The Pittsburgh Steelers can’t clinch a postseason berth by defeating the Baltimore Ravens alone—but it would make it a lot easier. The Ravens can’t eliminate the Steelers from contention by defeating them alone—but it would make it a lot easier.
Even with home-field advantage locked up, then, the Ravens have plenty to play for heading into the season finale. Certain players, like potential MVP QB Lamar Jackson, won’t be playing, but those who are on the field will make it their mission to beat the Steelers for multiple reasons.
“Any time you can send somebody home, that’s one reason why you play the game”, said ILB Patrick Queen, via the team’s website, who was just named to his first Pro Bowl. “At the end of the day, it’s a rivalry game, so you have to treat that game like you would treat any other rivalry game”.
As a brief refresher, to keep things as simple as possible, the Steelers’ clearest path to the postseason is a win coupled with a loss by either the Buffalo Bills or the Jacksonville Jaguars. A few other pathways exist, including one in which they and the Jaguars lose, the Denver Broncos win, and the Indianapolis Colts and the Houston Texans don’t tie.
With the Steelers and Ravens the first game out of the chute, there will be no scoreboard watching but a lot of potential anxiety as they wait to find out if they get the help they need. A couple years ago, they needed the Las Vegas Raiders and the Los Angeles Chargers to not tie to get a postseason berth, and they only narrowly escaped that fate when the Raiders kicked a last-second field goal in overtime.
A few years earlier, they needed the Cleveland Browns to beat the Baltimore Ravens in the finale, but the Browns came up short, QB Baker Mayfield throwing an interception from the Ravens’ 39-yard line, trailing by two, with 1:06 to play on 4th and 10. Another few yards to attempt a field goal and Pittsburgh would have potentially been hosting a playoff game.
So the Steelers are used to needing a little help from their friends, so to speak, and sometimes their enemies as well. QB Mason Rudolph was around for both of those instances mentioned, but this time he will be the one under center, not knowing by the time the game ends if he’s done enough—or if there was even enough to be done.
And on top of the fact that the Ravens could greatly aid in knocking the Steelers out of the playoffs, there’s also a little revenge on the mind. “Steelers got our number last game, and our goal is to go out and win Saturday, so that’s where all our focus is right now”, C Tyler Linderbaum, also a first-time Pro Bowler, said, adding that the earlier loss “for sure” provides extra motivation to win on Saturday.
The Ravens went 14-2 in 2019 and rested starters in the season finale against the Steelers and still won 28-10 with Robert Griffin III at quarterback. Of course, that was the year of Devlin Hodges.
