The Pittsburgh Steelers enter the season finale knowing the range of outcomes for their playoff fate, with the Houston Texans being their most likely first-round opponent. Barring a Ravens loss, that is who the Steelers will face in the first round if they beat the Bengals. If they lose, however, they could be playing in Baltimore—something Ben Roethlisberger says they must avoid.
“You want to go to Houston”, Roethlisberger said on his Footbahlin podcast, laying out how the Texans are the ideal first opponent for the Steelers. “If there’s anybody in the postseason you want to play, it’s Houston. They are on the downslide. Now they’re injured, they’ve got all kinds of things going on. I don’t care if it’s at Houston. That doesn’t bother me at all. You want to go there. You do not want to go play in Baltimore right now”.
After a charmed first season for rookie QB C.J. Stroud and HC DeMeco Ryans, the Texans have fallen somewhat back to earth. While they have locked up the AFC South, they sit at just 9-7 entering their season finale on the road. The Steelers aren’t doing much better at 10-6, but they have a healthier roster.
The Texans have been hit particularly hard at wide receiver, losing both Stefon Diggs and Tank Dell. They recently claimed former Steelers WR Diontae Johnson of waivers—from the Ravens. As for the Ravens, they may be the hottest team in the NFL right now.
According to Ben Roethlisberger, the Ravens have not one but two MVP candidates. There is QB Lamar Jackson, of course, but also RB Derrick Henry. Were it not for Saquon Barkley’s electrifying season, he would probably be talked about more. After all, he is sitting at nearly 2,000 yards from scrimmage with 16 touchdowns. He is also averaging 5.8 yards on 305 carries—he has been stellar, even against the Steelers.
“There’s fans out there, I guarantee this, that think, ‘No, we have Baltimore’s number’”, Roethlisberger said. Recently, the Steelers had won eight out of nine games against the Ravens. “No. I’m telling you. Right now, the way Baltimore’s playing, you don’t want that. You don’t want it”.
The Ravens are riding a three-game winning streak, overcoming a two-game deficit to the Steelers. As a result, they are one game ahead in the division and will win the AFC North with a win on Saturday. Should they win and the Steelers lose, that may trigger a first-round rematch, once again in Baltimore.
And the Steelers had one of their worst games of the season not two weeks ago against the Ravens in Baltimore. Even after tying the game at 17 with 20 minutes to play, they let the game slip away. Baltimore scored the final 17 points and turned it into a blowout.
The Ravens iced the game over the Steelers with a pick-six by Marlon Humphrey, symptomatic of their turnaround. In recent weeks, their defense has played much better, or at least competitively. They are now in the top half of the league in points and yards allowed, holding four of their last six opponents to under 20 points and under 300 yards. And the Steelers, you may have noticed, are wading through the exact opposite trend. So yeah, you don’t want to go to Baltimore. You want to go to Houston.
