Don't mistake his low catch numbers for unproductivity. Wallace leads the league with 22 yards per catch (YAC); every time he gets the ball in his hands he makes outstanding plays. This explains why Wallace vs. the Ravens secondary is Sunday night's biggest match up.
Playing with a mobile quarterback that keeps plays alive by shifting in and out of the pocket, allots Wallace numerous opportunities to get wide open for exhilarating big plays. He will make a couple of those plays Sunday night when he matches up with one of Baltimore's corners.
No corner on the Ravens has consistently played well this year. Almost every starter has given up inexplicable big plays on different afternoons.
Steve Johnson maneuvered around Fabian Washington for two touchdown passes and simply ran past Lardarius Webb for his third of the day in the week 7 game; Johnson finished that day with 158 receiving yards. Josh Wilson allowed an 88 yard touchdown pass from Brian St. Pierre to David Gettis, putting the Panthers win seven points of tying the game.
Running back Rashard Mendenhall poses a threat for any defense but the Ravens in particular have inconsistently defended the run. In the week ten game with the Atlanta Falcons, the Ravens matched up poorly against Michael Turner, who was coming off of two consecutive 100 rushing yard games, but only allowed him to run for 39 yards with 17 carries. The next week they let second year running back Mike Goodson run for 120 yards.
A double move by Wallace and play action pass by Roethlisberger is certain to be lying in the Steelers' toolbox just in case they need an immediate big play.
Greg Mattison will have to gameplan to keep Wallace contained. Wallace can serve as the “game breaker”; evident in the Steelers’ 37-14 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Wallace caught three balls for 100 yards, two of them for touchdowns.
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