2022 Week 14: Ravens 16, Steelers 14 (Dynasty/Fantasy Analysis Game Report)
Boy…it was bad enough having to observe this game live Sunday with all the other games…but then I had to rewatch it…but it could be worse, I could’ve gone to the freezing cold, gray clouded half-empty stadium to watch Mitch Trubisky and Anthony Brown duke it out to the finish line.
The Ravens had control of this game from start to finish. It was close due to the equivalent talent of the two teams, but the Ravens led pretty much the whole game with Pitt scoring late to make it a one score loss. The Ravens played less sad and had the better defense and were able to limp to the finish line with a critical win.
The Ravens have quietly won six of their last 7 games, somehow…looking semi-terrible, and nearly losing most of them, in most of those wins…but they’re winning. An easy schedule is carrying the Ravens along…when they should be a near .500 team that finishes way behind the Bengals. As it is, those two will meet Week 18, likely for the AFC North title.
With a win, the Steelers could’ve had some playoff life…but now they’re all but done at (5-8). They’d have to win out and get help to sneak into the wild card -- and they are not good enough to win out. Heck, they may not win a game the rest of the season. They might sneak one more win this season, but they are NOT going anywhere near the playoffs.
*Note any fractional numbers in parentheses (4/2) or (2/3), etc., are a ‘split’ stat on our definition of a ‘quality start’ (or not) marker on a player -- using 14 PPR points in a game for RB-WR-TE and 21 for a QB…point levels that are good/productive/well above average starts for a Fantasy week. Trying to identify trends, consistency (or not) in players we might not normally realize.
A (3/2), for example, means: 3 times the player hit at/above the mark, and 2 times they did not.
Fantasy Player Notes…
-- Tyler Huntley (8-12 for 88 yards, 0 TD/0 INT, 9-31-0) played 62% of the snaps in this game before getting knocked out of the game with concussion protocol. He was on his way to 150+ yards passing and 50+ rushing…that’s about his norm, a little down/lower than expected because the Ravens were just running over the Steelers otherwise. No need to pass…or for Huntley to run as much.
Huntley is probable for Week 15. If they can get away with it, and they should be able to -- the Ravens will run it all game, again. So, Huntley is a QB2 flier at best this week…hoping he rushes for 75+ yards and gets a rushing TD for upside.
Ravens rookie UDFA QB, that we like OK/not love, Anthony Brown (3-5 for 16 yards, 0 TD/0 INT) came into the game for Huntley and played super-conservative with the lead and just shepherded the victory. The couple times he threw, he looked unfazed and made a nice 3rd-down conversion throw. They had a lead and just decided to try and sit on it facing Trubisky.
If Brown is forced into action to start Week 15, it’s a big task and he’d be a back end QB2. He did look very capable and confident in the preseason so he’s not an auto-flop type UDFA rookie QB pushed into action.
-- Kenny Pickett got sacked, got his head slammed to the ground during the process., and was gone for the majority of the game. Mitch Trubisky (22-30 for 276 yards, 1 TD/3 INTs) came in and did what he does…makes a few nice throws, but mostly makes prayer throws down the sidelines…and refuses to run the ball himself because he’s an NFL chicken at QB. I wouldn’t want to get hit either…I’m a chicken…takes one to know one.
Trubisky could really open his game if he committed to being a running QB…4.5+ speed, very good agility, and good+ size…but he is a terrible runner on the field/in reality when he is forced, and his heart is never in it. He’s a waste of time at this stage of his career.
Pickett has a shot to play Week 15, but I bet they sit him out for his own good/the future.
Mason Rudolph starting splitting #1 reps with Trubisky this week, so I will guess that Rudolph is gonna start Week 15…and thus we will move one step closer to the first place Carolina Panthers in the NFC South this time next week. Rudolph is nothing…worse than Trubisky. Rudolph will sail passes downfield…and maybe George Pickens will bail him out.
-- Speaking of George Pickens…he’s a more athletic DeAndre Hopkins, already. He’s a star…potentially THEE best WR from the 2022 NFL Draft class, BUT he’s got a problem -- Mike Tomlin is his coach and Pickett-Trubisky-Rudolph are his QBs.
