Looking strictly at their records, the Pittsburgh Steelers have been better than the Baltimore Ravens this year. Although Lamar Jackson is an MVP candidate, and Derrick Henry is one of the best running backs in the league, they haven’t been as successful as the Steelers. The Steelers even beat the Ravens in their first matchup. Despite all of that, analyst Mike Florio unabashedly put the Ravens ahead of the Steelers in his latest NFL power rankings.
“They’re an elite team, but they blow too many games they shouldn’t,” Florio said recently of the Ravens on his Pro Football Talk podcast. “They should not have five losses. They are better than a five-loss team. And they are higher on the list than the Steelers, who don’t have five losses.
“Steelers fans are mad because they’re like, ‘We beat the Ravens. How dare you. We beat the Ravens.’ Well, good luck in Baltimore this week. Get back to me after this weekend if you go to Baltimore and beat the Ravens.”
On paper, the Ravens do look better than a five-loss team. On the field, that has not been the case. Jackson and their offense have been spectacular, but for much of this season their defense has been putrid. They haven’t terrible against the run, but their pass defense generally has not been able to stop a nosebleed. That’s why they have lost games to teams like the Las Vegas Raiders.
The Steelers have had problems of their own though. They’re almost like an inverse of the Ravens. While the Ravens’ defense has been suspect, the Steelers’ defense has been one of the NFL’s best. It’s their offense that has been holding Pittsburgh back.
At times, Russell Wilson and company have put everything together. Despite often starting slow, they’ve managed to storm back in games at a moment’s notice. Problems arise when they lack that explosive element of their passing game. That is almost directly tied to George Pickens, who will miss this week’s game.
With Pickens hurt, Florio’s argument becomes much stronger. The Steelers’ offense looked like a liability last week without its No. 1 receiver. Meanwhile, the Ravens’ defense has been steadily improving.
All of those factors seem to be pointing toward the Steelers having a rough day in Baltimore tomorrow. However, history is on their side. They’ve won eight of their last nine games against the Ravens, including their last four in Baltimore. The Steelers have been underdogs in this matchup in the past, yet they’ve still managed to come out on top. Perhaps they’ll do that again and prove Florio wrong.
