The Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Ravens have had one of the NFL’s best rivalries of the last 25 years or so. Up until very recently, it was back and forth, and one team couldn’t find a consistent winning edge for very long.
Inexplicably, while the Ravens have been at their best and the Steelers arguably at their worst over the last four or five years, Pittsburgh has dominated the rivalry. The Steelers have won eight of the last nine, including the last four in a row.
Good Morning Football’s Kyle Brandt says it’s been so one-sided that he doesn’t even view it as a rivalry at this point.
“This great rivalry, this rivalry right now, it is not a rivalry,” Brandt said. “It is not. A rivalry is not history. It is not playing twice a year. It is back and forth — you win, I win, you win I win. I challenge you to tell me this is a great rivalry right now without using the names Ray Lewis, Terrell Suggs, Jerome Bettis, Hines Ward. Just talk about the current guys and you can’t.”
In Baltimore, they have a saying that you aren’t a Raven until you beat the Steelers. By that definition, the majority of the players on the roster aren’t Ravens.
It would be one thing if this streak was during the prime Ben Roethlisberger era, but it has included Kenny Pickett and even Mason Rudolph. The only quarterback to lose over the last nine games was Mitch Trubisky to Tyler Huntley.
The Ravens’ players are very aware of the streak with several of them talking about it leading up to Saturday. Marlon Humphrey admitted that it “bothers” him.
“Lose this game right now, nine of 10,” Brandt said. “Then you’re getting into like, your little brother territory. That’s Steelers-Browns stuff.”
Both teams have a lot to play for in this game. Pittsburgh can lock up the AFC North with a win while the Ravens can pull even with the Steelers with a decent chance of capturing the division title. If the Ravens lose, they are 9-6. They could conceivably end up the sixth or seventh seed at that point, which could earn them a road trip to either Pittsburgh, Kansas City, or Buffalo in the Wild Card round.
Lamar Jackson is having another MVP-caliber campaign, but he will have no chances of earning that distinction once again if he lays another egg against the Steelers. He has only started five games against them in his career, but he’s an abysmal 1-4.
The Ravens may look like the better team, but the Steelers beat them earlier this season without scoring a touchdown. Even with the possibility of George Pickens and T.J. Watt missing the game, Pittsburgh finds ways to win in this rivalry. Until proven otherwise, it’s hard to bet against that.
