With the Ravens aiming to recapture sole possession of first place in the AFC North against rival Pittsburgh on Sunday afternoon, I’ve offered a dozen thoughts, each in 50 words or less:
1. Buffalo provided the blueprint against Pittsburgh by running for 249 yards, which reminded of Baltimore’s 519 rushing yards over the last two 2024 meetings. However, the 2025 Ravens haven’t run for 200 in a game since Week 1 and rank 24th in rushing success rate, speaking to frustrating play-to-play inconsistency.
2. Time will tell how much longer we’ll see John Harbaugh and Mike Tomlin squaring off in this rivalry, but we’re much closer to the end than the beginning after nearly two decades. Especially in the midst of 6-6 starts, the detractors are becoming louder and louder about their futures.
3. Not only do the Ravens and Steelers need to rebound from ugly performances last week, but Sunday’s game is massive in terms of playoff leverage. If Baltimore doesn’t take care of business on its home field, the remaining games on the schedule aren’t going to bring much optimism either.
4. That Lamar Jackson practiced even less this week than he did in previous weeks doesn’t inspire confidence that he’s going to be healthier and sharper coming out of the mini-bye. His career numbers against Pittsburgh aren’t good, but he played rock-solid football in those final two meetings last year.
5. Per Next Gen Stats, Jackson hasn’t forced a single missed tackle on any designed runs this season, which is an alarming stat. Even if he gets back on track as a passer, it’s really difficult envisioning this team doing anything special without Jackson’s legs coming alive down the stretch.
8
6. Speaking of missed tackles, Derrick Henry has been credited with seven broken tackles on rushes by Pro Football Reference compared to 42 last year. Pro Football Focus has tracked him with 18 compared to 87 last year. The offensive line is the biggest problem, but these numbers can’t be dismissed.
7. Pittsburgh defensive coordinator Teryl Austin admitted this offseason that the Steelers had “a Baltimore problem” last year, which was a major reason why they drafted defensive tackle Derrick Harmon. His absence hardly excuses last week’s effort, but it’s certainly a plus for the Ravens’ below-average guards in this one.
8. It’s always interesting when a high-profile player joins this rivalry, but the play of Aaron Rodgers wasn’t trending in a great direction even before the fractured left wrist. Pittsburgh’s ground game isn’t all that good anyway, but Rodgers not being able to operate from under center is a substantial detriment.
9. While Zach Orr noted Pittsburgh has had deep-shot opportunities on tape, the Steelers not completing a single pass of 20-plus air yards in November is nothing short of stunning. As Orr said, the Ravens can’t “just sit on routes” entirely, but it’s tough to win when you’re only throwing underneath.
10. With that in mind, Sunday is the time for Kyle Hamilton to put his stamp on this rivalry with the way he’s playing at the line of scrimmage. With Jackson struggling through injuries, Hamilton has been this team’s MVP to this point, but he’s still looking for a signature moment.
11. I saw Mark Andrews fitting Ozzie Newsome’s old adage about moving on from a player a year early rather than a year late, but I wasn’t giving Isaiah Likely a blank check. Baltimore trusts Andrews and is betting on his statistical decline being a product of the collective offensive problems.
812. Sunday marks the first time these teams are meeting in December with neither above .500 since 1999, so it’s fitting that the 2000 Ravens and the Super Bowl XXXV anniversary will be recognized. That 1999 contest brought Qadry Ismail’s record-setting performance and a meaningful win in this franchise’s ascent.
Prediction: With December here, we’re still waiting for the Ravens to look anything close to the Super Bowl favorite many tabbed them to be before the season, but a clear path remains to a third straight AFC North championship and a January roll of the dice in a wide-open conference. Despite picking Baltimore to win all but two games in this space this season, I’m admittedly not much of a believer in this team at this point, especially with Jackson banged up and struggling as much as he has in a few years and the trench play on either side of the ball not inspiring confidence. However, I think even less of the Steelers, who look like they could be in the midst of a late-season collapse for the second straight year. No one truly knows what’s going to happen Sunday when the likes of Charlie Batch, Ryan Mallett, Kenny Pickett, and Anthony Brown have helped quarterback their side to wins in this rivalry over the years, but the Baltimore defense looks like the best unit for either team right now. I like that group to help the Ravens win the turnover battle in a 20-16 win.
