Week Five is early for a “must-win” game, especially for a 2-2 Pittsburgh Steelers team. And to hear it from CB Patrick Peterson, he’s not panicking. He’s a veteran who has been on teams when times were good and when times were bad. Still, he understands the importance and weight a victory over the Baltimore Ravens would mean to the team heading into its bye week.
On the latest episode of his All Things Covered podcast with co-host Bryant McFadden, Peterson said the Steelers must beat the Ravens this Sunday.
“We, quite frankly, need and want to win this game, for sure,” Peterson told McFadden.
Pittsburgh enters the weekend as home underdogs with plenty of uncertainty against the AFC North-leading Ravens. It’s not clear who the Steelers’ starting quarterback will be. QB Kenny Pickett suffered a knee injury in Sunday’s loss to the Houston Texans but recent reporting indicates he could play this weekend. If not, Mitch Trubisky will get the nod under center. He replaced Pickett in the first Steelers-Ravens matchup last season, throwing three interceptions in a 16-14 loss. TE Pat Freiermuth appears unlikely to play in this game due to a hamstring injury while OT Dan Moore Jr.’s status is unclear after injuring his right knee. If he can’t play, rookie Broderick Jones will draw his first NFL start.
The Ravens are flying high after a 28-3 beatdown of the Cleveland Browns. It was an impressive win with QB Lamar Jackson responsible for four total touchdowns, two rushing and two passing, though they benefitted from facing a backup quarterback. Browns’ starter Deshaun Watson missed the game with a shoulder injury, forcing the team to turn to rookie Dorian Thompson-Robinson. Predictably, he struggled and without much of a running game, the Browns’ offense had little chance of success.
If the Steelers find a way to win this weekend, they’ll move back into first place in the AFC North. Peterson knows that would be a key victory to have in their pocket throughout the year.
“This would set us up in the long haul when you have an opportunity to have a leg up on a divisional foe,” he said.
Pittsburgh won’t see Baltimore again until Week 18 in what could be a crucial game if both teams are fighting for a playoff spot. A Steelers win would also make them 2-0 in the AFC North after going 3-3 in the division a season ago. If Pittsburgh isn’t going to be an 11-win type of team, and it certainly doesn’t look that way, then the Steelers must take care of business inside the division.
If the Steelers lose, they’ll be looking up at the Ravens for potentially the rest of the season. With a Week Six bye, it’s possible Pittsburgh enters Week Seven several games behind Baltimore. After facing the Steelers, the Ravens have a Week Seven tilt against the Tennessee Titans in London. If they win both those games, they’ll be 5-1 to the Steelers’ 2-3, including a win over Pittsburgh. Barring Jackson getting hurt and another late-season team collapse, it’ll be extremely difficult for the Steelers to come back and win the AFC North. At best, they’ll have to fight for a Wild Card spot in an AFC with plenty of teams vying to make the playoffs.
Finding a silver lining, history says the Steelers can win this game. As Dave Bryan wrote after the team’s Week One 30-7 loss to the San Francisco 49ers, Mike Tomlin has a great track record bouncing back from these types of defeats. By beating the Cleveland Browns in Week Two, the Steelers are 11-2 in games under Tomlin when they lose by 20 or more points, easily the NFL’s highest winning percentage in such games.
And it would be classic Steelers to get upset by the Texans one week and beat the Ravens the next. Steelers-Ravens games almost always come down to the wire, the final few plays of the game, and despite Pittsburgh’s many issues, there’s a good chance that happens again Sunday.
Check out the entire All Things Covered podcast below.
