Be thankful that the Pittsburgh Steelers (5-6) are still alive, very much in fact, in the AFC playoff picture. Riding a three-game winning streak, the surging Steelers visit the Baltimore Ravens (5-6) on Thanksgiving night with a great deal to play for against bitter rivals. Both teams are currently sitting behind the Tennessee Titans (5-6) for that last Wild Card berth with five games remaining. Pittsburgh technically has a tiebreaker advantage due to a Week 7 victory over the Ravens at home, but obviously a loss there Thursday would erase that, as well as drop them in the standings. This game, as well as each one after, could have major playoff implications.
And a dramatic, all-or-nothing matchup between these two teams is how a nationally-televised holiday primetime spectacle should be. Pittsburgh’s 19-16 victory earlier in the year was yet another finish with a margin of three points or less between these AFC North contenders. In fact, the last four have been decided by exactly a field goal. Perhaps the kickers, Shaun Suisham and Justin Tucker will play a major role in this one. Or, perhaps a big play defensively will swing the momentum. Both teams have been playing strong defense lately, with the Steelers shutting down Buffalo and Cleveland in recent weeks and the Ravens holding the New York Jets to just three points last week. Or, the performances of the Super Bowl champion quarterbacks may just be the deciding factor. Ben Roethlisberger was just named AFC Offensive Player of the Month and is playing by far his best football in recent years, while Joe Flacco is coming off a nice performance after some struggles in the prior weeks.
Baltimore is 4-1 at home and will certainly have a raucous crowd behind them, as well as the burning desire to avoid being swept by Pittsburgh for the season. They will attempt to win two straight for just the second time this season, while Pittsburgh aims for their fourth straight and a firm grasp on second in the division as they chase the Cincinnati Bengals (7-4), who play at San Diego on Sunday. That game will be no easy task as the Chargers are flying high after a road victory at Kansas City last week. A Bengals loss would put just one game between them and the winner of the Steelers-Ravens battle.
Pittsburgh has a poorly-balanced offense (ranked 8th in passing, 30th in rushing) and will face a defense that is still making it difficult on opponents, even without Ed Reed and Ray Lewis, among others. Baltimore ranks 11th against both the pass and the rush, so yards may be difficult to come by for the Steelers. The Ravens also have struggled mightily running the football, as Ray Rice has not been very effective. Also, Flacco leads just the 19th-ranked air attack, likely missing the departed Anquan Boldin and his injured tight end, Dennis Pitta, who may return for this game. Baltimore also gets DE Chris Canty back, filling in perhaps their most healthy roster since Week 1 of the season. Pittsburgh will be without CB Curtis Brown for the rest of the season after suffering a knee injury last week. Also, LB LaMarr Woodley is doubtful and will almost certainly miss another game. Tackle Marcus Gilbert and TE Heath Miller will play on Thursday.
