The Pittsburgh Steelers are in the midst of the 2024 regular season, and with it being the team’s latest game fans’ hopes remain high heading into the second half of the season. The hope is there is a winning performance on the horizon on Sunday in Week 11 when the team hosts the Baltimore Ravens.

What exactly do the Steelers need to do to on defense to claim their eighth victory of 2024? Let’s break it down…

Defense

Slow Down the Run

There are some units which you don’t say you’re going to stop them, but you just hope to slow them down. The Baltimore Ravens running defense would definitely be that type of running game. But it isn’t as if the Ravens run offense is great and they are going against a sub-par run defense.

Far from it.

• Baltimore Rushing YPG: 182.6 (1st)
• Pittsburgh Rushing Defense YPGL 87.1 (4th)

Can the Steelers limit what the Ravens running attack of Lamar Jackson, Derrick Henry and Justice Hill? Or will they run on Pittsburgh and dictate the style of the game?

Stand Tall in Key Areas

When I refer to “key areas” I’m talking about the red-zone and 3rd downs. Let’s do some comparisons in these departments:

Red-Zone TD Conversion Percentages

• Baltimore Offense: 76.7% (1st)
• Pittsburgh Defense: 44.4% (T-4th)

3rd Down Conversion Percentages

• Baltimore Offense: 47.2% (4th)
• Pittsburgh Defense: 34.8% (10th)

When the game ends, regardless of who is the victor in the game, you can likely look back at these areas of the game and see the team who won, also winning in these areas. It will be pertinent for the Steelers to win in these key areas.

Force Mistakes

The Ravens haven’t turned the ball over a lot this season, only 6 times (2 INT and 4 Fumbles) to be exact, but when I say the Steelers need to force mistakes it isn’t just in turnovers.

If you look back at the last few games the Steelers and Ravens have played, there have been some mistakes which aren’t just when they turn it over.

I’m sure people remember Tyler Linderbaum snapping the ball when the offense wasn’t ready at the end of the 1st half which kept the Ravens from scoring points to end the half. There have been numerous drops by Baltimore receivers in these games. Lamar Jackson’s ill-advised pass which was intercepted by Joey Porter Jr.

These are the type of mistakes which the Steelers defense can force. If those mistakes result in takeaways, that’s great, but it isn’t always necessary.

I talk about this, and MUCH more on the “Let’s Ride”, and you can hear that podcast in the player below this article. In the meantime, be sure to stay tuned to SCN for the latest news and notes surrounding the team as they gear up for game time!