Quote Originally Posted by DkBlue View Post
There is some outrage in the replies.

As far as his statement, I think the Ravens are the most complete team in the AFC right now. I think the Steelers receiving corps has a slight edge.
When playing well, I agree the Ravens are the most complete team in the AFC right now, perhaps even in the NFL. Green Bay's defensive prowess is underrated, imo, but we still have a better running game and a better defense than they do. You can focus on one part of Green Bay (Rodgers) and hope to win if you stop it or slow it down. That's not true of the Ravens when they are playing well.

The article in the OP was written in the wake of Pittsburgh's dismantling of Cinncinnati, and last impressions are the ones that dominate in sportswriting. If the Ravens go on a tear and win out convincingly, we could even vault the Packers into the top spot in the eyes of most sportswriters, especially if they stumble or squeak by in their remaining contests.

I agree, too, that the Steelers' receiving corps is slightly better than the Ravens right now, or at least that their passing game is slightly better (to include the QB in the equation). Brown, Wallace, and Sanders are young, but they've more experience than three-fifths of our wide-outs, and Roethlisberger has developed the kind of relationship with them that a team needs to have an effective and consistent passing game. We've seen flashes, especially with Smith, but not the consistency. Hopefully Flacco and Evans have been getting in synch, because that will negate that advantage for the Steelers considerably.

Overall, I would give the nod to the Steelers as being better offensively. I'd take Rice over Mendenhall any day of the week (and especially on Sundays), but Redman is a more effective change-of-pace and power back than Williams, IMO. Heath Miller is better (as in, more experienced) than our TE duo, at least as far as we're talking one game this year. Their O-line isn't as good, but Roethlisberger negates that somewhat, and when it comes to Flacco-or-Roethlisberger, I'd still have to give the edge to Big Ben until Flacco actually does put together a solid game against a very good team in the playoffs.

However, even with all that, the Ravens were built with a focus on beating the Steelers. It's how you match up against the team you're playing, not how you stack up versus the rest of the NFL. Who is better overall doesn't mean much on gameday. Who is better on gameday is what matters, and the Ravens did sweep the Steelers. Our wide-outs don't play their receivers. Our TE's don't play Miller. Rice and Mendenhall won't butt helmets during the game, and neither will Williams and Redman. Their offense might be slightly better, but I think we're the better team, especially when it comes to playing them. We've shown it twice this year. I'm looking forward to making it a three-game sweep.