“Down by the river
I shot my baby.”
(c) 1969, by Neil Young and Crazy Horse
So Division Week came and went, albeit in slightly different fashion than envisioned. The Steelers may very well have been shot, having been routed by the Bengals in a 31-point loss that exposed far more than just injury issues. The Ravens pulled off another improbable win despite four turnovers from QB Lamar Jackson, who actually had to rely on his much-maligned defense for a change. The Browns remain the maddening, underachieving bunch they’ve been all season. And we’re still no closer to defining a division champ.
Damn.
These picks are for fun and should in no way be used for actual wagering purposes. That is, unless you want to make a ton of money in a legal forum, because we know more stuff and things about football than you do or something.
Los Angeles Chargers (6-5) @ Cincinnati Bengals (7-4)
Sunday, December 5, 1:00 pm, CBS
The very unpredictable Chargers travel to Cincinnati in one of the better matchups of the week. Both teams feature young, upside-heavy QBs, underrated rushing attacks and premier weapons at WR. Both also feature confounding defenses, displaying equal parts brilliance and inconsistency. One would expect this to be the first of many matchups, possibly in the playoffs, between these two clubs, who both appear to be on a real upswing as far as team development is concerned.
The Bengals will undoubtedly attack through the air first, as the Chargers’ secondary has been battered with injuries outside of all-everything safety Derwin James, who leads the team in tackles and remains a formidable force at almost every level. Bengals QB Joe Burrow will rely on his dangerous receiving corp led by rookie Ja’Marr Chase, supplemented by the timely rushing of RB Joe Mixon. In identical fashion, Chargers QB Justin Herbert will look for and find his favorite target, WR Keenan Allen, who currently ranks third in the NFL in receptions with 81, with RB Austin Ekeler finding rushing lanes open as a result. The Bengals defense, led by unheralded second-year LB Logan Wilson, will undoubtedly have its hands full.
“Buckle up.” This one will be a proverbial track meet.
Chargers 30, Bengals 34
Baltimore Ravens (8-3) @ Pittsburgh Steelers (5-5-1)
Sunday, December 5, 4:25 pm, CBS
Man, what a rough year.
Both teams have taken their lumps. The Ravens’ warts are mostly the result of their vast injury issues, a good deal of which happened in the preseason. The Steelers’ problems stem primarily from the offseason bloodletting along the offensive line, and it should be noted they’ve experienced their share of injuries as well.
Ravens QB Lamar Jackson, often mentioned as a potential MVP candidate for his fourth quarter exploits this season, has hit the skids, tossing five interceptions in the last three weeks while missing a game to an unidentified illness. As mentioned above, Jackson was buoyed by his defense last week against the Browns, and while in normal years this would’ve been routine, this year’s Ravens defense has been anything but steadying, let alone effective, against any sort of passing attack. It should be noted Jackson was able to rally his troops for a final field goal drive, cinching the game in typical hectic fashion.
The sledding, as they say, gets tougher this week. For all the doomcriers inside and outside Pittsburgh, this is still one of the truly fun rivalries the NFL has to offer, and I expect the usual chippiness, raw brutality and excess penalty flags in abundance. Even with their offensive line issues and problematic injuries on defense, the Steelers plan to employ the same game plan they used against the Ravens last season, when they managed to garner a sweep, and it may just work again. Jackson hasn’t shown any real proficiency in beating the spate of blitzes he’s seeing, and the Steelers have no reason not to pressure Jackson as much as possible to try to force more turnovers from the suddenly loose-handed QB.
The Steelers will most likely implement a few changes to their offensive line this week, although it probably won’t amount to much – the talent simply doesn’t exist in the organization to make any real improvements this season. QB Ben Roethlisberger will continue to use a quick release to avoid the pass rush; he’ll need it against Ravens blitz-happy defensive coordinator Don “Wink” Martindale, who must be licking his prodigious chops at the prospect of sending rushers through the subpar Steelers blocking front. The Steelers could offset this with better run blocking, but…yeah.
It’ll be low-scoring and bloody, as usual.
Ravens 20, Steelers 16
Go Team.
