Week 16 brings the most important game of the season. The Pittsburgh Steelers head to Baltimore where the Ravens await and so does a chance to the AFC North. Here’s everything you need to know about the game.
What: Pittsburgh Steelers 10-4 at Baltimore Ravens 9-5
Where: M&T Bank Stadium Baltimore, Maryland
When: Saturday December 21st, 2024 400pmET
Weather: 36 degrees and sunny. Winds will be an issue at 16-20mph
Surface: Natural Grass
Wagering Information: Ravens -6 O/U 45.5
Last Week: The Ravens came off their BYE week with an impressive 35-14 win over the Giants in New York. Meanwhile, the Steelers dropped a 27-13 contest to the Eagles in Philly.
TV: FOX Kevin Burkhardt (play-by-play), Tom Brady (analysis), Erin Andrews (field reporter), Tom Rinaldi (field reporter)
TV Coverage in Your Area (courtesy 506sports.com): National TV Audience
Radio: Steelers Nation Radio/WDVE Rob King (play-by-play), Craig Wolfley (analysis). Max Starks (field reporter)
Westwood One Radio: Scott Graham (play-by-play), Mike Mayock (analysis)
Head Official: Bill Vinovich. A C.P.A from San Diego, Vinovich is in his 16th season as a head official. His last Steelers’ game was in October of last year in a loss at Houston. There were 10 accepted penalties in that game. His crew has had 165 accepted penalties in 2024 with 39 of those being false starts. They average just under 13 flags per game.
Key Injuries/Game Status (courtesy steelers.com) PIT: No. 2 QB Justin Fields (Abdominal) – Out, No. 14 WR George Pickens (Hamstring) – Out, No. 25 S DeShon Elliott (Hamstring) – Doubtful, No. 26 CB Donte Jackson (Back) – Questionable, No. 99 DT Larry Ogunjobi (Groin) – Questionable BAL No. 5 CB Jalyn Armour-Davis (Hamstring) – Out
No. 15 WR Nelson Agholor (Concussion) – Questionable, No. 7 WR Rashod Bateman (Foot) – Questionable, No. 77 G Daniel Faalele (Knee) – Questionable, No. 18 WR Diontae Johnson (NIR – Personal) – Out, No. 99 OLB Odafe Oweh (Ankle) – Questionable
Injury Notes: T.J. Watt not being on the list is huge but I’m still concerned about just throw healthy he is… Don’t dismiss the absence of Justin Fields either. With him not available that will change what Arthur Smith does on short yardage… Pickens being out speaks for itself.
2024 NFL Ranks:
Total Offense: PIT 10th BAL 3rd
Passing Offense: PIT 24th BAL 3rd
Rushing Offense: PIT 10th BAL 2nd
Total Defense: PIT 6th BAL 22nd
Passing Defense: PIT 23rd BAL 31st
Rushing Defense: PIT 4th BAL 1st
AFC North Standings:
Pittsburgh 10-4
Baltimore 9-5
Cincinnati 6-8
Cleveland 3-11
This Week in the AFC North: Cleveland at Cincinnati 1pmET
What You Need to Know: The Steelers are 38-29 all-time when playing on Saturday… They are 12-20 on the road in Saturday games… They’ve won four of their last five Saturday games…Tomlin and the Steelers are 6-1 in games where their victory would clinch the AFC North, including 3-0 vs. Baltimore… The Steelers have not won the AFC North since 2020… Pittsburgh is 63-55-1 on five days rest… They are 21-25 on the road… They’ve won their last five games on five days rest.
Tomlin Time: Mike Tomlin is 20-15 all-time against the Ravens… John Harbaugh is 14-19 all-time versus the Steelers… Should the Steelers win out, Tomlin would tie Chuck Knox for 7th for most victories by a head coach since 197 with 186… Coach T is 73-32-1 all-time against the AFC North.
Baltimore Ravens Names to Know: QB Lamar Jackson, RB Derrick Henry, TE Mark Andrews, S Kyle Hamilton, CB Marlon Humphrey, WR Zay Flowers, K Justin Tucker
What’s at Stake: Oh not much… Just a division championship and an opportunity to play a postseason game at home. I digress… Even with a loss the Steelers can still win the division should they tie at 12-5 to end the season.
All-Time Series: Steelers lead 36-25 and they lead 14-13 in Baltimore.
Last Meeting: November 2024 in Pittsburgh. Steelers 18 Ravens 16
Postseason History: Steelers lead 2-1
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, James Harrison 11/05/2017
INTERCEPTIONS:2 Brent Alexander 01/20/2002, 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. Running the Football is a Must. With George Pickens out, the Ravens will stack the box and force the Steelers to throw. This doesn’t however mean that the Steelers will – or should – abandon the run. Last week’s poor showing was a major factor in their loss. The Ravens’ defensive front is actually healthier than it was in their first matchup so therefore the task is greater. I’m not going to point out individual linemen because they all need to be better than last week, especially early in the game.
2. Tackling Has to Be Better. Point Blank. There is absolutely no way possible for the Steelers to win Saturday if they tackle as poorly as they did Sunday in Philly. By my count, there were at least 20 missed tackles and there were likely more. A small part of this was due to the absence of DeShon Elliott who is probably the team’s best tackler, but nevertheless, there wasn’t one guy on the defense who can say he “tackled well.” Now enter Derrick Henry, Justice Hill and Lamar Jackson and if the Steelers tackle as poorly as they did last week this isn’t going to end well.
3. If Not Mike Williams, Then Somebody! Let me be blunt; Omar Khan missed badly on replacing Diontae Johnson. Mike Williams’ TD reception on the first pass throw to him in his Steelers’ career should have been the catalyst to a great acquisition. Instead, it’s been just the opposite. He has seven total targets and hardly sees the field. He was supposed to be the deep threat option with Pickens out. If he isn’t going to do it then someone else needs to step up. Keeping the Ravens’ defense honest will be a key factor in whether the Steelers can win or not.
The ‘X’ Factor: Each week I will select a player from each team who I believe will need to play above and beyond in order for his team to win.
X-Factor Steelers: Arthur Smith. No, Smith isn’t a player but he has to have his best game of the year on Saturday. I need to see receivers schemed open. I need to see more Jaylen Warren and less Cordarrelle Patterson on offense and I need to see some things that work off the toss play. Bottom line is that Smith HAS to be better this week and so to do the players in their execution of his game plan.
X-Factor Ravens: Roquan Smith. When he left the first meeting in Pittsburgh, the game changed drastically. Suddenly the Steelers were able to run the ball especially between the tackles. His presence in the middle for Baltimore is huge. His ability to stop the run and cover against the pass is vital for their chances.
Prediction: There are numerous trends that favor a Steelers’ victory on Saturday. Trends don’t take injuries into account however. The Ravens saw what the Eagles did to the Steelers’ offense when George Pickens was out and I expect the same this week. With no DeShon Elliott and a banged up T.J. Watt and Donte Jackson, I’ve had a bad feeling about this game all week.
Ravens 27 Steelers 13
Season Prediction Record: 8-6