I think they might be a little worried......just a tad.
This week in the AFC North the two Ohio teams sit home on their bye week. Even though only half the division will be in action doesn’t mean this will be a down week in the AFC North. There will be plenty of drama in both games and they’re sure to be pretty entertaining.
Carolina Panthers @ Baltimore Ravens 1 Pm
This will easily be one of the most anticipated games not only of the week but of the year. The Carolina Panthers make the trip to Baltimore Maryland where they’ll find former face of the franchise, wide receiver Steve Smith. The Panthers let Smith go in the off season and if you haven’t seen the video of him screaming his message to his former team in week 1, well it obvious he’s upset.
Smith and quarterback has been on fire so far this year going over a 100 yards receiving in two of the Ravens three games. Quarterback Joe Flacco will rely on him a lot more now with Dennis Pitta out for the forceable future.
Only problem with that plan is that the Panthers have one of the best pass defenses in the league. Building on their success from last year the Panthers are ranked ninth in the league in pass defense. Everyone wants to see the Ravens go to Smith early and often but with the Panthers dominate pass defense that might not be the best strategy.
Carolina’s rush defense is ranked 27th in the league and even though their run defense is better than 27th in the league relying on the running game looks to be a good bet. Last week running back Lorenzo Taliaferro played well with Bernard Pierce out. With the Ravens coming into the game with all three of their running backs you have to like the chances that they’ll lean on the running game.
Prediction: Panthers 17 - Ravens 21
Tampa Bay Buccaneers @ Pittsburgh Steelers 1 Pm
The Steelers go into this game as heavy favorites with their high powered offense. Fantasy owners will be licking their chops looking at this matchup. The Steelers are the in the top five teams in the NFL when it comes to total yards a night. Le’Veon Bell after playing well in his rookie season has turned into a dominate runner. Him and LeGarrette Blount might be the most imitating backfield tandem through the first three weeks.
On the other side of the field the Buccaneers rank 20th overall and the disaster on Monday Night Football, Bell should be your starting running back. What will make it harder on the below average Tampa defense is that this year Ben Roethlisberger has a couple playmakers around him in the passing game. Antonio Brown has been on fire this year and Tampa isn’t much better at defending the pass.
I expect to see a balanced attack from Pittsburgh this week and their big three on offense should be in for a big day. If you want proof go back and watch when the Buccaneers traveled to Atlanta for Monday Night Football. And please for adults only the children shouldn’t have to see a massacre of that magnitude.
What I want to see from this game is the Steelers defense to step up and become the Steelers defense. So far this year the Steelers are ranked 22nd in rushing yards which isn’t like the Steelers we know from the glory days. They also need to cause more turnovers, as of right now that have no interceptions and only two forced fumbles. To be successful they will need to step it up and dominate a young less talented team. Hopefully James Harrison can bring back some of that old school Steelers mentality.
Prediction: Buccaneers 7 - Steelers 38