The Baltimore Ravens and Pittsburgh Steelers enter Week 4 at opposite ends of the NFL spectrum. Both entered the 2015 season with Super Bowl aspirations, but the Ravens come into this rivalry contest as a desperate team with no wins through three weeks. Pittsburgh has some wiggle room at 2-1, but is a team looking for its identity now that starting quarterback Ben Roethlisberger is on the shelf for 4-6 weeks with a knee injury.
Regardless of where they stand at the moment, this is still a classic AFC North battle and fans are getting in to see it live on the cheap. Steelers tickets are clocking in at just $196.38 on average going into this Week 4 clash, while fans can hit the cheap seats for just $84. It’s a solid dip for Pittsburgh’s average price on the year ($227.27), while Baltimore Ravens tickets take a minor bump from their season average ($168.45) due to the game going down at Heinz Field. Either way you look at it, it’s one of the best values from the entire Week 4 schedule.
Normally the Steelers would feel pretty good about playing host to the hated Ravens, but with Big Ben’s untimely injury on a short week, Pittsburgh suddenly has to get backup quarterback Michael Vick ready for a tough opponent. The Steelers do have something in their favor, of course, as star running back Le’Veon Bell returned this past week from his two-game suspension. It looked like he had no rust, either, as Bell had a monster season debut in Pittsburgh’s win on the road over the St. Louis Rams.
Just as important in this matchup, the would-be stout Ravens defense no longer has pass-rusher Terrell Suggs (torn Achilles). In turn, Baltimore’s defensive unit has gotten torched through the air the past two weeks, with the Raiders and Bengals each scoring over 30 points in each of those games while opposing the Ravens. If Vick can play within the offense, it’s highly possible the Steelers can control the game with Bell and hit some deep shots with stud receiver Antonio Brown, who just continues to amaze. Plus, don’t forget Vick is more than capable of getting chunks of yards on the ground as well.
There is no denying the Ravens need this game more than the Steelers, but with their quarterback out for the next month, the Steelers can ill afford to lose ground on the undefeated Cincinnati Bengals. It’s not the Big Ben vs. Flacco matchup or the defensive battle Ravens and Steelers fans are used to, but in a lot of ways, this week’s AFC North clash is better in its own unique way. It certainly isn’t a matchup lacking intrigue or importance, while fans appear to be getting quality value across the board, regardless of which side their loyalties lie.
