The Baltimore Ravens will be looking for a rare win against their division rivals when they visit the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday.
The Steelers have won three of the last four meetings between the teams – and seven of the last eight in Pittsburgh - and come into the Sunday as one of only three undefeated teams left in the NFL.
Without starting quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, who is sitting out a four-game suspension, the Steelers have managed to win their last two games on the road, with Charlie Batch at the head of the attack last week.
Batch played a conservative game against Tampa Bay but still managed to complete 12 of 17 passes for 186 yards and three touchdowns in the 38-13 thrashing.
The veteran backup will get another start this week, though Pittsburgh figures to focus more on a ground game that ranks third in the NFL in this AFC North matchup. Led by Rashard Mendenhall’s 332 yards, the Steelers are averaging 150 rushing yards per game.
Mendenhall is likely to get a workout again as Pittsburgh tries to avoid throwing too much against the Ravens’ No. 1-ranked pass defense, which is allowing just 116.7 yards per game through the air.
The Steelers are doing their best defensive work against the run, allowing just 59.7 yards per game - good for third in the league. They could get a break on Sunday as well, with Ravens starting running back Ray Rice missing Wednesday’s practice while nursing a bruised right knee.
Rice is the only running back to go over 100 yards in a game against the Steelers in their last 37 regular-season contests, rushing for 141 on 30 carries last December at Heinz Field in a 23-20 loss.
He rushed for 88 yards and added 67 receiving yards in the Ravens’ 20-17 overtime win in Baltimore last November. But even if Rice is unable to take the field, Baltimore will still give Pittsburgh’s run defense its biggest test with Willis McGahee and Le’Ron McClain taking the handoffs.
The Steelers also do a fine job of getting to the quarterback, ranking first in the AFC with 10 sacks. That will be key against Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco, who broke out of a funk last week and began to connect with his new No. 1 receiver, Anquan Boldin.
Flacco and Boldin hooked up for three touchdowns, with Boldin accounting for 142 of Flacco’s 262 passing yards in a 24-17 win over the Cleveland Browns. The duo gave Baltimore the lead in the fourth quarter when Flacco found Boldin with a 27-yard scoring pass at the 9:13 mark.
The Ravens waived veteran defensive end Trevor Pryce on Wednesday in order to make room for safety Ken Hamlin, who figures to see most of his action on special teams against the Steelers.