In the past three seasons, Mike Tomlin and his Pittsburgh Steelers traveled to Baltimore in the final week, defeated the Ravens, and secured a spot in the playoffs.
This year, the Steelers clinched a playoff berth earlier, but their game against the Ravens this weekend is still important. A win would give Pittsburgh the AFC North title.
“It’s a road divisional game. It’s Baltimore. And I understand the nature of this rivalry and the amount of attention that it brings, and it’s exciting and humbling to be a part of it,” Tomlin said. “We’ve got an opportunity to pursue a division championship this week, and so, man, we’re excited.”
The Steelers have been successful in recent meetings with Baltimore, winning eight of their last nine matchups. However, this success hasn’t translated to many division titles, with the last one coming in 2020. Even though the rivalry is intense, late-season matchups haven’t always been high stakes. This game on Saturday could be different.
Last season, Baltimore had already secured the top playoff spot and rested Lamar Jackson in their Week 18 loss to the Steelers. In 2021, Jackson was injured, and although both teams still had playoff hopes, the Ravens’ chances were slim. Pittsburgh won that game and kept their playoff hopes alive.
In 2019, the Steelers faced Baltimore in the final game with a chance to make the playoffs, but despite Jackson being rested, the Ravens won and ended the Steelers’ season.
This season, Pittsburgh (10-4) and Baltimore (9-5) are meeting earlier in the schedule. Although the stakes aren’t as high as a win-or-go-home scenario, this game still has plenty of importance. Since it’s not the final week, there’s less chance that either team will rest players.
For Lamar Jackson, this will be his first home game against the Steelers since 2020, and a chance to improve his 1-4 record against them as a starter. For Pittsburgh quarterback Russell Wilson, it’s a chance to add a division title with the Steelers to the NFC West championships he won with Seattle.
“We’ve got to be able to calm the nerves early and the excitement and be able to, you know, play and think clearly and efficiently and effectively but yet play with an edge,” Wilson said.
