Ravens vs. Steelers: Stat Predictions After earning a victory against the Broncos in Week 3 Youth Nick Boyle Jersey , the Ravens focus now shifts to an important divisional matchup with the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Ravens-Steelers rivalry is well-documented, and Sunday night could yet again be a classic. The Steelers finally got in the win column last week, surviving a Buccaneers comeback effort in the fourth quarter to earn a 30-27 victory.television and gain ground in the AFC North. As seen in the past, winning at Heinz Field is no easy task. The Ravens will need contributions across the board to escape with a win. Offensive stat predictions Joe Flacco, QB - 27/42, 64.2% comp, 291 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT Flacco is off to one of the better starts of his career. He has thrown for six touchdowns and nearly 900 yards through three games, with a completion percentage of 63.9%. It has been encouraging to see him click with receivers early on. Now, Flacco faces a Steelers group that ranks 28th in the NFL in pass defense this season. Pittsburgh was gashed by Patrick Mahomes and Ryan Fitzpatrick in consecutive weeks, with the latter throwing for 411 passing yards against the Steelers in Week 3. Flacco has had mixed performances against the Steelers in recent years, especially on the road. However, this is a struggling secondary, and Flacco should be able to find success through the air. Alex Collins, RB - 16 rushes, 60 yards, 3.8 YPC / 2 receptions, 16 yards It has been tough sledding for Alex Collins this season, and fans are still waiting on a breakthrough performance form the running game. Last week was a step in the right direction, as Collins rushed for a season-high 68 yards and a touchdown. Collins is averaging 3.4 yards per carry through three games, which leaves much to be desired and is a far cry from last season. This reflects on the offensive line, which has not done a great job of opening up holes in the backfield. While the Steelers rush defense is not great statistically James Hurst Jersey , they have talented players on the defensive line in T.J. Watt, Bud Dupree and Cameron Heyward. Unless the line gets more push, it is hard to envision Collins having a big game. Javorius Allen, RB - 5 rushes, 13 yards, 1 TD / 5 receptions, 32 yards After scoring two touchdowns in Week 3, Allen now leads Baltimore with four touchdowns on the season. Three have come on the ground and the other via receiving. Can he replicate this performance on Sunday night? Probably not. However, Allen is getting plenty of scoring opportunities, and he has made the most of them. When the Ravens have been in goal-line situations this season, it is Allen, not Collins, who usually gets the call. In a potentially high scoring affair, Allen could see the field a lot in passing situations. Look for him to record several catches and find the end zone for the fourth consecutive game. Michael Crabtree, WR - 5 catches, 54 yards, 10.8 YPC, 1 TD Crabtree has been steady so far this season. Last week, he recorded a season-high in both receptions (seven) and yards (61). He did not record a reception in the second half, but it was a solid performance nonetheless. Crabtree has been a bit overshadowed by John Brown thus far, but his contributions as a possession receiver have been valuable. As long as Flacco continues to look his way and sling the ball with accuracy, another productive outing should be in store for Crabtree. Look for him to catch a touchdown as well, which he has not done since Week 1. John Brown http://www.ravenscheapshops.com/cheap-authentic-tavon-young-jersey , WR - 5 catches, 78 yards, 15.6 YPC, 1 TDBrown is tied for 20th in the league with 222 receiving yards this year, and his yards per catch average of 18.5 ranks 11th. Simply put, he has been the main catalyst in the passing game this season for Joe Flacco. He also leads the Ravens in receiving touchdowns (two). He could have three if not for a dropped pass in the end zone against the Bengals in Week 2. Can Brown keep it rolling this week? With a favorable matchup at hand, there is certainly a good chance. Look for Brown to put up another solid stat line. Willie Snead IV, WR - 4 catches, 42 yards, 10.5 YPCAs the number three option in the passing game, the potential for a big stat line is not there for Willie Snead. However, he has quietly thrived in his role as a complimentary playmaker and slot receiver. He has twelve receptions on the year, the same number as John Brown. When Flacco targets the middle of the field, particularly on slant routes, Snead has been the guy he looks for. Mark Andrews, TE - 3 catches, 51 yards, 17.0 YPCAndrews is a player on the rise, and he has serious potential as a pass-catcher. Against the Broncos last week, he made two highlight plays, including hurdling over two defenders on a catch-and-run. Can Andrews remain involved with Hayden Hurst returning? It is hard to imagine