Thursday Night Football 2014: How to watch Steelers vs. Ravens online

Though both the Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Ravens failed to qualify for the postseason in 2013, the meeting of these rivals lacks none of the luster of prior matchups. Ben Roethlisberger and the retooled Pittsburgh offense strolls into M&T Bank Stadium aiming to take advantage of a Ravens defense depending heavily on young, unproven players and a lack of regression by stalwarts Terrell Suggs and Haloti Ngata.

Pittsburgh comes fresh off a 30-27 victory over the Cleveland Browns. While the Steelers nearly gave that game away in the second half, big plays from tailback Le’Veon Bell and receiver Antonio Brown proved enough to keep the Browns at bay. The team will need to put together a more consistent performance this week in order to take down the superior Ravens.

Baltimore dropped its season opener to the Cincinnati Bengals, a game that could bite the Ravens down the line when the division is settled. John Harbaugh’s team plays at home again on Thursday and can hardly afford to lose its first two home games if it hopes to win its division.

Where: M&T Bank Stadium, Baltimore
When: 8:25 p.m. EST
TV: CBS
Announcers: Jim Nantz, Phil Simms, Tracy Wolfson
Radio: Steelers Radio Network | Ravens Radio Network

It’s too early in the 2014 season to make much of this year’s statistics, but with both the Steelers and Ravens comprised of largely the same rosters as 2013, those numbers could offer some insight into the outcome of Thursday night’s game.

The Ravens’ offense finished 25th in points per game last year. While the passing offense finished just outside the top half of the league, the primarily culprit was a stumbling ground game that averaged 3.1 yards per carry, worst in the NFL. Defensively, the picture is a bit brighter. 2013’s unit gave up the 12th fewest points, a figure that should improve with the development of safety Matt Elam and rookie linebacker C.J. Mosley.

Pittsburgh’s 2013 metrics are similarly mixed. The offense fared better than Baltimore, averaging the 16th most points in the league. Like the Ravens, however, the running game averaged a pedestrian 3.5 yards per carry, leaving the aerial attack to carry the load. The Steelers’ defense finished just behind the Ravens in yards allowed and two spots behind them in points allowed.

For Steelers coverage, head on over to Behind the Steel Curtain. For more on the Ravens, head on over to Baltimore Beatdown.