If the Ravens are going to start 3-0 for just the second time in franchise history, some familiar and new signs must emerge in Pittsburgh on Monday night.
The NFL’s top-ranked defense must overcome injuries in its gimpy secondary, which could be susceptible to the Steelers’ running game on the perimeter, not to mention the big-play capability of quarterback Ben Roethlisberger.
Kicker Matt Stover must go back to being Mr. Reliable.
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And on offense, the Ravens must take a significant step forward in the passing game. That means rookie quarterback Joe Flacco needs to play his most pivotal role so far during his NFL infancy.
The Ravens have knocked off two divisional rivals by winning the field position battle, capitalizing on turnovers and dictating tempo by slamming the ball at defenses on the ground. In both victories, the Ravens owned possession time in the fourth quarter by relentlessly running the ball with a lead, enabling them to finish off Cincinnati and Cleveland.
That most likely will change at Heinz Field, where Flacco will have to be a major difference-maker in his first road game.
The Ravens clearly have established their physical mentality by averaging 190 rushing yards in two games — second-best in the league — but I don’t see the Steelers getting trampled. Pittsburgh has long built itself around stopping the run, and only Philadelphia has allowed fewer rushing yards than the Steelers’ 64.3 yards per game.
Even with injured nose tackle Casey Hampton out, the Steelers simply will not be run over, will not permit the Ravens to hold the ball for 37 minutes — their average time of possession.
The Steelers will force Flacco to make a handful of key plays, something you have to assume Roethlisberger is capable of, given the ability of a guy who won a Super Bowl in his second season.
Through the first two games, the Ravens wisely have assumed a run-first, run-last, burn-the-clock approach. They’ve asked Flacco to manage the game by minimizing mistakes and doing just enough as a passer to keep the defense honest.
It helps explain why the Ravens rank 29th in overall offense and 30th in passing yards with an average of just 125.5 yards.
Flacco showed his inexperience by throwing two ill-advised passes that turned into first-half interceptions during a 28-10 win over Cleveland last week. Still, through two games, the rookie has won over his teammates with his unflappable demeanor and his willingness to take what defenses are giving him — primarily on short, quick routes.
Flacco has completed 58.3 percent of his 48 attempts without throwing a touchdown pass, which explains his pedestrian 55.7 quarterback rating. Still, the Ravens are averaging a solid, 9.2 yards per completion.
“We have to run the ball to be successful, but Pittsburgh wants to make sure we can’t run the ball,” Ravens receiver Derrick Mason said. “We have to be able to make some plays in the passing game to get them off our running game. I’m very optimistic about what Joe can do.”
It will be interesting to see how Flacco responds to the third-and-long situations he’ll confront.
The Steelers have made a living for years confusing opposing quarterbacks with an array of zone blitzes. They will put a premium on forcing Flacco to solve those puzzles and make enough plays to stretch the Pittsburgh defense and keep the Ravens’ running game viable.
Look for the Ravens’ defense to bottle up rookie running back Rasher Mendenhall enough and pressure Roethlisberger enough to keep this game close.
But to get out of Pittsburgh undefeated, Flacco, for the first time, must be the difference.
