***SWAMPALA TNF RAVENS VS. STEELERS***

***BALTIMORE RAVENS @ PITTSBURGH STEELERS****

AHHH yessss another paint swapping party between the two teams who share arguably the best current rivalry in the NFL. We have an extremely interesting game tonight as the Baltimore Ravens (0-3) who are desperate for a win after some extremely tough losses head into Pittsburgh to take on a friendly foe who has just lost their general in QB Big Ben Rothlisberger. Hmmmmmmm......tough one to cap.....but let's get it on!!!! Last week I fell victim to two prime time feats that have left a bad taste in my mouth all week. Foolish I was to have faith in a undisciplined Lions team vs a very good Bronco defense and also to go against Aaron Rodgers at home Monday night with a team who can't throw WR TDs. Oh well, we 'set it and forget it' and move forward in this game and it's on to the next one. That being said, have I learned my lesson or am I still insane? Judging by tonight's pick, you may lean towards the latter.

A much older and slower Michael Vick who has just joined the team about a month ago will be filling in for Big Ben Rothlisberger tonight to try and keep the Steelers afloat in his absence. Although I am not a fan of today's Vick and clearly observed how terrible he looked last year on the Jets......I have a strong gut feeling that the Steelers keep it simple and get it done with him tonight. Mike Vick will most likely be the QB for the next few weeks unless injured. I think his best chance of getting a win is tonight when they still have a small "element of suprise" advantage working in their favor. Vick and Offensive Coordinator Todd Haley have worked together to build a playbook that he is competelely comfortable with and tailored to his abilities. Vick has said to have been honest and knows where he stands presently with his physical ability and what he can and no longer can do. Maybe last year was more of a case of him discovering that he was a much lesser player in his older age and this year he knows that he is nothing more than a viable backup. Did he ever expect to acutally play while backing up a durable QB like Big Ben? Probably not. When he came into the game last week he most likely was very limited as far as the playcalling goes due to being so new to the team and his lack of knowledge of the playbook. Although it has been a short week, as I mentioned earlier he and Todd Haley have removed anything that doesn't compliment his talents and even added some things that do. I wouldn't be suprised to see some trickery here either as the Ravens are vulnerable tonight with not knowing what the Steelers will do exactly and they have a bad defense due to injury to boot.

The Ravens have suffered losses to three legit opponents, and they were in every game 'til the end. The Broncos, up and coming Raiders, and Bengals all beat them late in the 4th Quarter serving up some heartbreaking L's for the Black Birds to endure despite the insane production from veteran WR Steve Smith Sr.. Smith who I like to refer to as Mighty Mouse is no doubt going out with a bang in his final season after declaring retirement afterwards. However, especially after last game with him completely taking over, I doubt he will have similar insane numbers tonight in Pittsburgh. QB Joe Flacco's other favorite target in TE Crockett Gilmore has also been ruled out tonight however I do like their 2nd round pick in TE Maxx Williams to take his place and have a nice night filling in for Gilmore. Look for Flacco to rely heavily on him when the Pitt defense's focus will surely be on "Triple S," Steve Smith Sr. Ravens will also be without tackle Eugene Monroe and this could be a big hit to their offense with Flacco being as immobile as he is in the pocket, I can see LBs James Harrison and Jarvis Jones putting some pressure on him with the help of rookie Bud Dupree on the other end. That being said, the Pittsburgh defense seems to be getting better with every game played and will surely ramp it up another level tonight in their house against their division rival.

The Ravens defense has been hurting without their emotional and veteran leader in Terrell Suggs. They have been decent against the run but will face one of the best tonight in RB LeVeon Bell and a compliment of DeAngelo Williams who has looked great so far this year while filling in for Bell during his suspension. Look for Vick to utilize Bell heavily in the passing game as well with little dumpoffs to him and TE Heath Miller while on the run. If Mike Vick can manage this game enough and not try and do too much and turning the ball over which he has been prone to do, Pitt can definitely steal this one. Teams tend to rally around a backup QB for the first game, and it seems as though he has the right lockeroom and coach to get them all thinking they can get it done. He has arguably the best WR in the game in Antonio Brown and a speedster in Markus Wheaton who could sneakily have a big game as well in this spot versus a weak Baltimore secondary. Now will Mike Vick go on a run and win a couple games in Big Ben's absence? I doubt it, but tonight I really like their chances. I am thinking that Baltimore just may not be who they used to be and will continue to struggle this year. They have suffered the kind of losses that can be very taxing to a team and after tonight this season may very well go south in a hurry.

Weather conditions look to be a bit chilly and wet for this one and what better way to have these two teams battle eachtother on the Prime Time stage. It should be an entertaining matchup nonetheless thank god after some real snoozers in week 3. I see a 24-21 type of game either way. HOME DAWGIE GON' EAT TONIGHT- PITT +3