JuJu Smith-Schuster

The Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Ravens played a game at 3:40 p.m. on a Wednesday with the quality you would expect from a football game played at 3:40 p.m. on a Wednesday.

In the end, all that matters is the Steelers kept their undefeated dream alive.

Ben Roethlisberger threw for 266 yards and a touchdown and the Steelers defense locked down against Baltimore's depleted offense on their way to a 19-14 victory.

The Ravens had 17 players on the reserve/COVID-19 list after a teamwide outbreak caused this game, originally scheduled for Thanksgiving night, to be pushed back six days. They were without quarterback Lamar Jackson, running backs Mark Ingram II and J.K. Dobbins and tight end Mark Andrews on offense. Their defense had to make do without Calais Campbell, Matthew Judon and Pernell McPhee. 

While Baltimore put up a valiant effort, playing without so many stars on both sides of the ball eventually took its toll. Starting in place of Jackson, Robert Griffin III struggled mightily through the air, while Justice Hill and Gus Edwards failed to provide Ingram-Dobbins production. 

Baltimore accounted for just 219 yards of total offense and turned the ball over twice.

Notable Stats

Steelers

QB Ben Roethlisberger: 36-51, 266 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT
RB Benny Snell Jr.: 16 carries, 60 yards, 3 receptions, 33 yards
WR JuJu Smith-Schuster: 8 receptions, 37 yards, 1 TD
WR Chase Claypool: 6 receptions, 52 yards

Ravens

QB Robert Griffin III: 7-12, 33 yards, 1 INT, 7 carries, 68 yards
QB Trace McSorley: 2-6, 77 yards, 1 TD, 3 carries, 16 yards
WR Marquise Brown: 4 receptions, 85 yards, 1 TD

The Steelers May Have a Ben Roethlisberger Problem

The Steelers are making the playoffs, and they're almost certainly going to be one of the top two seeds in the AFC. Roethlisberger is certainly a good enough quarterback to win in the regular season.

His ability to be a Super Bowl-winning quarterback at this juncture of his career is far more questionable.

The 38-year-old has made things work this season largely as a dink-and-dunk game manager. He averaged just 4.7 air yards per completion coming into this week, a number that certainly isn't rising after he threw for 266 yards on 36 completions. His average air yards differential is in line with the Carson Wentzes and Sam Darnolds of the world; he's essentially only completing passes right in front of his face.

Stats like QBR (where Roethlisberger ranked 19th) and DVOA (14th) are a better barometer of where Roethlisberger stands than his 101.1 standard quarterback rating coming into this week. 

The defense has been so sensational all season that the Steelers have rarely (if ever) asked Roethlisberger to win them games. It's unclear if he has the capability to do so; the ugly-duck interception he threw in the end zone Wednesday is indicative of the type of gunslinger plays Roethlisberger used to make but can't anymore. It's far from the only duck Roethlisberger has thrown in those under-pressure situations this season. 

The Steelers have just been strong enough defensively that none of them have come back to bite them. The margin shrinks to nothing in the postseason. Roethlisberger deserves all the credit in the world for coming back and performing at the level he has after an injury-riddled 2019. It's just fair to be skeptical whether he can still perform when it matters most.

Ravens' Playoff Hopes Could Be Helped By Weak Schedule

The Ravens, for more reasons than one, are a team in disarray. They've lost three straight games and won't have much time to lick their wounds before Tuesday's game against the Dallas Cowboys. 

It's unclear how Baltimore will look coming into that game. Some players may come off the COVID list, and more may find their way on. Trace McSorley looks like he earned himself a start over Griffin with his late-game performance if Jackson is unable to return. 

For now, though, the Ravens' playoff hopes are in severe jeopardy. They are now a full game behind the Indianapolis Colts and Miami Dolphins on the Nos. 6-7 line and trending downward.

If there's any saving grace, it's Baltimore's weak schedule down the stretch. The Ravens' final five opponents have a combined record of 18-36-1. Eight of those wins are owned by the Cleveland Browns. The Cowboys, Jaguars, Bengals and Giants are a combined 10-33-1.

