The Pittsburgh Steelers take on the Baltimore Ravens tomorrow, in what’s historically been one of the best rivalries in sports, and for my money, the best rivalry in the NFL. Former Steelers safety Ryan Clark, who was a key member of Pittsburgh’s secondary during the glory days of the rivalry, doesn’t think it has the same shine to it. Clark, now an ESPN analyst, said on First Take Friday that the rivalry isn’t the same anymore, and it’s because the Steelers aren’t the same anymore.
“That junk ain’t the same no more,” Clark said. “Now, when Lamar Jackson walks out, we see an MVP and a guy that’s possible to win another MVP and that’s probably gonna win a Super Bowl. We ain’t got that, in our guy. Now when they walk out on the other side they got Todd Monken and they feel like they can do all kind of things and we can’t. This ain’t the same rivalry, and we have to be honest about that. And it’s because the Pittsburgh Steelers ain’t the same team.”
It’s a blunt assessment, but it feels like an overreaction based off how the Steelers have looked last year. Historically, the Steelers have done a very good job against Jackson, holding him to a 2-3 record against them and just a 67.4 passer rating and only 217 rushing yards in five games against Pittsburgh. The personnel has changed, and Pittsburgh’s secondary is worse. But Kenny Pickett did lead the Steelers to a win over Baltimore last season (albeit against Tyler Huntley) and the Steelers have won five out of the last six matchups against the Ravens.
The Steelers are coming off a pathetic performance against the Houston Texans, and they’ve gotten blown out twice this year. But for better or worse, this team is pretty similar to the Steelers teams we’ve seen over the last few years. A good pass rush and a middling offense that at times does just enough to lead the team to victory. That might not work against this iteration of the Ravens, especially given that they’re getting Marcus Williams, Rashod Bateman and Odell Beckham Jr. back from injury.
So Clark might be right, and the Steelers might fall flat on their face again. But until that potentially happens, it’s not necessarily fair to say the rivalry has lost it’s shine. It’s not as if the Ravens have a recent history of blowing out the Steelers, and while it feels like they’ve been worse, the Steelers are still 2-2.
Pittsburgh has a lot to play for on Sunday, and a win would ensure they head into their bye atop the AFC North. That’s nothing to sneeze at, and you have to think that they’re gonna be extremely motivated to prove that they aren’t as bad as they’ve looked. While the names and faces have changed, it’s still Steelers-Ravens.
Mike Tomlin questioned the Steelers physicality on Sunday against the Texans, and even held a padded practice this week. If the players don’t step up to the plate and prove that they can be a physical team and hang with the Ravens, there are much larger issues at hand.
Clark is clearly fed up with the direction this Steelers team seems to be taking, but all hope is far from lost. Sunday will be a good litmus test to see if the Steelers really can be a playoff contender or if they’re just another team. Both sides of the ball have to show they can be better, and I do expect Sunday to be another close Steelers-Ravens game, despite the Steelers coming off a blowout loss and the Ravens coming off a blowout win. We’ll see if Pittsburgh has it in them to answer the call, but this feels like the type of game where they show that they’re better than they’ve looked. But if they do lose handily against Baltimore, the rest of the season could be rough.
It’s a big game with a lot riding on it. The Steelers have to step up, and if they don’t, Clark just may be proven right about the rivalry not being the same.
