Buckle your seatbelts for what should be an action-packed playoff game between two longtime rivals. For the fifth time ever, the Steelers and Ravens will meet in the playoffs when Pittsburgh visits Baltimore for Saturday night’s AFC wild-card showdown.
The two teams split their two regular-season matchups. Pittsburgh edged Baltimore, 18-16, back in Week 11 on the strength of three turnovers and two missed field goals by Justin Tucker. The Ravens got their revenge in Week 16, scoring 17 unanswered points en route to a 34-17 win. That was one of four straight wins for Baltimore to close out the regular season. Conversely, the Steelers are just one of three teams in NFL history to enter the playoffs on a four-game losing skid.
Baltimore’s winning streak and Pittsburgh’s losing streak is a big reason why the Ravens are considerable favorites in this matchup, despite Lamar Jackson’s 2-4 career record against the Steelers. Baltimore is hoping that this is the year that they are able to finally break through while representing the AFC in the Super Bowl. Pittsburgh is hoping to snap its ongoing drought without a playoff win, which currently stands at eight years.
Here’s how you can follow the action in real time, along with a full preview and our prediction for Saturday’s game as the game will be solely available to stream on Amazon Prime (which also be simulcast on local stations).
How to watch Steelers vs. Ravens
- Date: Saturday, Jan. 11 | Time: 8 p.m. ET
- Location: M&T Bank Stadium (Landover, Maryland)
- TV: None | Live stream: Amazon Prime
- Follow: CBS Sports App
- Odds: Ravens -9.5, OU 43.5 (via BetMGM)
When the Ravens have the ball
Baltimore’s offense has continued to reach new heights under second-year offensive coordinator Todd Monken. This season, the Ravens offense boasted the league’s second-leading rusher in Derrick Henry, whose 1,921 yards are the most for a player over 30. It’s also the most in league history for a player who didn’t win the rushing title. Henry was held in check during his first meeting of the year vs. Pittsburgh, but he he ran wild for 162 yards in the Week 16 rematch.
Henry is Baltimore’s bell cow, but Jackson has continued to excel on the ground. Jackson ran for 915 yards this season while leading the NFL with a 6.6 yards-per-carry average. In addition to his running, Jackson had his best passing season to date. He eclipsed 4,000 passing yards for the first time, threw 41 touchdowns (becoming one of 13 players in NFL history to so) and just four interceptions. Like Henry, Jackson struggled in Baltimore’s first showdown with Pittsburgh but bounced back in the rematch, throwing three touchdown passes.
There will be an added importance on Baltimore’s running game with the absence of the team’s No. 1 wideout, Zay Flowers, who has been ruled out of Saturday’s game after getting injured in Week 18. The Ravens are getting a player back in running back Justice Hill, who hasn’t played since suffering a concussion against the Steelers three weeks ago.
With Flowers out, Jackson will likely look more to tight ends Mark Andrews, Isaiah Likely and wideouts Rashod Bateman and Nelson Agholor. Bateman, Andrews and Likely each caught a touchdown pass in Baltimore’s Week 16 win over Pittsburgh.
For Pittsburgh’s defense, it’ll be about getting Jackson and Co. off the field on third down, containing Henry and making Jackson uncomfortable in the pocket. Pittsburgh’s defense was able to do each of those things in Week 11. The Steelers did two of those three things for parts of their Week 16 loss, but mistakes by the offense and injuries to several key defensive starters proved to be too much to overcome.
The one thing the Steelers didn’t do in the rematch was pressure Jackson, who was sacked just once. On the majority of his dropbacks, Jackson was able to properly plant his feet while scanning the field without a pass rush bearing down on him. That allowed him to throw quick, confident and accurate passes that led to his best game against the Steelers to date. The Steelers pass rushers, led by T.J. Watt, cannot allow that to be the case again on Saturday.
When the Steelers have the ball
The Steelers offense has sunk to the depths of despair in recent weeks. Pittsburgh’s offense averaged just 14.3 points per game during its four-game losing streak. Critical turnovers and a disappearing passing attack were the biggest factors in the offensive demise.
Russell Wilson committed three big turnovers during the losing streak; two in Baltimore that led to 14 points and an interception in the red zone against the Chiefs on Christmas Day. Najee Harris’ fumble in Eagles territory in Week 15 all but ended that game. The Steelers thrived on getting turnovers and taking care of the ball during their 10-3 start, but their inability to do those things in recent weeks factored into the four-game losing streak.
George Pickens missed three games with a hamstring injury late in the season and was out for two of those losses. He hasn’t been the same since returning from injury; he caught one pass for zero yards against the Bengals in Week 18. That’s obviously an unacceptable stat line for a No. 1 receiver, which Pickens claims to be. Pickens has to have a significant impact on Saturday’s game for the Steelers to have success.
The Steelers’ other receivers need to step up, too. Calvin Austin III, who caught a 44-yard pass the last time the Steelers played the Ravens, has become a reliable secondary option. Tight end Pat Freiermuth has also played well this season. But Van Jefferson and Mike Williams’ contributions have been underwhelming so far. Just like Pickens, their contributions need to increase in Baltimore and beyond.
Pittsburgh’s running game is the biggest thing its offense has going for it entering this game. While they haven’t been Franco Harris and Rocky Bleier, Harris and Jaylen Warren have had success in their own right this season against the Ravens’ top-ranked run defense, led by linebacker Roquan Smith.
The duo combined to amass 305 all-purpose yards against Baltimore during the regular season. While they could have gotten a few more explosive plays on the ground, Harris and Warren’s contributions were good enough to give the Steelers a chance to win both games. Harris in particular has had some big games in Baltimore in recent years, and it’s conceivable to think that the four-time 1,000-yard rusher has one more left in him in what could be his final game with the Steelers.
There are two big matchups to watch when the Steelers have the ball: Pittsburgh’s wideouts against Baltimore’s talented secondary and the Steelers’ young offensive line against the Ravens’ formidable defensive line. Pittsburgh’s line (which may include a change in the starting lineup if rookie guard Mason McCormick can’t play through his broken hand) needs to do a better protecting Wilson after he was sacked three times back in Week 16. Part of that was Wilson holding on to the ball too long; that issue can get fixed if the Steelers’ wideouts can get open quicker.
If no one is open, Wilson has shown a knack for making plays with his legs. He just needs to take care of the ball when he does so.
Prediction
While many have already written them off, the Steelers can win this game if they are able to get off to a strong start, force some turnovers and hope that the Ravens (i.e. Jackson) have an off-day. The Steelers will give the Ravens their best shot, and this game should be much closer than Las Vegas anticipates.
Look for Jackson to run more often than he usually does in the playoffs. On defense, expect Baltimore’s defense to bend not but break while focusing on limiting the Steelers’ big plays in the passing game. The Ravens will win if they take care of the ball and are able to limit Pittsburgh’s big plays. But something tells me that Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin will find a way to beat Pittsburgh’s archrival while ending Pittsburgh’s playoff drought. Pick: Steelers 20, Ravens 17
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