Even a depleted version of the Ravens should escape with three wins. Get a fourth, and they're 10-6 and likely sneaking into the playoffs. 

With Tuesday night's game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Ravens in doubt, receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster has come up with a new plan for the divisional matchup:

The Steelers and Ravens were initially supposed to play Thursday night but the game was moved to Sunday and eventually Tuesday out of concern for COVID-19. The Ravens have placed 18 players on the reserve/COVID list this week.

ESPN's Adam Schefter reported the NFL cancelled the Ravens' practice Monday, causing cornerback Marlon Humphrey to suggest a virtual replacement.

Smith-Schuster is an avid Madden player and competed against fans at times during this offseason. However, he might be careful what he wishes for if wideout Marquise Brown represents the Ravens. Brown won a celebrity Madden tournament in April, defeating Snoop Dogg in the finals.

The Steelers are 10-0 on the field this season, but an online matchup could yield different results.

Dallas Cowboys defensive end Randy Gregory apparently played the role of George Teague in Sunday's 24-19 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Steelers wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster helped cut into Dallas' lead in the fourth quarter with a 31-yard touchdown reception. He appeared to be running toward midfield before Gregory knocked the ball out of his hand:

Smith-Schuster confirmed after the game he intended to mimic Terrell Owens, who infamously celebrated twice on the Cowboys' star logo at midfield after TD receptions:

Teague forever wrote his name into Cowboys lore when he intervened during Owens' second celebration in 2000. As Owens was emphatically placing the ball at midfield, Teague ran into the Hall of Famer:

Gregory made a far more subtle intervention, and it looked like defensive tackle Antwaun Woods was ready to step in as well. Woods briefly followed Smith-Schuster after he retrieved the ball.

"I saw a video before the game that had him on the star," Woods said after the game, per Clarence Hill Jr. of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. "I knew that was something he might do. I was going to make sure he didn’t get there. We have zero tolerance for that."

Owens' actions are 20 years old, but they're clearly not forgotten in Dallas.

Pittsburgh Steelers running back James Conner and wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster found out the hard way how seriously the NFL takes its dress code policy.

Smith-Schuster posted on Instagram that he and Conner were both fined $5,000 for sock violations during Week 7 against the Tennessee Titans:

The letter Smith-Schuster received about his fine said his "stocking failed to cover your lower leg."

Per the official NFL rulebook, player stockings "must cover the entire area from the shoe to the bottom of the pants, and must meet the pants below the knee."

The NFL is notoriously strict when it comes to uniform violations. Peyton Manning was informed he would face a $25,000 fine when he wanted to wear black high tops during a 2002 game with the Indianapolis Colts as a tribute to Johnny Unitas.

Even though Smith-Schuster and Conner will have a little less money in their bank accounts, they can take solace in their 28-24 win over the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday.

The Steelers (7-0) are the NFL's last remaining undefeated team heading into their Week 9 meeting with the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday.

The Pittsburgh Steelers came into the 2020 season in relatively uncharted territory. For the first time since 2012 and 2013, the Steelers had missed the postseason in back-to-back seasons. With Ben Roethlisberger on the shelf most of the 2019 season, Pittsburgh won just eight games—tied for the franchise's fewest since 2003.

This is not an organization accustomed to mediocrity.

Well, the 2020 Steelers are many things, but mediocre isn't one of them. After downing the rival Ravens in Baltimore on Sunday to take a commanding lead in the AFC North, the Steelers are a perfect 7-0—the last remaining unbeaten team in the NFL.

Pittsburgh is more than just the best team in the division. A pretty compelling argument can be made that the Steelers are the best team in the NFL.

In fact, this may well be the best Steelers team of the Roethlisberger era.

Sunday's big win over the Ravens wasn't a stylish one, as the Steelers were outgained 457-221 and allowed a whopping 265 rushing yards. But Pittsburgh's league-leading defense made big plays when it needed to, sacking Lamar Jackson four times and forcing four turnovers, including a pick-six on the first drive of the game.

