Steelers vs. Ravens Bold Predictions: T.J. Watt Changes Game

Pat Freiermuth Keeps Momentum Going

It's been a bit of a struggle for Freiermuth this season, as he hasn't consistently gotten on the same page with Rodgers and saw Darnell Washington become a preferred option over him in the passing game at tight end.

With Washington on the reserve/injured list after breaking his arm in Cleveland, though, Freiermuth has an opportunity to receive a lion's share of the snaps and make a difference against the Ravens.

Freiermuth logged a combined 40 yards on back-to-back catches during Pittsburgh's final drive of the game against the Browns, and he must remain a chain-mover if the team has hopes of taking down Baltimore this weekend.

Steelers Don't Let Derrick Henry Control Game

Henry was a force to be reckoned with in the Ravens' season-saving Week 17 victory over the Green Bay Packers, rushing for 216 yards and four touchdowns on 36 carries while two-time MVP quarterback Lamar Jackson sat out with a back injury.

Jackson will be back in action at Acrisure Stadium, but it's fair to assume that Baltimore will keep feeding the rock to Henry in hopes of him carrying it to another win.

Pittsburgh's run defense has improved significantly over the past month or so, and while there really isn't any stopping Henry, the unit is good enough to at least slow him down and force the Ravens to find other ways to generate offense.

T.J. Watt Returns with a Bang

The Steelers need contributions from up and down the roster for this game, and achieving that goal became a little easier when it became clear that they'd have a relatively clean bill of health.

Among the injured players set to return in this one for Pittsburgh is outside linebacker T.J. Watt, who had missed each of the team's last three games after undergoing surgery for a partially collapsed lung that arose from dry needling treatment he received.

Regardless of if Watt takes on his normal workload, he'll find a way to leave his footprint in this contest. With 43 pressures, seven sacks and three forced fumbles in 13 games thus far, the former AP Defensive Player of the Year will find a way to record a quarterback takedown, record a turnover or perhaps both this weekend.

Pittsburgh Loses Nailbiter

This matchup will likely be heavy on the run game for both sides, and though both Jaylen Warren and Kenneth Gainwell have the ability to gash opposing defenses, Henry has the upper hand in this case.

Jackson isn't as much of a factor on the ground at the moment as he has been throughout the majority of his career while dealing with several injuries, but he doesn't need to run for a ton of yards in order to be effective overall.

Rodgers and the Steelers' offense won't have as much trouble moving the ball as they did last week, and their defense should hold up well enough, but it won't matter in the end as the Ravens capture a 20-17 win while Pittsburgh is eliminated from playoff contention.

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