him going anywhere, as the Steelers have had difficulty stopping tight ends this season. Pittsburgh was shredded by Travis Kelce and O.J. Howard in consecutive weeks. While Andrews is not on their level, he should be able to make an impact in the passing game. Hayden Hurst http://www.ravensfootballauthentics.com/sam-koch-jersey-authentic , TE - 2 catches, 18 yards, 9.0 YPCWhile his status is up in the air, Hurst proclaimed he’s “good to go” and feels ready to make his debut. If he does indeed play, it is hard to envision him making a big splash early. With three other tight ends on the roster, the Ravens will likely ease Hurst into the action. Still, it will be encouraging to see how he looks in his first taste of regular season play. Defensive stat predictions Tackles - C.J. Mosley (9), Kenny Young (7), Tony Jefferson (7) The return of Mosley will be a big boost for the Ravens defense. Kenny Young has done enough to earn the starting linebacker spot opposite him, and those two should form a dynamic tandem. Tony Jefferson will be important in slowing down James Conner and the Steelers tight ends Vance McDonald and Jesse James. Sacks - Terrell Suggs (2), Za’Darius Smith (1) Suggs has a history of playing well against Pittsburgh, and he is always motivated to make life difficult for Ben Roethlisberger. Za’Darius Smith will look to duplicate his solid performance from last week against Denver when he sacked Case Keenum.Five storylines for Ravens vs. Bengals Week 2 matchup The Baltimore Ravens are set to face the Cincinnati Bengals to kick off week two of the NFL season. In the John Harbaugh era, Baltimore has struggled at Paul Brown Stadium as they are 3-7. The all-time series is tied at 22-22. Below are five storylines to watch for during the first Thursday night football game of the 2018 regular season. 1. ‘January Joe’ or ‘Joe Fluke-O’Fox Sports 1’s Skip Bayless has given Joe Flacco the nickname ‘Joe Fluke-O’ because of how inconsistent of a quarterback he can be. Flacco’s career has been littered with impressive performances such as his five-touchdown game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, or the impressive playoff run that led to him winning the Super Bowl MVP, but he has also had several historically bad games. Flacco’s 0.8 QBR against the Jaguars in London last season was one of the worst recorded performances in the history of the QBR stat. With Flacco at quarterback, it is hard to predict what kind of production the Ravens will be getting. However, Flacco was at his best in the Ravens’ dominant win over Bills last week. Not only was he deadly accurate, but he made great decisions with the football. He did not throw an interception, and his three touchdown passes were all perfectly placed. Coming off of one his most impressive performances in recent memory, how will Flacco perform in a hostile environment?2. Against a significantly better front seven, how will Baltimore’s offensive line hold up?One of the most significant factors in deciding whether or not the Ravens will snap their playoff drought will be the play of their offensive line. Against Buffalo, this unit was serviceable, but Ronnie Stanley http://www.ravensfootballauthentics.com/james-hurst-jersey-authentic , Matt Skura, and James Hurst all struggled at times. Cincinnati’s defensive line is much more talented than the Bills’, which sparks the question of how will this group respond? The Ravens utilized several quick passing concepts in week one, and the gameplan will likely be similar versus the Bengals.3. Will WR A.J. Green feast with no Jimmy Smith?Wide receiver A.J. Green has made several highlight-worthy and game-winning catches against the Ravens over the course of his career. He has seemingly haunted Baltimore since joining Cincinnati, and without Jimmy Smith, can Brandon Carr, and Marlon Humphrey contain him? Baltimore will likely not play a ton of man-to-man coverage, specifically against Green, but containing Green must be priority number one. 4. Can the Ravens contain RB Joe Mixon?Mixon had a breakout game against the Indianapolis Colts in week one, in which he totaled 95 rushing yards and a touchdown, while also adding five receptions for 54 yards. He was a driving force in their 34-23 win, and the Bengals used him in many different ways. They made it a point to get him the football, and he made plays. Baltimore contained LeSean McCoy last week, but against a better offensive line, can they limit another talented running back?5. Was last week an outlier, or did the Raven fix their tight end issues?Charles Clay is one of the league’s most underrated tight ends, but Baltimore held him to zero catches on Sunday. In week 2, the Ravens face a pair of talented tight ends in Tyler Eifert and Tyler Kroft, but will the results be the same? Last season, the Ravens’ Achilles heel was matching up against opposing tight ends, but was week one an outlier, or an indication that they have fixed this issue?