Ben Roethlisberger is big. So big, that he is nicknamed "Big Ben". He is 6-foot-5 and 240 pounds. That's one inch shorter than Joe Flacco and 15 pounds heavier. On top of his physical traits, he is extremely athletic for a guy his size. Taking him down is not an easy task.
However, in order for the Ravens to succeed on Thursday, they will have to take him down a couple times or at least apply pressure on him. It's something that was absent during the Week 1 matchup with the Cincinnati Bengals. The Ravens' pass-rush recorded zero sacks and zero quarterback hits on Andy Dalton, and that will have to change.
Terrell Suggs recently displayed a t-shirt symbolizing last year's incident with Mike Tomlin and Jacoby Jones on the kickoff. It's time for T-sizzle to do less talking and more playing, because he will be the key to victory for the Ravens in week two.
Elvis Dumervil will also be huge in this game. The outside linebacker tallied 9.5 sacks last year, but was nowhere to be seen against the Bengals with just one tackle. That has to change.
Courtney Upshaw, Pernell Mcphee, and Brandon WIlliams, didn't perform to their fullest in Week 1 either. Upshaw has yet to see the playing field for a significant amount of time, but I think it's time for that to change. As for McPhee, I think he could be a surprise player for the Ravens this season. Well, let's see it!
Perhaps we might see pressure come out of nowhere on Thursday? Maybe a sack from a safety or a cornerback? An extra boost would certainly be helpful, because you want all the help you can get against Roethlisberger.
In my opinion, the biggest reason for the Ravens loss last week was the applied pressure, or lack thereof. Big Ben is big and I understand that. However, taking him down is step two. Step one is getting to him.
If the Ravens can complete step one, then step two will take care of itself.