With one game left to play on the AFC side of Super Wildcard Weekend, the Divisional Round matchups for the playoffs are not yet set. The Baltimore Ravens are the top seed enjoying the first round on a bye from the comfort of their homes, so they will play whichever team is the lowest seed remaining after this weekend.With the Cleveland Browns (fifth-seed) and Miami Dolphins (sixth-seed) already eliminated from contention, the Ravens will be playing either the Houston Texans or the Pittsburgh Steelers.
John Harbaugh spoke to the media on Monday and discussed how the Ravens are preparing at this moment given the results of the first two games.
“We are deep in the preparations. Last week we spent time on all four of the potential teams doing the preliminary work,” Harbaugh said in a clip of the press conference posted on the Ravens’ Twitter account. “Since Houston won, we have been dialed in on Houston since the end of that game ’til now. Continuing until about 7:30 tonight and then we’ll see if we have to pivot.”
It is a bit unusual for a head coach to speak in these terms, saying that they are preparing for one team when another one of their possible opponents has not yet been eliminated. Of course, there is the added element that the Ravens and Steelers know each other very well. It wouldn’t take as much preparation as it would for them preparing for Houston.
The Texans and the Ravens played each other in the 2023 season opener with the Ravens winning 25-9, but rookie QB C.J. Stroud has come a long way since then, culminating in a 45-14 win over the Cleveland Browns in the first round of the playoffs.
Regardless of how it looks on paper, a potential matchup between the seventh-seed Steelers and the first-seed Ravens, would be a rivalry game which levels the playing field to a certain extent. The Steelers have won seven of the last eight against the Ravens including in Week 18. The Ravens were resting their starters in that game, but they weren’t when the Steelers beat them earlier in the season 17-10 with QB Lamar Jackson healthy and playing.
While it is probably practical of Harbaugh to prepare for the Texans as of right now, it doesn’t make it any less of a slight to the Steelers, and one that will likely get some attention should the Steelers pull off the upset in Buffalo later today.
