Baltimore Ravens vs. Pittsburgh Steelers: Three Things We Learned
By Andrew Kim
Ravens are getting stronger and healthier moving forward
The Ravens have won three games so far without their best cornerback, Jimmy Smith, who has been out due to a four game suspension. The Ravens had four active cornerbacks heading into the Steelers game and now have the depth to have a better secondary with Smith back.
When he is healthy and on the field, Smith is one of the best cornerbacks in the NFL and is looking to make his 2018 debut hopefully this Sunday.
The secondary has shut out receiving cores like the Bengals, Broncos, and Steelers after bad starts in each of those games.
Eric Weddle and Tony Jefferson have made plays so far this year, most recently with Jefferson stripping the ball from Vance McDonald and giving the Ravens an edge from the start of the Steelers game.
Marlon Humphery and Brandon Carr have looked great on the outside with Tavon Young in the slot, other than the Bengals game. Carr had two key pass breakups that could have led to Steelers touchdowns and both Humphery and Carr (who has an interception this season) combined have double-digit pass breakups (11 pass deflections).
Both Michael Pierce and C.J. Mosley playing in this game made an impact as Mosley missed most of the Bengals game and all of the Broncos game with a knee bone bruise. Pierce missed last week with a foot injury and both him and Mosley made a big impact in stopping James Conner.
Rookie Kenny Young looked good once again as the rotation second inside linebacker with Patrick Onwuasor rotating as the other starter in the middle.
Rookie tight end Hayden Hurst had a stress foot fracture last month and is hopefully looking to make his debut in Week 5 against the Cleveland Browns as he was listed as a late inactive last night. Willie Henry also was practicing last week as he could play as soon as this week as he was dealing with an abdomen injury the last couple weeks.
If everyone that has been out so far comes back healthy and ready, this Ravens team could be even better than they are right now.