Week 18 is here and there’s a lot on the line as the Pittsburgh Steelers travel to Baltimore to take on the rival Ravens in a must-win contest. Here’s everything you need to know about the game.
What: Pittsburgh Steelers 9-7 at Baltimore Ravens 13-3
Where: M&T Bank Stadium Baltimore, Maryland
When: Saturday January 6th, 2023 430pmET
Weather: Rain/Snow and 39 degrees. Winds to 15mph.
Wagering Information: Steelers -3.5 O/U 36.5
Last Week: Baltimore crushed the Miami Dolphins 56-19 while the Steelers won in Seattle 30-23 over the Seahawks.
TV: ESPN Chris Fowler (play-by-play), Louis Riddick (analysis), Dan Orlovsky (analysis), Laura Rutledge (field reporter)
TV Coverage in Your Area: National TV Audience
Radio: Steelers Nation Radio/WDVE Bill Hillgrove (play-by-play), Craig Wolfley (analysis), Missi Matthews (sideline),
Max Starks (sideline)
Westwood One: Mike Watts (play-by-play), Devin McCourty (analysis)
Head Official: Brad Allen. A graduate of Pembroke State, Allen is a Non-Profit CEO in his real life. He most recently officiated a Steelers’ game in 2022. That was a 37-30 loss to the Bengals. 14 accepted penalties were called that day. Allen of course was at the center of last week’s officiating blunder that cost the Detroit Lions a potential victory in Dallas. Allen has had a number of questionable calls or non-calls in recent seasons.
Key Injuries/Game Status (courtesy steelers.com) PIT: No. 17 S Trenton Thompson (Neck) – Questionable
No. 39 S Minkah Fitzpatrick (Knee) – Questionable, No. 50 LB Elandon Roberts (Pectoral) – Questionable BAL: No. 4 WR Zay Flowers (Calf) – Doubtful, No. 14 S Kyle Hamilton (Knee) – Questionable, No. 40 LB Malik Harrison (Groin) – Out
No. 44 CB Marlon Humphrey (Calf) – Out, No. 10 CB Arthur Maulet (Hip) – Questionable, No. 21 DB Brandon Stephens (Ankle) – Questionable, No. 41 DB Daryl Worley (Shoulder/Ankle) – Out, No. 70 G Kevin Zeitler (Knee/Quad/Coach Decs.) – Out, No. 3 WR Odell Beckham Jr. (NIR – Resting) – Out, No. 28 CB Ronald Darby (Illness) – Questionable, No. 8 QB Lamar Jackson (NIR – Resting) – Out, No. 16 WR Tylan Wallace (Knee) – Questionable, No. 29 S Ar’Darius Washington (Pectoral) – Questionable
Injury Notes: I read ‘War and Peace’ faster than it took me to read the Ravens’ Injury Report… Let’s put it this way, some of these guys will play and some won’t… For the Steelers I would be surprised to see any of the three guys on the list play but I’ll give Fitzpatrick the best chance.
2023 NFL Ranks:
Total Offense: PIT 27th BAL 2nd Passing Offense: PIT 25th BAL 21st Rushing Offense: PIT 12th BAL 1st
Total Defense: PIT 7th BAL 1st Passing Defense: PIT 22nd BAL 6th Rushing Defense: PIT 18th BAL 13th
AFC North Rankings: Baltimore 13-3, Cleveland 11-5, Pittsburgh 9-7, Cincinnati 8-8
This Week in the AFC North: Cleveland at Cincinnati 1pm ET SUN
What You Need to Know: Mike Tomlin is 18-15 all-time against the Ravens… Pittsburgh is 45-41 all-time season finales… They are 23-36 on the road in season finales and are 1-3 in Baltimore in such games… The Steelers have won 13 of their last 15 season finales… The Steelers are 37-29 all-time on Saturdays and they’re 11-20 in Saturday games on the road… This is the 56th regular season matchup between the Ravens and Steelers…
Playoff Scenario: Pittsburgh clinches playoff berth with:
- PIT win + BUF loss OR
- PIT win + JAX loss or tie OR
- PIT win + HOU-IND tie OR
- PIT tie + JAX loss + HOU-IND doesn’t end in tie OR
- JAX loss + DEN win + HOU-IND doesn’t end in tie
Baltimore Ravens Names to Know: QB Tyler Huntley, WR Zay Flowers, TE Isiah Likely, RB Gus Edwards, S Kyle Hamilton, CB Arthur Maulet, WR Rashad Bateman, RB Justice Hill, C Tyler Linderbaum
What’s at Stake: For the Ravens, the only thing at stake here is a little pride and keeping guys as healthy as possible. For the Steelers, they could get a season sweep of the Ravens and keep their postseason hopes alive with a victory.
All-Time Series: Steelers Lead 34-25 and Lead 14-13 in Baltimore
Last Meeting: October in Pittsburgh. Steelers 17 Ravens 10
Postseason History: Steelers lead 3-1
Steelers Game Highs vs BAL: PASSING: 506 yards Ben Roethlisberger 12/10/2017 RUSHING: 144 yards Le’Veon Bell 10/01/2017 RECEIVING: 213 yards Antonio Brown 12/10/2017 SACKS: 3.5 T.J. Watt 12/05/2021 Interceptions: 2 Brent Alexander 01/20/2002 and Dewayne Washington 09/19/1999
Check out the latest Steel City Blitz Steelers Podcast for more on the Steelers.
Three Things We Need to See for a Steelers’ Victory:
1. Keep on Runnin’. There are two key points here. First, the Steelers have been running the ball very well in recent weeks. Some of that is due to the opposition. Cincinnati and Seattle were both trending downward in terms of stopping the run but one cannot take anything away from the offensive line, Jaylen Warren and/or Najee Harris. Secondly, the Steelers’ ability to both beat and keep games close with the Ravens is largely due to their willingness to run early and often. I see no reason to change from this formula this weekend.
2. Don’t Underestimate the Backup. It’s week 18 and that means there is little that the Steelers’ defense hasn’t seen. One thing they should have absolutely learned by now is not to underestimate the number two quarterback. They’ve been beaten by the likes of Gardner Minshew and Bailey Zappe this season so thinking that Tyler Huntley will be a cake walk is absurd. Oh and he beat the Steelers in Pittsburgh last season too (3 Mitchell Trubisky INTs notwithstanding). The bigger picture here is that just because the Ravens have the top seed secured, the Steelers can’t relax because they should know that John Harbaugh won’t.
3. Ride the Rudy Wave. You know it and I know it. There are plenty of people in Black and Gold who firmly believe that the other shoe will drop and Mason Rudolph will revert back to his average play as quarterback. After two straight starts with impressive numbers and two wins, it seems too good to be true. That said, the locker room is as relaxed and together as any point we’ve seen this season and I attribute a lot of that to Rudy. I don’t expect his demeanor to change regardless of what is happening on the field and his teammates should take note.
Prediction: This has been my worst season since I can remember at picking games and I’m almost to the point where I should pull a George Costanza and “do the opposite.” I cannot deny however there is something special going on right now with this team. Whether they get into the postseason or not, I think they’ve taken these last couple of weeks as a mission and I believe it continues with a win on Saturday.
Steelers 23 Ravens 16
Season Prediction Record: 6-10
