Ravens Redux

Well … it’s Baltimore.  What’s there to say? Cleveland fans hope both teams limp off the field looking like the giant Heinz Field ketchup bottle was dumped on them.  Pittsburgh fans want this win worse than any of the year.  Baltimore fans know their season could be in trouble with a loss, but be pretty secure with a win. 

The AFC North division is on the line at Heinz field Sunday evening and Ravens coach John Harbaugh has never swept the Steelers.  Baltimore’s recent offensive struggles and Pittsburgh’s skyrocketing offense, fresh off of 40+ minutes of possession against New England, results in a matchup that will undoubtedly be far closer than the 35-7 beatdown in opening week and more like the three point spread the game has been assigned. 

The only thing that doesn’t make this the league’s best game until the Super Bowl is the slew of injuries.  Three of Pittsburgh’s linebackers are hurting, with sack leader LaMarr Woodley out (hamstring), James Farrior questionable (torn calf), and James Harrison probable (eye socket).  They cannot do without all three, period.  Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco has played no better than Curtis freakin’ Painter lately and could only be sparked to life by such a depleted Steelers defense. 

While Baltimore’s offense doesn’t scare anyone nearly as much as New England’s, I think the Steelers should come in with a similar game plan to that which they perfectly executed against the Patriots.  Ben Roethlisberger “took what the defense gave him” as well as any quarterback could, completing a ton of passes underneath, methodically marching downfield.  They did so because they needed to keep Tom Brady’s similar offense off of the field.  This week, they should do it because they need to keep their hurting defense off the field, allowing for more in-game scheming to attack Flacco. 

I’d provide more history on my hatred for Baltimore but I spent a while and don’t want to jinx anything since that didn't work out so well!  So I’ll just say it again…I hate the Baltimore Ravens.  Hate. 

So much so that I question my mental health state at times. 

Mike's Picks for Week 7 (a horrid 5-7 last week! 43-35 overall.  But did ANYONE really see the Saints, Ravens, and Giants games turning out as they did?!):

Atlanta @ Indianapolis (+6.5): Because I will finally stop picking the Colts to cover, just watch…they will! So to clarify, I’m purposely picking the Falcons here!
Tampa Bay @ New Orleans (-8.5): So the Bucs are the unlucky team to face the Saints after the biggest embarrassment of the season.  Sorry, Tampa Bay.  The spread might as well be 20. 
Cleveland @ Houston (-10.5): The matchup is not good for Cleveland’s abysmal offense.  They’ll be lucky to score.  I think since Peyton Hillis has been ruled out (again), he should find a kids benefit to attend.  Wait a second, he already failed to show up when he was scheduled for such an event just last week. 
NYJets @ Buffalo (-2.5): When was the last time the Jets visited the Ralph as underdogs?  The Buffalo defense, improving every week, is too much for Mark Sanchez and his weak arm.
Miami @ Kansas City (-4): Since Matt Cassel is one of my fantasy teams’ bye week fill-ins, I’ll pick the Chiefs here, if only because I need them to score and score a lot!
Seattle @ Dallas (-11): I’m not sure I can pick a Dallas game with any certainty at all so what the heck, I’ll call this either a push or give the slight edge to the Boys.
Denver @ Oakland (-7): I’m just going to believe that this spread would be 10+ if McFadden were playing.  So because I think they’re not lacking much with Michael Bush, I’ll predict that a few Raiders will mock the opposing quarterback by following Detroit’s tune and striking the “Tebowing” pose. 
Cincinnati @ Tennessee (-3): The Bengals are the better team and will prove it.
St. Louis @ Arizona (-3): If Bradford doesn’t come back this week, this could be the worst quarterback matchup in the history of the NFL.  I’d rather watch reruns of Welcome Back, Kotter.
NYGiants @ New England (-9): A rematch of the Super Bowl of a few years ago.  The Giants are hurting at runningback and receiver and the Patriots will figure out their time-of-possession problem from last week.
Green Bay @ San Diego (-5.5): The Chargers really blew it by not getting off the schnide last week cuz it sure ain’t happening this week!
Baltimore @ Pittsburgh (-3): I’ll continue to pick the opposing team, just to ensure a Steelers victory!
Chicago @ Philadelphia (-7.5): Don’t be fooled by last week’s blowout.  An offense with Michael Vick at the helm cannot maintain any sort of consistency and he’s never matched up against the Bears very well.  I think they’ll eke out the win, but ‘da Bears will cover.