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The AFC North is on the line when the Pittsburgh Steelers travel to M&T Bank Stadium to take on the rival Baltimore Ravens on Saturday at 4:30 PM ET.
This will be the second time the teams face each other in just over a month, with Pittsburgh winning at home over the Ravens in mid-November, 18-16. Neither team shined offensively in that contest, as Baltimore QB Lamar Jackson went just 16-for-33 for 207 yards, and the team posted a season-low in both points and total yards (329). Coach John Harbaugh’s squad had 12 penalties and turned the ball over three times. Baltimore K Justin Tucker missed multiple field goal attempts as well.
The Steelers weren’t much better, as QB Russell Wilson went 23-for-36 for 205 yards. K Chris Bosworth tied a franchise record with 6 field goals as Pittsburgh could not find the end zone all game. The Ravens scored a touchdown with just over a minute to play, but a failed two-point conversion cemented the win for Pittsburgh. Lamar Jackson fell to 1-4 career against the Steelers. Pittsburgh has won four straight and eight of the last nine in this series, all by a touchdown or less.
Let’s break down each team’s Week 15 recap while previewing this matchup and making a Steelers vs Ravens NFL Week 16 pick.
The Steelers lead the NFC North at 10-4, with the Ravens a game behind at 9-5. A Pittsburgh win on Saturday would clinch a season sweep and secure the division for the team, thanks to the tiebreaker. Last week, the Steelers dropped a road game with a limp, 27-13 loss at the Philadelphia Eagles Sunday afternoon. Wilson was 14-for-22 for a season-low 128 yards as the Steelers were limited to just 153 total yards offensively.
Trailing by seven in the third quarter, Pittsburgh drove to the Philadelphia 26-yard line, but RB Najee Harris, who had just 14 yards on six carries, fumbled the ball away on first down. The team missed leading WR George Pickens (55 receptions for 850 yards), who was out with a hamstring injury for the second straight week.
Pittsburgh LB linebacker T.J. Watt, who leads the team and is tied for third in the league with 11.5 sacks, left the game with an ankle injury and is currently questionable for this week’s game against the Ravens. His status will be pivotal to the Steelers’ chances of taking down Baltimore for the second time this season.
QB Lamar Jackson completed 21-of-25 passes for 290 yards and tied a career-high with 5 touchdown passes as the Ravens easily handled the lowly New York Giants on the road, 35-14. Jackson also ran for 65 yards, and WR Rashod Bateman had 3 catches for 80 yards, including 2 touchdowns. RB Derrick Henry rushed for just 67 yards, the fourth time in five games he failed to break 100 yards rushing. He also did not score a touchdown for the third straight game.
He was not needed in this one, as the much-maligned Ravens defense held the Giants in check, allowing just 236 yards of total offense. In the game, tight end Mark Andrews set a franchise record with his 48th career touchdown.
Baltimore is just 4-3 in its last seven games, putting forth a somewhat uneven close to the 2024 NFL season. However, a win at home on Saturday evens the AFC North race while clinching a third straight playoff berth for the Ravens.
Jackson has had another MVP-type season. The two-time winner has thrown for 3,580 yards, and his 34 touchdown passes trails only Cincinnati’s Joe Burrows. Henry has been a boon in the backfield for Baltimore, with 1,474 yards rushing and 15 combined touchdowns.
But, the team continues to be somewhat of an enigma, especially against the Steelers, who currently own this rivalry. Baltimore needs a win badly to shake that specific losing streak. Pittsburgh needs a win to reignite momentum going into the playoffs, especially with a matchup at home against the AFC-leading Kansas City Chiefs next week. Watt’s presence and a return of Pickens would both be crucial for the team on Saturday.
Jackson’s production and a stout defensive performance by the defense are certainly keys for the Ravens, but it might all come down to Henry. In Baltimore’s nine wins, Henry has rushed for an average of 124.9 yards a game, totaling 11 touchdowns overall. In five defeats, Henry is going for just 70.0 per, with only four touchdowns total.
Our pick is for Henry to be the difference in this contest, running for more than 90 yards.
Brian has been writing about sports professionally for 25 years, specializing in the NFL, MLB, NHL, NBA, men's college basketball and football, and soccer. He covered high school, collegiate and professional sports in the Baltimore-Washington metropolitan area for two decades. His written work has appeared in several print and online publications since 1999.