Week 1 Highlights: Pittsburgh Vs Ravens

This Week 1 classic contest saw the two AFC North powerhouses, and perennial playoff participants duke it out for early-season bragging rights.

And it transpired to be a tale of two quarterbacks. The scoreline – 35-7 – was an unexpected rout, with travelling Ravens Quarterback, the inconsistent but steadily maturing Joe Flacco putting in a superb passing performance for a team still trying to shake its run-heavy reputation.

That’s really the story here: sure, in the first game of a season following a shortened and uncertain off-season any team – even the Superbowl runners-up – can look a bit rusty, but where the Steelers will look the shake off the summer-break blues, the ravens need only continue in the same vein. The grace of their play is typical of their new identity. With a bevy of safe handed receivers out on the edge and Joe Flacco’s growing confidence, this team could finally get over the hurdle of surviving the playoffs and return to the Superbowl for the second time in this young franchise’s history.

Flacco threw for 3 touchdowns on his way to 224 yards, no interceptions and a QB rating of 117.6. Those are Pro Bowl calibre stats, and given the ravens sole championship came with Trent Dilfer – a workhorse journeyman; effective but unremarkable – at Quarterback, this talented unit has reason to feel optimistic should Flacco perpetuate his form.

Conversely, tried and tested two-time Superbowl winning Quarterback, Ben Roethlisberger looked bad. Although his finishing the game with no touchdowns and a worrying 3 interceptions says just as much about the Ravens pass coverage as it does his level of play, Big Ben knows this defence and is usually better at protecting the football.

I imagine that neither team will continue to play at this level. The Ravens will lose games against softer opponents and the Steelers will no doubt recapture their form in time to make the playoffs.

In my opinion both will survive into January, but on this evidence the Ravens have to fancy themselves to qualify as division champions. That said, should the Patriots and Texans (my picks for the top two seeds in the AFC) falter, the Steelers and the Ravens could be the teams to fill their shoes.


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