It’s funny how the season can do a ‘180’ in a matter of weeks.

The Pittsburgh Steelers were the team struggling to find their identity when these two teams met in Week 4. Now the roles are reversed with Baltimore losing two in a row Youth Bud Dupree Jersey , and three out of the last four. Make no mistake about it, this is still Pittsburgh versus Baltimore. The records are what they are, and even with the Black and Gold looking as if they have found their groove, all of that could change in one trip to Charm City. Baltimore, outside of a lopsided game or two, has always played the Steelers tough. They have one of the better defenses in the league, and even though their offense hasn’t been carrying their weight, they have some players who present match up issues which was evident in the first meeting. Let’s take a look at who I believe will need to play big on Sunday in order to get a victory Sunday in Baltimore. Ben RoethlisbergerIn most cases, Roethlisberger would be on this list every week. There’s just something about the Ravens that they seem to know what we are going to do before we do it. I guess some of it could be chalked up to familiarity, but it’s the physicality they seem to struggle with. In the first meeting Pittsburgh struggled mightily on 3rd down, going 2 of 12. Some of that could be placed on play calling, but Ben tried to force the ball to Antonio Brown way too often. The offense has been better of late with Ben using all the weapons at his disposal and combining that with a great running attack. If my memory serves Cheap Antonio Brown Jersey , the TE was a big part in Pittsburgh getting back in the game in the second quarter, only to forget that fact in the second half. Maybe Baltimore made adjustments, but we have forgotten about the TE in games in the past where he was having first half success. No matter what, Ben has many weapons and he needs to use every single one at his disposal. It keeps defenses honest and also keeps everyone involved and a part of the game. Vance McDonaldTalk about a 180. Vance “The Vanimal” McDonald has went from being criticized about his injury history, as well as his salary hit, to cult favorite here on the message boards. Rightfullyso on all accounts in certain aspects, but it’s funny how things change. Without the emergence of a third wide receiver, Vance, Jesse James, along with James Conner, have managed to provide Ben with another option of sorts. The problem is Vance, as well as Jesse James Authentic Artie Burns Jersey , seem to be an afterthought in large stretches of games. In the first meeting the TE, and in particular Vance McDonald, was a huge component in getting the score back to even before halftime — only to be forgotten in the second half.I get Vance isn’t Antonio Brown, but he has shown the ability to energize this football team with his brutal runs after the catch. In a game that didn’t have much going offensively he was a bright spot, maybe for a small stretch, but the play went away from him and I have a hard time understanding the thought process from a coaching standpoint. Mike HiltonWhat can be said about this guy that hasn’t already been said? He has been a Godsend in the defensive back field. He missed the first meeting against the Ravens and will be a welcomed addition in the game Sunday. The guy knows his assignments, something which cost the defense a big play with Cameron Sutton manning the slot in the first game. Hilton is one of the better tacklers, form and physicality. He provides a blitz and pressure from the slot that hasn’t been seen in a while in Pittsburgh. We could have used all of that in the first meeting. I expect to see this guy all over the place Sunday afternoon. ...You have my trio, time to hear yours... Ben Roethlisberger's first pass went for a touchdown. His last did the same. And in between the Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback and his red-hot team put together systematic 52-21 dismantling of Carolina on Thursday night that left little doubt about their depth and their talent regardless of whether Le'Veon Bell ever shows up for work or not.Ten different Steelers touched the ball on offense. Six of them scored. None of them were named Bell. While the three-time Pro Bowl running back tweeted his thoughts from home while waiting 鈥?and waiting 鈥?to sign his one-year franchise tender, Pittsburgh ripped off its fifth straight victory with stunning ease."Really big performance against a really good team on a short week so there is a lot to be proud of," Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin said. "But we are probably not that good."Maybe not, but Pittsburgh (6-2-1) looked every bit the part of legitimate contender in the AFC http://www.pittsburghsteelersteamstore.com/joe-haden-jersey , perhaps for the first time this season.Roethlisberger completed 22 of 25 passes for 328 yards and five touchdowns while posting a perfect quarterback rating of 158.3. James Conner, who has filled in capably during Bell's self-imposed sabbatical, ran for 65 yards and a score before being evaluated for a concussion late.Antonio Brown added eight receptions for 96 yards 鈥?including a 53-yard touchdown in the second quarter 鈥?to cap an eventful day that began with the star wide receiver being cited for reckless driving after police clocked Brown's Porsche driving over 100 mph down a busy highway in the northern city suburbs."This is what we expected," Roethlisberger said. "We knew we were going to have to put up a lot of points. We did that. The defense, they were playing like their hair was on fire."Bell has until next Tuesday to sign a contract if he wants to play this season. His teammates have long since tired of talking about Bell's status and at this point."I'm not going to comment on someone who's not in the locker room right now," Roethlisberger said.And why bother? For three hours on Thursday night Pittsburgh looked every bit as potent without Bell as it did with him. If he returns, they insist they'll welcome him with open arms. If he doesn't, they are intent on keeping the train rolling.The Panthers (6-3) saw their three-game winning streak come to an abrupt halt in a city where they've never won. Carolina fell to 0-4 all-time in Pittsburgh and was never really in it after the Steelers scored 21 points in the game's first 11 minutes.Cam Newton completed 23 of 29 for 193 yards and a pair of flips to Christian McCaffrey that the second-year running back turned into scores, but Newton's showdown with Roethlisberger never materialized. The Steelers sacked Newton five times and rarely let him get comfortable. McCaffrey finished with 138 yards total offense (77 yards rushing, 61 yards receiving) and accounted for all three Panther touchdowns but it wasn't nearly enough."We had a lot of our noses bleeding early on," Newton said. "We've got to stop it and keep things going in our favor. We just got outplayed today."Newton didn't help matters when he threw off his back foot out of the Carolina end zone while trying to avoid getting sacked in the first quarter. Pittsburgh linebacker Vince Williams raced under the floater and returned it 17 yards for a touchdown to give the Steelers a 14-7 lead they never came close to relinquishing.Roethlisberger's rainbow to Brown put Pittsburgh up 31-14 at the half and when Roethlisberger found Vance McDonald in the back on the end zone on the Steelers' first drive of the second half, the competitive portion of the evening was over. Pittsburgh's 52 points matched the most ever surrendered by the Panthers in franchise history. Carolina allowed the same total in a 52-9 loss to Oakland on Dec. 24 Authentic Chris Boswell Jersey , 2000."They did some good things against us," Panthers head coach Ron Rivera said. "We made too many mistakes early on to give ourselves an opportunity to win a football game."REID TARGETS ROETHLISBERGERCarolina safety Eric Reid was ejected in the third quarter after being called for targeting when he dived at Roethlisberger's head as the Pittsburgh quarterback was sliding at the end of an 18-yard scramble.Several Steelers, most of them offensive linemen, took exception with the hit and a brief scrum ensued. Pittsburgh center Maurkice Pouncey said Roethlisberger offered to pay any fines the linemen may accrue for sticking up for him.Reed, signed by Carolina in September, walked over to Roethlisberger and apologized before being escorted to the locker room."I understand the NFL is trying to protect quarterbacks but when they're running the ball they're running backs," Reid said. "I'm not thinking that 'It's Ben, don't tackle him.' There's a guy running with the ball so I'm doing my job."PAYING TRIBUTERoethlisberger and Newton both wore cleats during the pregame that paid tribute to the 11 members of the Tree of Life synagogue that were killed in a mass shooting last month. Roethlisberger's cleats featured the names of all 11 victims while Newton's cleats read "Hatred Can't Weaken a City of Steel."UP NEXTPanthers: Travel to Detroit on Nov. 18 to take on the Lions. Carolina is 6-2 all-time against Detroit.Steelers: Visit Jacksonville on Nov. 18. The Jaguars beat Pittsburgh twice on the road last season, including a 45-42 upset in the divisional round of the playoffs. www.nflshopoutlet.com/baltimore-ravens