Steelers host dangerous Ravens in Monday Night Football
Pittsburgh Steelers Coach Bill Cowher knows the Baltimore Ravens are still dangerous even without injured defensive stars Ray Lewis and Ed Reed . Cowher and the Pittsburgh Steelers will try not to underestimate the injury-depleted Ravens when the teams meet for the first time this season at Heinz Field.
The Steelers are coming off their biggest victory of the season, beating AFC North-leading Cincinnati on the road 27-13 Sunday, while the shorthanded Ravens lost to Chicago 10-6.
Baltimore will be without Lewis and Reed, two former NFL def
ensive players of the year, from the defense that has allowed the second-fewest yards in the NFL. Lewis aggravated a thigh injury last week against the Bears and Reed will miss his second straight game with an ankle injury.
But while the Ravens look to be shorthanded for what once figured to be a matchup of the two best teams in the division, Cowher said the most dangerous opponent often is the most desperate opponent. Cowher has a legitimate reason for concern considering Pittsburgh’s disappointing home record this season.
After winning all eight home games during a 15-1 season a year ago, the Steelers are 1-2 at Heinz Field this season with consecutive losses to New England and Jacksonville. Before those losses, the Steelers had won 11 consecutive home games.
The Steelers are likely to employ the same formula against the Ravens that propelled them past the Bengals - a dominant running attack and mistake free game from quarterback Ben Roethlisberger . Roethlisberger threw two touchdown passes and Willie Parker ran for 131 of the Steelers 221 rushing yards against Cincinnati.
The Ravens have not been able to mount a consistent running game to take pressure off quarterback Anthony Wright. Baltimore tailback Jamal Lewis is having his worst season as a pro. Lewis, who ran for 2,006 yards in 2003, has 323 yards rushing and is averaging 2.9 yards per carry in six games. His longest run of the season is 15 yards.
The Ravens may decide to use backup running back Chester Taylor more if Lewis’ struggles continue. Taylor has run for 223 yards on 37 attempts, an average of six yards per carry. The third-year back had 92 yards on eight rushes in Baltimore’s 16-3 win over Cleveland in Week 6.
