BALTIMORE (GSM) – It was a win on the road in a short week.
The Steelers are on a 4-game winning streak after defeating the Baltimore Ravens 23-13 at M&T Bank Stadium, Sunday. It was an AFC North win that keeps them in the catbird seat atop the division. Now with a record of 5-2-1 running back James Conner, referenced the last time these two organizations met. The Steelers came up short when they played on September 30. The score was 26-14. He acknowledged that it was imperative to get out of the gate early. “Last time we played them, we had some turnovers early and some penalties.” Conner said. “[We tried] to do the opposite of that and start out fast.”
Linebacker Bud Dupree had a half-sack in the game and says now that playing divisional opponents are almost complete 9-weeks into the season, there is still a lot of ahead of them. “It’s going to be a long ride again. It was great that we became at the top of the division after this game. We have one more, it’s Bengals again. I’m glad we played everyone (AFC North opponents) at the beginning of the season. Now we can just focus on other conference games and dominate those as well.”
Defensive back Mike Hilton says racking up victories against divisional opponents are key especially against the likes of Baltimore, as they move down the stretch. However, the immediate game plan now centers around the short turnaround. “It was big,” Hilton said “Especially on the road against a team like Baltimore. Everybody knows how big the rivalry is. It was a big win for us and now we have to get ready for the quick turnaround for Thursday.”
With only a few days off, the Steelers gear up to host the Carolina Panthers at Heinz Field who are on the prowl as well. Their overall record is 6-2, and are coming off of a win against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The score was 42-28. Panthers quarterback Cam Newton was 19 for 25 in the passing game with two touchdowns and no interceptions, which contributed significantly to his team’s victory.
The Panthers are currently in second place in the NFC South, 1-game behind the New Orleans Saints (7-1).
The Steelers and Panthers met in the pre-season however the speed of this game will include the starters in mid-season form which can guarantee a physical matchup.