5 things Ravens HC John Harbaugh said about Diontae Johnson, Steelers
Throughout the NFL, no matchup is more anticipated than the classic rivalry that the Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Ravens -- and the teams never fail to personify expectations.
Both teams are just a little more amped up, a little more hungry and a little more motivated. The Steelers and Ravens each have a goal of playing a physical style of football -- one that just falls short of re-creation against opponents outside of one another.
If the Steelers win, they remain Kings of the AFC North and more space is between them and the Ravens at the end of 60 minutes. If Baltimore manages a win, it'll be neck-and-neck with Pittsburgh.
Here's what Ravens head coach John Harbaugh said in his preview of the Steelers this week:
1. On increasing Diontae Johnson's workload during Steelers week
Absolutely, absolutely. [It’s] the same kind of conversation, and [Diontae Johnson has] been here now for somewhat of a number of practices. Last week, we only had one practice. That was really where he got a chance to move around, but I would expect that to ramp up, yes.
2. On the Steelers season
If you want to win the division, you have to win division games, so that’s the deal. [The Steelers] have had a great season. They’ve done a great job against the people they’ve played against, and they’ve found ways to win [in] different kinds of ways.
3. On weight of matchup with Steelers
Every game is a big game, and that’s the thing in this league [that] I think is really important to understand. The more games you win, the better your position is, and it’s not like basketball or baseball, where you play all those game, or hockey. You only play 17 regular season games – soon to be 18 – but that’s not that many.
In terms of what they mean, every game is really, super important. And then when you play in your division, they kind of become twice as important, because you give your division rival a loss, so it separates you, really, in one-and-a-half games, at least. So, that’s just something that we really just have to understand, but we always do. That’s why we say division games are so important. Pittsburgh is 7-2, so that becomes part of the equation, for sure. But in the end, that’s not what matters; what matters is how we play. We go in there and execute, we go in there and play the brand of football that we’re used to playing, that we know that we’re going to play, and then we let the chips fly.
4. On Steelers QB Russell Wilson
Offensively, they’ve done a great job with the two different quarterbacks. Now, they have Russell [Wilson] back – ‘Russ.’ I have a lot of respect for ‘Russ’ and what he does well. I think they’re leaning into to his skillset, and they have some receivers that match that up a little bit. [The] offensive line continues to grow, and they have two really good [running] backs. That’s who they are right now.
Wilson is making plays in the passing game for them. He’s done a good job in the boots, the play action, drop-back passes. He’s using the full depth of the field. He’s always been known for throwing the ‘Russell Wilson deep ball,’ so he does that. He gets out and runs around, scrambles around, makes some throws, makes a couple runs here and there, so he’s kind of doing what he’s always done, and that’s always impressive.
5. On Steelers defense
[Their] defense has been very consistent. The pass rush ... Obviously, it starts with the pass rush for them and the run defense. That’s where they start, and then you have to deal with that. Then, obviously, I think their safeties and their corners do a great job of triggering versus the run and getting up there and making tackles, and then, they’re very aggressive in coverage.
And you know what? Every year for the last 17 years, that’s what you could say about Pittsburgh’s defense. They take on that personality, and it goes all the way back. Mike [Tomlin] has done a great job with that; he’s a defensive coach, and [I have] all respect for that. Then, you go back to Coach [Bill] Cowher, and you go back to Coach [Chuck] Noll. It’s all in the same vein – the consistency with that.
This article originally appeared on Steelers Wire: 5 things Ravens HC John Harbaugh said about Diontae Johnson, Steelers