The Steelers should literally throw every pass towards Pickens and just let him make highlight reel catches every other catch. It’s better than checkdowns to Gunner Olszewski. However…THREE whole targets for Pickens in Week 14. Two whole targets the week prior. The Steelers management and QBs are awful at their jobs.
The Steelers deserve this losing season. Tomlin deserves to be fired because it will never get any better. We saw him ruin/waste a God’s gift WR in Chase Claypool. Now, we’re watching the ruination of Pickens. It’s unbelievable. Steve Sims had 4 targets…Gunner had 2…to Pickens 3 here. You have to be kidding me.
What’s the projection on Pickens Week 15? Hell, if I know. The fact that he COULD get a big target day and explode the stat sheets keeps you trying…just like getting burned by the eternal hope of Chase Claypool the past two seasons…hoping ‘now’ was the time, but it never was after his first few games in the NFL.
This is what Pittsburgh only wants to see three of per game: https://youtu.be/DCeP4ruFfVs
I bet Najee Harris (12-33-1, 2-17-0/3) gets 15-20+ touches though, in Week 15.
Utterly ridiculous.
Pickens did have a 4th target, a 10+ yard fade into the end zone but when he went to catch it for the score the defender hit him three different places for a PI…so, no official target…followed by a Najee TD. Man…the Steelers are so hard nosed with their plodding power run game…Mike Tomlin is so scary when his eyes bug out and talks ‘straight talk’ at pressers (a.k.a. nonsense tough guy talk for the low IQ). Man, I hope the Steelers go (5-12) and that gets some heat put on this regime.
-- J.K. Dobbins (15-120-1) had a nice return to action this week. Off of IR and right into a heavy workload, just like Gus Edwards (13-66-0) was treated when he came back from injury a couple weeks ago.
Couple thoughts on this backfield now…
1) It was a heavy RB workload overall (42 carries vs. 11 completed passes in this game for BAL) because (a) it was working, so why stop…and (b) the loss of Huntley leading to Brown gave more excuse to play all-run. It worked.
2) I thought Dobbins looked pretty good. He doesn’t have that long speed back yet, but he does appear bouncy running in the interior. He had a 44-yard run where a hole was wide open with no one in the way and Dobbins sprinted through and I assumed he would be gone for a long TD, but he was actually caught from behind 20+ yards down the field.
3) Facing a weak run defense in Cleveland this week should be a thing for both JKD-Gus.
4) Neither of these guys had a target. In PPR, if they don’t hit a TD, you’re gonna get burned by their output.
-- Ready for me to blow your mind?
Since Week 8…
4.8 rec. (6.5 targets), 52.2 yards, 0.0 TDs per game = Demarcus Robinson (1/12)
3.8 rec. (6.6 targets), 43.2 yards, 0.0 TDs per game = Mark Andrews (4/8)
4.2 rec. (5.8 targets), 45.5 yards, 0.67 TDs per game = Evan Engram (3/10)
Why did I put Engram in there? I don’t know. I only meant to do DRob and Andrews but ‘the spirit’ hit me to go look/compare Engram.
In their last 6 games…
Andrews is a (0/6).
Engram is a (3/3).
What’s wrong with Andrews? I have no idea…probably an injury he’s playing through is slowing him down, but how can you bench him?
-- The Steelers-DST has held four of their last 5 opponents, since getting back T.J. Watt, to 17 or fewer points. They are working good matchups (but got whacked by Burrow in there). Their final 4 opponents: CAR-LV-BAL-CLE. No tough matchups in there…could be a decent finish for this DST, unless they give up when they are out of the playoffs officially.
Bonus analysis: https://youtu.be/kF5ct9q1mTQ
Snap counts of Interest:
52 = Diontae
42 = Pickens
27 = Sims
20 = Gunner O.
31 = Freiermuth
25 = Gentry
31 = Najee
22 = Warren
02 = Snell
54 = Andrews
42 = J Oliver
16 = Likely
26 = Dobbins
21 = Gus Edwards
11 = Drake
02 = J Hill
38 = Huntley
23 = A Brown
