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It will have been 1078 days since the Baltimore Ravens last won a game over the Pittsburgh Steelers when the two teams meet for the first time this season in Week 14 on Sunday, December 11, 2022, at Acrisure Stadium.
That triumph came in the last game of the 2019 season on December 29 of that year in Baltimore at M&T Bank Stadium. Despite resting several starters on both sides of the ball, including their MVP-winning quarterback, the Ravens notched the 12th straight win 28-10 and squashed the Steelers’ hopes of making the postseason.
Since then, they have been swept in each of the last two seasons by their archrivals in the AFC North. They’ve come up just short in all four matchups, losing by less than a touchdown in each and combined 13 points.
“It definitely has been brought up, for sure,” safety Chuck Clark said in a press conference on December 7. “That’s the truth; you can’t hide from the truth and what the record has been. We have to go out there and change that.”
Losing stings no matter who it comes against but when it’s to a divisional opponent time and time again, it’s even more agonizing, especially when that particular foe is a long-time rival like the Steelers are to the Ravens.
“Nobody likes to lose, especially to the Steelers, so there’s definitely going to be tension there,” outside linebacker Tyus Bowser said in a press conference on December 7. “But we’ve just got to take it one day at a time until we get to that moment and go out there and play our best ball and let the chips falls where they may.”
Third-year inside linebacker Patrick Queen who was drafted in the first round by the team in 2020 has yet to be on the winning side of a game against Pittsburgh, told reporters on December 7, 2022, that he doesn’t even feel like a Raven yet because he has not beaten the Steelers.
“I think that’s the true mantra around here is that until you beat the Steelers, you’re not a Raven,” Queen said. “Everybody knows what this game is. It’s the most physical game you’re going to play all season and you play it twice. They know what you do, we know what they do.”
Pittsburgh may be 5-7 on the year but they’ve been playing better over the last month and have won three of their last four games. The Ravens have won two of their last three games since returning from their bye and have been playing far from their best football while battling injuries at key positions which now includes quarterback after Lamar Jackson suffered a knee sprain in their Week 13 win over the Denver Broncos.
Ravens Have High Praise For Steelers Rookie Quarterback
For nearly two decades, Pittsburgh had Ben Roethlisberger under center for their offense and as the face of the franchise. He led the team to a pair of Superbowl victories and three appearances overall, eight division titles, and was 19-11 against the Ravens in his career.
After he decided to hang up his cleats and retire this offseason following the 2021 season, the team selected a quarterback in the first round for the first time since taking him with the 11th overall pick out of Miami (Ohio) in the 2004 NFL Draft. They stayed in their own backyard to find their next franchise quarterback by taking Kenny Pickett with No. 20 overall in this year’s draft out of Pittsburgh University.
The first-year signal caller was inserted into the starting lineup in Week 5 and has guided the team to a 4-4 record since replacing former second-overall pick Mitchell Trubisky. He has completed 65.2 percent of his passes, thrown for 1797 passing yards and four touchdowns to eight interceptions, and has run for 209 yards and a trio of scores on the ground.
“He looks great. Definitely a talent,” Bowser said. “I watched him when he was at Pittsburgh, so just to see him now kind of flourish and play his game now, it’s good to see. So, I’m looking forward to this week and playing against him. Hopefully, we can hold him to as much as we can, but he’s a great player, and we’re going to respect him.”
While Pickett has been the field general or surgeon from the pocket that Roethlisberger was for most of his career, especially the later half, the rookie’s dual-threat ability possesses a different kind of challenge than the one they are used to when facing this team.
Even though he’s been sacked 23 times through nine games and eight starts, he won’t be a stationary target like his predecessor was most of the time and will make the Ravens’ defense work for their sacks, pressures, and hits.
“He’s doing well, looks good,” Head Coach John Harbaugh said in a press conference on December 7. “[He’s] a very talented guy, obviously befitting [of] the first-round pick that they took him with this year. That’s our challenge along with that whole offense.”
The Steelers have surrounded Pickett with a plethora of weapons in both the passing and running game to both help him succeed and take some of the pressure off of him to shoulder the load for the team on offense.
According to Pro Football Reference, they have a trio of pass catchers with over 500 receiving yards including Pro Bowl wide receiver Diontae Johnson, standout rookie wideout George Pickens who many Ravens fans wanted their team to draft, and tight end Pat Freiermuth who leads the team with an already career-high 597 receiving yards. Their leader in both rushing (671) and total scrimmage (819) yards is Pro Bowl running back Najee Harris.
“They’re trying to get him going in the system, and they have the parts around him to get him going,” Clark said. “We just have to go out there and play our game at the end of the day.”
Anticipating Defensive ‘Slugfest’
The history of this storied rivalry that was viewed as the best and fiercest in the league for over a decade was rooted in strong defense as both franchises pride themselves on fielding hard-hitting units on that side of the ball and hard-nosed rushing attacks on offense.
“In general, defense wins championships; defense wins games,” Bowser said. “I forgot who it was, but one of the sayings was, ‘If you can run the ball and your defense can stop the run, you have a high chance of winning the game.’ So, I feel like that’s just how it’s going to be this upcoming Sunday; it’s just a straight slugfest on who can control the run game and who can go out there and stop them.”
The Ravens will be more than likely have third-year pro Tyler Huntley under center for them in Week 14 as he is slated to make his fifth career with Jackson missing back-to-back practices to start the week of preparation. While the team has the utmost faith in their backup quarterback to hold down the fort and guide the offense to a respectable outing in this game, the defense expects to be the driving force for the team this matchup and hopefully lead them to victory.
“I think any team, at this point of the year, you want your defense to lead the way,” outside linebacker Justin Houston said. “If your offense is leading the way, I feel like it’s only a matter of time before you take an L at the wrong time.”
Huntley started the last matchup between the two teams in the 2021 regular-season finale the Ravens lost 16-13 in overtime. He went 16-of-31 for 141 passing yards and two interceptions and ran 12 times for 72 yards on the ground according to Pro Football Reference. He will be more experienced this time around and will have a healthier and much-improved defense aiding in his effort to prevail compared to last year’s unit which was depleted by injuries.
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