Steelers - Ravens Preview and Prediction

Story by Yinzer Crazy Featured Steelers Contributor Adam Davidson. Follow him on Twitter @Adam_J_Davidson

If the Steelers are hoping to make the playoffs this year, or at least to escape a turbulent 2022 with a winning record, it’s almost imperative for Pittsburgh to win out. Looking at the rest of the schedule, it seems easy. They’ve got Carolina here, Cleveland there. But along with securing easy victories down the stretch, they must beat Baltimore - not once, but twice.

In an unusual coincidence of scheduling, the Steelers will face the Ravens twice in the final month of the season. That means a double dose of what still ranks as one of the most physical and contentious rivalries in all of professional sports.

Over a decade-and-half, Steelers-Ravens has defined AFC North football. And while the Bengals laid claim to the title of AFC Champs in 2021, the eyes of NFL fans nationwide will all turn in unison to Pittsburgh this Sunday afternoon. As the clock strikes one o’clock, plenty of new faces to the rivalry will take the field, including one Kenny Pickett and the Raven’s Tyler Huntley, who will be stepping in for an injured Lamar Jackson (knee). Huntley, a third-year quarterback out of Utah, will be under center for just the second time against the Steelers, having so far amassed a record of 1-3 as a starter. His initiation into Steelers-Ravens football occurred during the regular season finale in Baltimore last year. Memorably, the game saw Huntley and Baltimore send Ben Roethlisberger out into the sunset with a final regular season victory and a chance at the playoffs, pending the outcome of games then yet to be decided.

Despite this Sunday authoring a new chapter of Steelers-Ravens and closing another, there remains one constant: the head coaches. Tomlin and Harbaugh will be facing off for the 32nd time in their career - including playoffs - with Tomlin holding the advantage at 17-14. Tomlin’s core of young Steelers have even taken four straight against the Ravens going back to November of 2020. It’s the reason why, even at 8-4, the Ravens are looking over their shoulder. Just as Baltimore faded down the stretch of 2021 with Lamar Jackson sidelined, the Ravens must contend with a surging Steelers team just now finding its footing.

Behind a backfield of Najee Harris and Benny Snell, the Steelers offense has claimed it’s identity as a run-first offense, taking the pressure off Kenny Pickett, and facing much more manageable down-and-distance scenarios. The offensive line is improving, there are fewer backbreaking penalties, and receivers are picking up yards after the catch. They’ve even managed to go four-straight games without a turnover, a modern-day record for Pittsburgh.

That doesn’t mean the Steelers offense is perfect - far from it. All it takes is one Diontae Johnson fumble or one errant pass to turn the tides of the season and throw the Steelers off course. And being that this is Kenny Pickett’s first time under center versus the Ravens, against a formidable pass-rush featuring veterans Justin Houston and Jason Pierre-Paul, Pickett will have to be cautious with the football on every down to keep the hopes of Pittsburgh alive. And that goes without mentioning the Ravens’ hall-hawking secondary.

In his eighth season, Marcus Peters is one of the most savvy and skilled cornerbacks in the league, possessing the tenacity to keep up with any receiver all game long. It’s this “me-against-the-world” mentality that often gets Peters into trouble, however. Following a questionable decision by Harbaugh to put the game into Lamar Jackson’s hands versus the Buffalo Bills in week four, Marcus Peters lashed out at his head coach and the notion that it’s “Lamar Jackson and the Ravens” as opposed to just the Ravens.

Perhaps this attitude has rubbed some the wrong way, and perhaps it’s why Peters has found himself on three different teams throughout his otherwise stellar career. But perhaps he provides the necessary edge and level of competitiveness all NFL corners and Ravens defenders must possess. Indeed, Peters and teammate Marlon Humphrey combine to form one of the most feared corner tandems in the game. While Peters can jump routes with an unparalleled sense of timing, Humphrey can make receivers pay after the catch by knocking the ball out and creating fumbles, something he’s done time and time again versus Pittsburgh.

From Juju Smith-Schuster to Diontae Johnson, every Steelers receiver in recent memory has had to keep their head on a swivel, watching out for the impeccable Raven’s secondary. The same goes for rookie receiver George Pickens as well, who’s notably on a cold streak heading into Sunday. Pickens, who’s known just as well for his competitive nature, must keep his emotions in check to win what usually amounts to a war of attrition in any Steelers-Ravens matchup. There simply won’t be many opportunities for Pickett and Pickens to connect on splash plays in this one, and the offense as a whole must turn to its running game to advance the ball downfield, especially with Jaylen Warren returning from injury.

Doing so will be a tall task, however, considering the Raven’s imposing rush defense has allowed just 990 yards all season long, for an average of 3.8 yards per carry. But in a rivalry that usually sees the victor winning by three points, it would be wise for Pittsburgh to do everything they can to establish the run and control time of possession. Doing so will prevent Tyler Huntley, Desean Jackson and company from getting into a rhythm of their own.

Huntley, a week removed from leading a 91-yard gaming-winning drive against the Broncos, will be heading into Pittsburgh with a certain swagger and confidence. Alex Highsmith, who is second among AFC edge rushers in Pro Bowl voting, will be tasked with humbling Huntley while matched up with Ronnie Stanley (who’s currently questionable with an injured ankle) and a battered offensive line.

On the other side, TJ Watt will continue to push himself despite recurring, nagging injuries. It’s been a while since TJ’s been completely healthy, but he knows better than most what’s at stake. If the score’s within three points at the end of regulation with the Ravens matching downfield for the go-ahead score, I would count on TJ Watt to make the game-changing play a week after his teammate Minkah Fitzpatrick called game against the Falcons.

Then again, Steelers-Ravens is known for bringing something a little different to the table every time. Maybe it will be a high-scoring shootout displaying the best of both young quarterbacks. Maybe instead of coming down to a late defensive stand sparked by the first few notes of “Renegade,” the game comes down to a final kick. After all, Chris Boswell is expected to return to the lineup to go toe-to-toe with Justin Tucker.

In a showdown of two Pro Bowl kickers, three points or less will be the difference. And at home, being well-acclimated to the winds that gust through Acrisure, Boswell will provide the edge in a game otherwise authored by heavy-hitting linebackers and clutch quarterback play. It won't be pretty - it almost never is - but Steelers-Ravens will start a new era in much the same way it began. Closely-contested, brutal at times, and reflecting the toughness both cities represent.

Prediction: Steelers 20, Ravens 17