The Pittsburgh Steelers limped into the playoffs on a four-game losing streak. It was a brutal end to what was a promising season at one point. Prior to the losing streak, the Steelers were 10-3 and had a great shot at winning the AFC North. But they let that slip through their hands, and the Baltimore Ravens secured the AFC North on the final weekend of the regular season.
Not only did the Ravens win the North, but now the Steelers have to play them for a third time this season. And they lost to the Ravens in Baltimore during that four-game losing streak. Head coach Mike Tomlin called having to travel to Baltimore on Wild Card Weekend simply the “tax” they are paying for letting the North slip from their grasp.
To say things are not looking good for Pittsburgh is an understatement. But ESPN analyst Benjamin Solak thinks not all hope is lost for the Steelers.
“They were very banged up in December,” Solak said Monday on the Up And Adams Show. “I absolutely and I truly believe Pittsburgh is better than the four-game skid would indicate. They now get a Baltimore team with whom they are intimately familiar, they’re playing in a stadium they’ve played in consistently, they know to play there. They’re playing a quarterback in Lamar Jackson who they’ve consistently defended better than other teams have defended him in his respective seasons.
“There is a circle-the-wagons opportunity here for Pittsburgh. They’re as big of an underdog as Denver is, but I think they’re much more alive. You go look at the history of John Harbaugh versus Mike Tomlin. Underdogs in those games, especially big underdogs, tend to outperform, right? These games are always played close. The Ravens are the better team, and Pittsburgh’s got issues in the passing game. Russell Wilson’s not playing well. There’s serious problems there, but you cannot count Pittsburgh out of an interdivisional game like this.”
Despite heading into the playoffs with four straight losses, NFL analyst @BenjaminSolak is NOT counting the #Steelers out against the #Ravens on Saturday. 👀
“There is a ‘circle the wagons’ opportunity here for Pittsburgh.” 💪💪@heykayadams @steelers | #HereWeGo pic.twitter.com/BsMicmotmw
— Up & Adams (@UpAndAdamsShow) January 6, 2025
While the Steelers may be mostly healthy heading into the playoffs (and even the Bengals game outside of CB Donte Jackson), they definitely dealt with injury issues in December. S DeShon Elliott, DL Larry Ogunjobi, and cornerbacks Joey Porter Jr. and Jackson all missed time. That’s going to have an effect on how your defense plays, and it showed. So hopefully getting healthy at the right time will benefit the Steelers.
As for the offense, Solak sure isn’t kidding about the issues in the passing game. The Steelers failed to score more than 17 points in any of their last four games. QB Russell Wilson has only thrown for four touchdowns during that span while throwing two interceptions. He’s also been sacked 14 times.
And the last time these two teams met, the Steelers only managed 17 points as well. But despite the 34-17 final score, the Steelers tied the game at 17 in the third quarter. And they were only down one score when the fourth quarter started. The turning point was Wilson throwing a pick-six to Ravens CB Marlon Humphrey with just over 13 minutes left in the game.
So even the lopsided final score did not tell the full story of the game. These two teams usually play each other tough. And the Steelers did defeat the Ravens 18-16 earlier this season in Pittsburgh. So yes, the Steelers have issues that they need to resolve on offense to have a quality shot at winning this game.
A big part of how this game goes will be up to the Steelers’ defense. Will they be able to slow down a Ravens rushing attack led by RB Derrick Henry and Jackson? And will the Steelers be able to limit Jackson’s big plays through the air? Ravens WR Zay Flowers had five catches for 100 yards the last time these two teams played. But his status for Saturday is still up in the air after he suffered a knee injury against the Cleveland Browns in Week 18. And even if he plays, will he be 100 percent?
Regardless, the Steelers will certainly show up in Baltimore ready to engage in another slugfest with the Ravens. And that’s why Solak says that you cannot count the Steelers out.
