The last meeting between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Ravens was as chippy as it’s been in quite a few years. Even the young players who were new to the rivalry embraced the physicality. There was a distinct attitude coming from both teams that set the tone for the game. While the Steelers need to display that physicality to walk out of Baltimore with a win, it has to be within the scope of the rules. Mike Tomlin preached the importance of that this morning.
“We need to play hard and smart,” Tomlin said via Bob Labriola on Steelers.com. “We’re competing for the AFC North Championship, and that requires a certain mindset while, at the same time, we’ve got to be sharp. We’ve got to display awareness. We’ve got to play within the rules of the game. We can’t allow emotions to get away from us.”
Penalties were a major component of the last matchup in Week 11. The Ravens had 12 penalties for 80 yards, while the Steelers had seven for 45. There were two instances of offsetting penalties for unsportsmanlike conduct. Broderick Jones had an offsetting situation with Marlon Humphrey and Minkah Fitzpatrick had an offsetting penalty with Patrick Mekari. Otherwise, there were quite a few holding calls and pre-snap penalties like false starts, illegal shifts, and offsides.
The Steelers are down their best offensive weapon, George Pickens, and will be dealing with quite a few injuries on defense as well. They will already be working to overcome that and can’t also work to overcome pre- and post-snap penalties.
“The Baltimore Ravens are the most penalized team in the National Football League, and if that is them, we need to let that be them and not us,” Tomlin said. “A component of us positioning ourselves to win is staying on schedule, not giving free real estate.”
The Ravens have 117 penalties against them this season. That is 8.4 per game compared to the Steelers’ 6.4 per game. In the right scenario, two additional penalties can change the outcome of multiple drives and, therefore, the game.
Bill Vinovich and his crew will be officiating the game later today. Check out our breakdown of his crew for what to expect in this game. They have been pretty flag-happy this season, so penalty and clean play could very well end up being one of the deciding factors.
It will be a fine line to walk. The Steelers can’t let themselves be bullied in a hostile environment like Baltimore, but it needs to be within the scope of the rule book.
