The Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Ravens flipped positions over the past three games, rerouting the path to the AFC North. Over an 11-game stretch, the Steelers bottomed out while the Ravens hit another gear. And both Mike Tomlin and John Harbaugh are well aware of that. Both had the same bothersome three-games-in-11-days schedule, but the Ravens handled it far better.
“Proud of our guys”, Harbaugh said, via the Ravens’ website, after his team beat the Texans for its third win in a row. He also managed to fit in what might be interpreted as a shot at the Steelers along the way, as Brian Batko pointed out. “These guys took these three games in 11 days and smashed it, obliterated it, tore it up and made into a bunch of smithereens laying around everywhere”.
“The fact that they did it in this short stretch, I think our team probably handled it the best, arguably”, the Ravens head coach said, before referencing the team that just beat up the Steelers. “I guess the Chiefs did a good job too, so there you go. Have to give them credit where credit’s due”.
The NFL had the Steelers, Ravens, Texans, and Chiefs all play on a short schedule. It was a part of its moneymaking scheme to reap the benefits of its new Netflix broadcasting deal. While forcing teams to play on Saturdays and Wednesdays was unorthodox, the league did even the playing field.
The thing is the four teams involved handled things very differently. The Chiefs and Ravens went 3-0 and dominated along the way. The Steelers and Texans went 0-3 and 1-2, respectively, also playing poorly. Both the Steelers and Texans took their lumps from the Ravens and Chiefs.
For their efforts, the Chiefs secured the AFC’s No. 1 seed and first-round bye. The Ravens seized control of the AFC North, needing only to beat the Browns in Week 18 to secure the title. Either that or a Steelers loss to the Bengals, which is certainly within the realm of possibility. The Chiefs’ victory over the Steelers, of course, allowed the Ravens to take control of the AFC North.
So was Harbaugh taking a shot at the Steelers by talking about how well the Ravens and Chiefs handled the schedule? Perhaps, perhaps not. Perhaps he was just acknowledging the team in the NFL with the best record. They’ll have to get through the Chiefs at some point, most likely, if they want to win the Super Bowl.
Mike Tomlin and John Harbaugh share the longest divisional “rivalry” in the NFL, and one of the longest in NFL history. Prior to their most recent bout, the Steelers had won eight of the previous nine. The Ravens likely feel a bit of catharsis right now, given how the season had gone. They were supposed to be a Super Bowl favorite and yet couldn’t even take control of their own division.
In fact, the AFC North is the only division in the AFC that isn’t already decided. The Bills, Chiefs, and Texans are already locked into a home playoff game, but the Ravens and Steelers are still duking it out. They are both in the playoffs, but who will play in their own stadium? The one who laughs last is probably the one laughing on Christmas.