As Allison Koehler wrote for Steelers Wire, Roethlisberger was the first to acknowledge that Sunday's win wasn't pretty.

"It's not always pretty," Roethlisberger said. "But we find a way to get it done. I'm just so happy for these guys."

The 38-year-old quarterback also made a point of congratulating the defense for its big plays in the win.

"I'm just glad they're my defense," Roethlisberger said. "They're so much fun to have as a part of this game. They stepped up when they needed to."

Make no mistake: The defense is the engine that drives this Pittsburgh team. Led by one of the top contenders to win Defensive Player of the Year honors in fourth-year edge-rusher T.J. Watt, the Steelers entered Week 8 leading the league in total defense (286.3 yards per game) and sacks (26), ranked sixth in pass defense (217.5 yards per game), second against the run (68.8 yards per game) and sixth in points allowed (19.7 points per game).

Now, that run defense number will go up a fair bit after what the Ravens did in Week 8. But Pittsburgh's defense is as good as any in the NFL. There are difference-makers at all three levels, whether it's Cameron Heyward and Stephon Tuitt up front, Watt and Bud Dupree at linebacker or Minkah Fitzpatrick and Steven Nelson in the secondary.

This defense lost its best inside linebacker in Devin Bush to a torn ACL and hasn't missed a beat—replacement Robert Spillane had the Steelers' pick-six in Sunday's win.

The Pittsburgh offense may not be as formidable as the defense, but it's hardly a liability. The yardage numbers haven't been great—Pittsburgh came into Week 8 21st in total offense. But the Steelers ranked sixth in scoring entering Sunday's game, averaging 30.5 points per contest.

According to Football Outsiders, Pittsburgh's offensive line entered Week 8 a so-so 17th in the league in run blocking. But just three teams (the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Los Angeles Rams and Tennessee Titans) had been better in pass protection.

In his 17th NFL season, Roethlisberger may no longer be the mad bomber who threw for 5,129 yards and 34 scores in the long-ago days of 2018—especially after the elbow injury that ended his 2019 campaign two games in. The 241 passing yards per game that Roethlisberger was averaging entering this week would represent his lowest full-season output since 2008.

But Roethlisberger also isn't making mistakes with the ball, as he has just four interceptions and the highest passer rating (99.8) he's posted since 2014.

Even if Roethlisberger isn't the player he once was, he's still plenty capable of getting it done.

Of course, it doesn't hurt that Roethlisberger has a deep and talented group of receivers at his disposal. JuJu Smith-Schuster leads the team in targets and catches after reeling in seven passes for 67 yards against the Ravens. Rookie Chase Claypool caught his fifth touchdown pass of the season Sunday and came into Week 8 averaging a gaudy 18.5 yards per reception. Diontae Johnson has taken a big step forward in his second season. Tight end Eric Ebron caught a touchdown pass Sunday and is building a rapport with Roethlisberger.

The Steelers are hardly a one-dimensional team offensively, either. Running back James Conner is on pace to rush for over 1,100 yards and is averaging 4.5 yards per carry. Youngster Benny Snell Jr. has shown he can handle a featured back workload if needed.

The Steelers may not have the offensive firepower of the Kansas City Chiefs, but they aren't that far off.

And that's the thing about these Steelers that's so impressive: They don't have a glaring weakness. They can run the ball. They can move the ball through the air. And they can most assuredly play defense.

This isn't the first time Roethlisberger has found himself at the helm of a formidable team. Far from it. In Big Ben's first season, the Steelers went 15-1, and the team has won 12 or more games five times since Roethlisberger took over as the starting quarterback.

There's also the whole winning the Super Bowl twice thing, if you're into trophies.

But this 17th iteration of the Roethlisberger-led Steelers may just be the best of the lot. A fearsome combination of talent and balance. If the offense isn't firing on all cylinders, the defense can pick up the slack. On the rare occasions when the defense falters, the offense can put 30-plus points on the board.

If there was any doubt that these Steelers were for real, it's been settled with wins over the Tennessee Titans and Ravens the past two weeks.

Now the question is whether this is the best Steelers team with Roethlisberger under center.