🏈 Baltimore Ravens vs. Pittsburgh Steelers Preview and Prediction - 1/11/25 👀
Familiar foes go toe to toe in the snow...woah
Two very familiar opponents meet again in one of the fiercest rivalries in all of sports, and this time it is in the playoffs. Will the Steelers be able to turn around a sinking ship and start a playoff run? Will Lamar Jackson and the Ravens easily dispatch of their tricky rivals and continue the every-12 year Super Bowl winning trend? One thing we know for sure, this is a wintery Saturday night knock-em-out, grind-em-out banger.
The Ravens have gone about their business this season in a perhaps un-Raven like way that we are accustomed too, with Lamar Jackson having one of the best statistical seasons by a QB in NFL history and a the defense performing at a an unexpectedly poor level. The Ravens pass defense ranks second to last overall in the NFL in passing yards allowed per game, and they have repeatedly been gashed deep down the field, which could spell trouble against a Russell Wilson led offense that likes to take deep shots. The big talking point heading into the postseason, however, will inevitably be the postseason performance of the aforementioned Lamar Jackson, who is 2-4 in the postseason in seven years and has also historically struggled against Mike Tomlin defenses. Lamar and the Ravens will look to rely on the broad shoulders of Derrick Henry, who has sparked the Ravens run offense in a way that feels so Ravens-like that it is hard to imagine a time that Derrick Henry wasn’t a Raven.
In a season that started off with gusto, the Black and Gold have faded down the stretch, albeit at the hands of some stiff competition, to the tune of the typical Mike Tomlin comfort zone of 10-6. Since the aforementioned victory in Cincinnati, Tomlin’s men have dropped 3 out of 4 to Philly, Baltimore, and Kansas City, with the lone victory coming against the lowly Browns. There has been some talk that the Steelers may not be especially motivated in this spot given their sealed playoff spot, but they can still win the division if Baltimore falters in the earlier Saturday game, and even if they do not, the Steelers will be playing for the 5 seed rather than the 6, and we expect that Mike Tomlin will want to taste winning regardless after this difficult stretch.
The big injury news leading up to this game is that star WR Zay Flowers has been ruled out for Baltimore, giving Lamar Jackson one less weapon against a defense that has historically given him problems. In their last matchup, Flowers had 5 catches for 100 yards, and he also scored a TD in their first matchup this season. Kyle Hamilton should be good to go for the Ravens, however.
On the Steelers side, there are a few minor concerns. DT Cam Heyward and K Chris Boswell both sat out of practice with an illness, but we are going to assume they won’t miss this one. G Mason McCormick is hoping to be available this week after breaking his hand, and CB Donte Jackson is also trying to make his way back from a back injury, but may not be ready.
It is going to be a cold one, folks. Not unbearable, but the entire game should be in the low 20s, with gusty winds and a wind chill in the teens or lower. Not fun to play in, but could be fun for fans that want to see an old school AFC North brawl.
The Owl predicts:
Baltimore 20 Pittsburgh 17
Mike Tomlin has a 21-16 record against Baltimore, and the Steelers have won eight of the past 10 matchups. We have a hard time seeing a blowout given these two team’s familiarity with each other, and given the stakes and weather conditions, this has all the makings for an ugly, defensive showdown. Expect the Steelers to make a couple big plays against a suspect Ravens secondary to keep the game close throughout, but the Ravens will be too much in the end.
Consensus odds currently:
Bal -9.5 O/U 43.5