Until the Seattle Seahawks and San Francisco 49ers emerged as one of the NFL’s best rivalries, the Baltimore Ravens and Pittsburgh Steelers was the most-anticipated game around. Two blue-collar towns with smashmouth defenses going at it for love of the game as well as pride was not to be missed. So while the Steelers are just 1-4 to start the 2013 season, and although the Ravens have fallen off considerably since their Super Bowl run last year, today’s 4:25 EST / 1:25 kickoff is bound to give plenty of intrigue. It may not justify TV time, leading people to watch Ravens vs Steelers game live online free streaming using one of several different methods, but it will certainly provide some level of entertainment.
The story in any Ravens vs. Steelers game begins with the quarterback. “Big Ben” Roethlisberger has slowly racked up decent statistics for the Steelers, having gone 126-192 for 1,495 yards and six touchdowns on the season. Those figures are good enough for a 19th spot in the NFL’s QBR rankings, a middle-of-the-pack location in spite of being hampered in the first two games because of injuries. The Ravens’ Joe Flacco has seemingly fared better after his Super Bowl appearance, going 136-235 for 1,702 yards and seven touchdowns. Yet that stat-line through six weeks has actually earned him a spot below Roethlisberger on the QBR rankings, sliding into the the 24th spot.
So this week’s rivalry story when you watch Ravens vs Steelers game live online free streaming won’t be the quarterbacks as much as it will the defense. The Steelers’ pass rush hasn’t been great this season, and they had just four sacks before dropping Geno Smith three times in their win over the Jets last Sunday. The Steelers have been getting pressure from their defensive ends, so it’ll be interesting to see how often the Steelers blitz Ravens QB Flacco. Since Torrey Smith is really the Ravens’ only receiving threat, the Steelers may leave their defensive backs in single coverage and really go after Flacco.
Interestingly, the pros at ESPN are almost all picking the Steelers to win. Maybe it’s because the Ravens are averaging just 72.7 yards per game rushing, sixth-fewest in the NFL. Maybe it’s because Baltimore is on the verge of falling below .500 through its first seven games for the first time since 2005. Maybe it’s because the Steelers committed zero turnovers against the Jets after committing 11 during their previous games, or because they had two takeaways after creating none beforehand. Regardless, momentum seems to be in the Steelers’ favor.
Except, perhaps, on the sideline. It wouldn’t be appropriate to not bring up the hilarity of some of the rules Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin has instituted as his team has struggled to get a single victory. The Steelers coach banned games from the locker room in the week leading up to the team’s 19-6 win over the New York Jets. Perhaps thinking the victory was a result from the rule, Tomlin has now told players they no longer can do somersaults into the end zone after scores. Most folks wouldn’t fault Pittsburgh’s players from celebrating a seemingly small positive like a touchdown, especially not after this season’s woes, but Coach Tomlin apparently does. If it ends up in a victory against the Ravens, who knows what crazy rule he’ll institute next week.
And a victory is just what the pundits are predicting. Kickoff for today’s game is scheduled for 4:25 EST / 1:25 EST on CBS, or you can watch Ravens vs Steelers game live online free streaming on DirecTV’s website if you have the NFL Sunday Ticket Package. Although the package itself requires a subscription, anyone can watch the live streaming version free if they have it. Watching the action unfold at Heinz Field today in Pittsburgh should be great, no matter what the records of these two teams would lead you to believe.
