to find Cameron
Brate for a 4-yard touchdown to give Tampa Bay an early 7-0 lead.With a chance
to answer, on third-and-10 Roethlisberger found a wide open Vance McDonald who
stiff-armed Chris Conte into next week on his way to a 75-yard touchdown.
However, Chris Boswell¡¯s kicking woes continued with a missed point-after, his
second in the past two weeks, and the score was 7-6 midway through the first
quarter.After Tampa Bay threatened to add to their lead, an Anthony Chickillo
sack on third down pushed them out of field goal range and forced a punt. The
Steelers have the ball in Tampa Bay territory at the end of the first
quarter.