The Steelers versus the Ravens has a different meaning this week. It’s not just a rivalry game; it will shape the playoff fates of Pittsburgh and Baltimore. Rookie classes from both sides will get their first taste of the event. Fifth-round rookie DL Yahya Black is doing all he can to prepare.
“They practiced indoors yesterday, and it was 20, 30 minutes before practice,” the PPG’s Gerry Dulac told colleague Ray Fittipaldo, referring to Wednesday’s session. “The only two players in there just going over their stuff were Cam Heyward and Yahya Black. And Yahya Black, of course, is playing for Derrick Harmon.”
Pittsburgh moved the venue indoors during a week of freezing temperatures, an idea Mike Tomlin said he was “open” to after quarterback Aaron Rodgers cited the weather as a potential reason why the team played so flat in last week’s loss.
To the point, Black is needed with Harmon again ruled out due to a knee injury. Without him, the healthy Steelers were run over by a Buffalo Bills’ offense to a degree not seen in Heinz Field/Acrisure Stadium history. Pittsburgh gave up 249 rushing yards, the most at home since O.J. Simpson and the Bills in the 1970s.
Black had an up-and-down day. He started slow, struggling to get eyes on the ball and break the blocks of rookie TE Jackson Hawes. But he improved as the game went on, learning from mistakes and handling blocks better.
Just as Brett Keisel, Aaron Smith, and Casey Hampton were to Heyward when he was a rookie, Heyward now serves in the veteran mentor role. It’s no coincidence that Pittsburgh loaded up on defensive linemen in Heyward’s final years of his storied career. He’ll attempt to pass the baton to the next generation. Harmon already looks the part of a strong and steady run defender, while Black has played above expectations.
“They’re trying to get these guys up to speed, and we’re gonna see if Yahya Black can stand up to that Ravens offensive line,” Dulac said.
Black and the other 10 on the field with him will need to slow down RB Derrick Henry. Henry is still one of the league’s best and most potent runners. The good news is QB Lamar Jackson is less of a running threat than he’s been in recent years. Multiple leg injuries this summer have slowed him down.
Still, Black wasn’t around to witness Henry send Pittsburgh packing with 186 yards as part of Baltimore’s 299-yard performance in last year’s playoff game. Heyward, though, certainly remembers. He undoubtedly has the goal of not allowing an encore performance this weekend.
