Talk is cheap when it comes to Ravens-Steelers week.
If being honest, I’m not sure how meaningful this rivalry is to today’s players compared to yesteryear when you could cut the nastiness with a knife. While the sentiment that “you’re not a Raven until you beat the Steelers” still makes for a good sound bite and earns plenty of likes from fans on social media, there are just as many player comments that come across as somewhat indifferent or even lacking awareness that Baltimore has dropped eight of the last nine in this rivalry.
At the very least, we’re a long way from bitter adversaries playing a stakes-free regular-season finale into overtime six days before the start of the playoffs like the Ravens did in 2003 — to their detriment.
Considering the only Ravens victory over Pittsburgh since the end of 2019 was the quarterback-challenged 2022 game completed by practice-squad call-up Anthony Brown and Steelers backup Mitchell Trubisky, there are few on this Baltimore roster who’ve really earned their stripes in this rivalry. It’s also difficult to argue against Mike Tomlin and Pittsburgh being in the Ravens’ heads when watching the inexplicable way some of these meetings have played out despite Baltimore being the better overall team in the Lamar Jackson era.
“There’s been a lot of different things that just seems like it hasn’t [gone] our way,” cornerback Marlon Humphrey said. “But it’s not like ‘Oh, we were just unlucky.’ You’ve got to play disciplined football. I think Tomlin wants to just keep the game close, keep the game close, and then win it at the end, and honestly, that strategy works pretty well when they play us.”
It’s been a decade since these AFC North rivals have crossed paths in the playoffs, and that 2014 first-round clash also happens to be the last high-stakes win for Baltimore over Pittsburgh. Saturday marks the biggest game these teams have played since the 2016 Christmas Day tilt at Heinz Field that ended with Antonio Brown extending the ball over the goal line to give the Steelers the division title and knock the Ravens out of postseason contention. Beginning with that dramatic Week 16 clash eight years ago, John Harbaugh’s team has gone 4-12 against Pittsburgh, a stretch that does include a couple games in which playoff-bound Baltimore rested starters and four other contests Jackson missed for health-related reasons.
But that caveat doesn’t apply to last month’s 18-16 loss in Pittsburgh or to Saturday’s clash at M&T Bank Stadium in which the Ravens can pull into a first-place tie with two games to go or the Steelers can clinch the division title in Baltimore as they did in 2001 and 2008. Saturday marks the most important regular-season game of Jackson’s career to date and his best chance to put his stamp on this rivalry after going 1-4 in his first five career starts against Pittsburgh.
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“I’m just trying to win regardless. It really doesn’t matter,” Jackson said. “Win each and every game we’re in. We’re not going into games trying to lose and picking a team and being like, ‘OK, this is the game we’re trying to beat these guys.’ Any given game, I’m trying to win.”
It’s not a secret that the two-time MVP quarterback hasn’t played particularly well against the Steelers, but virtually every other current Raven not named Justin Tucker — ironic, considering the part he played in the Week 11 loss — lacks a defining victory against them.
The team’s third-longest-tenured player, Humphrey downplayed the perception of needing to get over the hump against Pittsburgh compared to doing the same against Kansas City. Maybe a cathartic win over the Steelers isn’t necessary to the big picture, but that’s where we must recognize the added significance of Saturday’s game.
If Baltimore can’t beat Pittsburgh at home with a healthy Jackson, why should anyone believe this January is going to be any different than previous ones?
No, the season isn’t over if the Ravens lose as they remain a virtual lock to make the playoffs with three games remaining and can even clinch a postseason spot with outside help this weekend. But it would be a massive blow to their most practical Super Bowl aspirations, which is all that matters for a team that’s earned plenty of regular-season accolades for years now.
The Ravens have known for weeks that a first-round bye wasn’t going to be in the cards, but they can look no further than their own franchise history to see the importance of securing at least one home playoff game. Those 2000 and 2012 teams earned epic back-to-back road wins along the path to Super Bowl glory, but both championship runs started at home in the opening round.
Since the NFL postseason expanded to 12 teams in 1990, just four teams have won three road playoff games to advance to the Super Bowl. Only two — Green Bay in 2010 and Tampa Bay in 2020 — have done it over the last 15 years, and the Buccaneers played in stadiums with minimal attendance because of COVID-19 restrictions that largely neutralized home-field advantage.
8To avoid a likely all-road trek in January, the Ravens need to win out and — because of the current tiebreaker profile — hope for another Pittsburgh loss to the Chiefs or Cincinnati. But after five losses, Baltimore has only itself to blame and must focus only on what it can control at this point.
Because of the result’s impact on a potential Super Bowl run, Jackson needs this win much more than another MVP award.
Now 15-21 against Tomlin and the Steelers, Harbaugh needs it.
The Ravens really need this one on Saturday.
“They’re going to line up and make you stop them,” safety Kyle Hamilton said. “We respect that, and I think most of the league does. They’ve been good at it for a long time, and a lot of teams just kind of wilt away at that point. When you get to the third and fourth quarter, you’re tired of tackling Najee [Harris] or you’re tired of hitting whoever, but I don’t think we’re built like that.
“I think we’re built for these kinds of games, and we’re going to come out on Saturday and prove that.”
It’s time to finally do that rather than talking about it and wilting away.
