With one regular-season game left, the NFL playoffs are just on the horizon. The Pittsburgh Steelers punched their ticket to the postseason a few weeks ago, but they still don’t know who their opponent will be. They do have a few options, though. Depending on how this week goes, the Steelers are going to travel to face either the Houston Texans or the Baltimore Ravens. Despite the Steelers beating the Ravens earlier this year, analyst Craig Carton believes Baltimore would be salivating at the prospect of playing its division rival.
“Even though Baltimore took care of business against them a couple weeks ago, the storyline is still gonna be, ‘Well, the last 10 times they’ve played, Pittsburgh has owned the Baltimore Ravens,'” Carton said Friday on FS1’s Breakfast Ball. “Don’t get that twisted. If I’m the Ravens, finger-licking good, bring me the Pittsburgh Steelers on a platter.”
The Ravens did beat the Steelers in their last meeting, 34-17, but the game was closer than the final score would indicate. It’s likely that neither of these teams would be afraid to face the other in the playoffs. However, it’s also probable that neither of these teams believe a game against their greatest rival would be easy.
Based on how they’ve both looked recently, Carton is right that the idea that the Steelers have dominated the Ravens over the past few years shouldn’t matter. The Steelers have done a good job defensively against Lamar Jackson, but that doesn’t guarantee them success if they meet again. It didn’t help them the last time they traveled to Baltimore.
When these teams play, the end result usually isn’t a blowout. In fact, in the last 10 years, only seven games between the Steelers and Ravens have been decided by more than one score. However, that does include the last time they matched up in the playoffs.
It seems crazy to say, but the last time the Steelers faced the Ravens in the playoffs was at the end of the 2014 season. That game saw the Steelers host Baltimore and lose, 30-17. That came after the Steelers split that series in the regular season, suffering a blowout loss in Baltimore.
Because of how their last game went, the Ravens would likely have confidence that they could handle the Steelers. However, underestimating an AFC North rival would not be wise. These two teams tend to bring their best against each other.
There’s no guarantee the Steelers will face the Ravens in the first round, though. For that to happen, they’d first need to lose to the Cincinnati Bengals Saturday. That’s not something they want to happen. Hopefully, if they do see the Ravens in the playoffs, it’s after the first round.
