Pittsburgh Pundit Says Steelers Are Trying to Be the Ravens
It's been a noteworthy offseason for the Pittsburgh Steelers, and one pundit believes the team's moves were largely made with the Ravens in mind.
Steelers Now’s Alan Saunders contended that the Steelers tailored their roster with the goal not only of defeating the two-time defending AFC North champion Ravens, but also of becoming them.
"A hundred percent the Steelers are trying to be the Ravens and are trying to defeat the Ravens with their own game," Saunders said. "Let's be honest: If the Steelers win the AFC North, if they go out and they're better than the Ravens, beat them on the field, win the division, that's what they need to do to put themselves in the best possible scenario to go win a playoff game or two.
"The Bengals are a good team and they're a different challenge, but they're ain't nobody [at Steelers headquarters] sweating over the Bengals, even though they're very good, the way they're worried about the Baltimore Ravens. That's just how it is."
Saunders pointed to the Ravens' dominant, 28-14 win over the Steelers in the wild-card round last January as a motivating factor in Pittsburgh's offseason decisions.
"I don't think it's a coincidence that you give up 299 yards rushing in a playoff game and then you go use your first-round pick on a defensive tackle," Saunders said. "Oh, and by the way, another pick on a defensive tackle, and an edge rusher who specializes in stopping the run. And then you sign away Baltimore's biggest linebacker [Malik Harrison]. That happens directly because of what happened in that playoff game."
Saunders argued the Steelers traded for tight end Jonnu Smith in an effort to replicate the Ravens' dynamic tight end duo of Mark Andrews and Isaiah Likely with Smith and Pat Freiermuth.
"What the Ravens have with Mark Andrews and Isaiah Likely is very unique," Saunders said. "It puts a ton of stress on a defense, in addition to everything else the Ravens are doing, because you have to take your big linebacker off the field because he can't cover either of those guys. So, how do you defend it? It's difficult.
"And I think all those moves the Steelers made to upgrade the defensive line, bringing in Malik Harrison, even [trading for cornerback] Jalen Ramsey, I think helps in terms of how you deal with Isaiah Likely."
Harrison is the third former member of the Ravens' defense to join the Steelers over the past year. Pittsburgh signed inside linebacker Patrick Queen and safety DeShon Elliott last offseason.
Ravens, Lamar Jackson Are Betting Favorites to Win Super Bowl, MVP Award
The Ravens appear to have everything it takes to win the Super Bowl, and oddsmakers agree.
The Baltimore Sun’s Bennett Conlin noted that DraftKings and FanDuel both list the Ravens as favorites to hoist the Lombardi Trophy.
"DraftKings gives the Ravens +650 odds to win it all, which are the same odds as the Eagles and Bills," Conlin wrote. "Philadelphia will enter the upcoming season as the defending Super Bowl champion, and Buffalo knocked Baltimore out of the playoffs this past season but fell short of reaching the Super Bowl because of an AFC championship game loss to the Chiefs. Both the Eagles and Bills return their respective head coaches and starting quarterbacks.
"On FanDuel, the Ravens and Bills are tied with the shortest championship odds at +700. The Eagles are close behind at +750."
Conlin also pointed out that two-time MVP Lamar Jackson is the betting favorite on FanDuel to win the award in 2025, at +500. Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen, who narrowly beat out Jackson for MVP last season, has the second-best odds (+600).
Five Ravens (But Not Jackson) Named Best Pick Ever in Their Draft Slot
ESPN’s Ben Solak named the best pick at each slot of the draft (Nos. 1-262) going back to 1967. Five Ravens draft picks received the honor.
Here are the four Ravens picks chosen in the top 100:
No. 24 S Ed Reed (2002)
"I picked Reed over Aaron Rodgers here, which is likely my most controversial selection. Safety is an impossible position to rack up counting stats – the whole point is that you're away from the ball – yet Reed accumulated 64 picks in only 174 games. That's second all-time and easily the best of the modern era.
"Listen to guys like Bill Belichick and Peyton Manning talk about Reed, and it becomes easy to call him the best safety of all time; I'm pretty confident he is, even over Ronnie Lott. And I think the best safety ever clears a quarterback who wasn't ever the best of his era, despite his four MVPs."
No. 26 LB Ray Lewis
"Pretty easy selection here, as Lewis is arguably the best off-ball linebacker in NFL history. Thirteen Pro Bowls in 17 seasons with 10 All-Pro considerations (seven on the first team) and a Super Bowl MVP to boot. What more is there to say?"
No. 83 OT Orlando Brown Jr. (2018)
"I gave Brown and his Pro Bowl appearances (four straight from 2019 to 2022) the lean over Ed McCaffrey and his Super Bowl wins (three rings but only one Pro Bowl)."
No. 94 DT Brandon Williams (2013)
"Another great 'That Guy,' Williams was a fierce nose tackle for some excellent Ravens defenses in the 2010s. He has a Super Bowl ring and a Pro Bowl, which is more than you can say for almost anyone else selected at pick No. 94."
Quarterback Tyrod Taylor, who the Ravens selected in 2011 at No. 180, also made the list.
Solak gave former New Orleans Saints and San Diego Chargers quarterback Drew Brees the nod at No. 32 over Jackson.
"Picking between Brees and Lamar Jackson was agonizing, so I chickened out and picked the guy whose career is over, and as such requires no prognostication," Solak wrote. "While Brees never won a regular-season MVP, he did win a Super Bowl and a Super Bowl MVP, and I imagine Jackson would trade his two MVPs for Lombardi hardware right about now. This pick might flip by next season, though …"
Running back Derrick Henry, who was drafted by the Tennessee Titans in 2016, was the choice at No. 45.
