The showdown for the AFC North goes down on Saturday afternoon.
A Steelers victory over Baltimore clinches the division title for Pittsburgh with two weeks to go. The Steelers have not won the AFC North since 2020 (three seasons not winning the division is the longest streak for Pittsburgh since 2011-13). The Steelers have not gone four-plus seasons without winning their division since 1985-1991 in the AFC Central -- the final seven seasons of Chuck Noll's reign.
Meanwhile, the Ravens are trying to break a streak of futility against their division foe. Baltimore has lost eight of the past nine meetings to Pittsburgh, including each of the past four.
Ravens players are keenly aware of their recent skid to their rivals.
"I didn't know that it was eight out of the last nine until the last game, but it bothers me," corner Marlon Humphrey said, via the official team transcript. "When I found out, it was surprising, but I know the guys in the locker room, we want to win this rivalry. Eight out of the last nine [games] -- it's not a good number at all. So, the focus has to be at a premium this week, and it's going to take a lot to get that back on our side, but you want to be able to beat your rival."
Each of those eight losses in nine meetings came by seven points or fewer. Humphrey said players know enough is enough, that the Steelers have had their number far too long.
"That has to be the message," he said. "In the past, there has been a lot more talk about it. The defensive meeting today was a little fiery, the team meeting was a little fiery, but it's just going to build this week, and it'll get talked about. I think some people got a taste of it. There were a couple of skirmishes in the last game, but this is big. This means a lot to a lot of people. It means a lot to me being here for a long time, and if you don't understand, the message will be very clear as the week goes on."
In the 18-16 Week 11 loss, the Ravens had three giveaways, two missed field goals and 12 penalties. Baltimore scored with 1:06 left in regulation but failed the two-point try. With three timeouts, the Ravens offense couldn't get off the field, allowing a first down that allowed the Steelers to ice the game.
Humphrey noted that the Ravens must lock in on every detail to get over a club that has been a thorn in their side.
"That's actually something I was thinking about earlier," the CB said of why they come out on the downside of close losses to Pittsburgh. "Why is that so? I feel as though it's kind of been more of them having better success. And why does that come? I think it's been a little bit of, kind of like you said, a little bit of self-inflicted [wounds]. I think we've sustained drives, and then they kind of die at the end. We've gotten a stop, [then] get a flag, gotten a stop, [then] get a flag. There's been a lot of different things that just seems like it hasn't [gone] our way. But it's not like 'Oh, we were just unlucky.' You got to play disciplined football.
"I think [Steelers head coach Mike] Tomlin wants to just keep the game close, keep the game close and then win it at the end, and honestly, that strategy works pretty well when they play us. I respect what he does as a coach. His team is ... There's a lot of teams out there that you can say, 'They weren't really tough. They didn't really bring it.' That's one thing that I love about the rivalry -- there's not a lot of fare dodging. They're going do what they're going to do. They'll run the ball, take their shots -- it's not really going to be a secret, and they feel that they can do that and be successful, and we've got to feel that we can stop it and do the opposite."
One thing seems inevitable on Saturday: The game will be close. Tomlin is 21-15 all-time versus John Harbaugh (including playoffs). Of the 36 matches, 28 have been decided by one score.
Tomlin and Harbaugh's 36 career matchups are the second-most in NFL history between two head coaches. Curly Lambeau and George Halas faced off 49 times, including playoffs. From 1921-28, Lambeau and Halas also played in several of those matchups. Unfortunately, neither Tomlin nor Harbaugh will be suiting up on Saturday.
