Ravens Exercising Caution on Special Teams vs. Steelers

The Baltimore Ravens know how opportunistic their rivals can be on special teams.

Dec 10, 2023; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Baltimore Ravens place kicker Justin Tucker (9) celebrates a field goal against the Los Angeles Rams with punter Jordan Stout (11) during the first quarter at M&T Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jessica Rapfogel-Imagn Images / Jessica Rapfogel-Imagn Images

Sunday's matchup between the Baltimore Ravens and Pittsburgh Steelers will be a battle of strengths, as the former's dynamic offense will meet the latter's stingy defense.

However, there's also the matter of special teams. The third phase of the game may fall by the wayside sometimes, but both teams understand how truly important it is.

Last season, the Ravens learned that the hard way. With Baltimore leading 10-3 early in the fourth quarter in the Steel City, Pittsburgh safety Miles Killebrew burst through the line to block a Jordan Stout punt, sending the ball out of the end zone for a safety. That swung momentum completely in the Steelers' favor, and they eventually earned a 17-10 comeback victory.

This time around, the Ravens are taking extra care to ensure that doesn't happen again.

"We try to find, [and] we try to look at tendencies. We take a good look at ourselves and see, 'OK, what are we doing a lot of,' then, we try to change those things up," special teams coordinator Chris Horton said Thursday. "It's Pittsburgh week; anything is expected, right? Those guys will go out there ... we see this a lot in this trend. When we've played these guys, they do things that they don't normally do against other opponents, so we'll be prepared for every and anything. It's our job to go out there and execute in that moment."

That block wasn't a fluke either, as the Steelers boast one of the most aggressive special teams units in the league. In Week 6 against the Las Vegas Raiders, they blocked yet another punt courtesy of former Ravens linebacker Jeremiah Moon. Last week against the Washington Commanders, they jumped on a muffed punt and converted it into a touchdown. They also boldly attempted a fake punt earlier in the game that would've resulted in a first down if not for a dropped pass.

It's an incredibly opportunistic unit, and the Ravens must be ready for any and all tricks.

"For us, it's [about] taking a good look at ourselves, diving deep into how they kind of tried to attack us in the past, and we end up working from there," Horton said. "At the end of the day, those things happen a lot of the times because there's some breakdown in protection. So, for us, let's go out there, let's execute fundamentally, and let's be on point, because we do understand that we're going to face a good rush team."

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