NFL
After getting embarrassed on Thanksgiving night, the Baltimore Ravens lost to the Cincinnati Bengals 32-14, thanks in large part to five turnovers on the night. That’s the past, and now the Ravens look to the future as they get back on track and continue their road to a postseason push, taking on their arch-rival, the Pittsburgh Steelers, with 1st place on the line this Sunday at 1:00 pm. Both teams are coming into this game at 6-6, and a win will put them in the driver’s seat for the AFC North Division title.
Coming in Week 14, this Sunday will determine who will have the advantage when these 2 teams meet again in Week 18 with the Division title on the line. The matchup between the Baltimore Ravens and the Pittsburgh Steelers will be all out war between these two teams. Every time these teams play each other, it always comes down to the last minute of the game, and who has it last could very likely win the game. Both the Ravens and Steelers are coming off losses in Week 13. As the Ravens are coming off a loss to the Bengals on Thanksgiving night, the Pittsburgh Steelers are coming off an embarrassing loss to the Buffalo Bills 26-7. A Ravens vs Steelers game is always hard-hitting, that comes with a level of hatred and respect that comes with this rivalry.
The Baltimore Ravens have won five out of their last six games, as their 5 game winning streak came to a end with their tough loss to the Bengals on Thanksgiving, as quarterback Lamar Jackson didn’t play like his MVP self and now will need to put that game behind him and get ready for the Pittsburgh Steelers, as he has a losing record against the Steelers with a 3-5 record against the Steelers and he has thrown more interceptions then touchdowns in his career against the Steelers. Plus, Jackson missed practice on Thursday do to an ankle injury, but he plans on playing Sunday with the division lead on the line. Plus, the Ravens might get 2 players back on defense this Sunday as both A’Darius Washington and Tavius Robinson have been limited in practice so far. And, the Ravens this Sunday could have a field day on the ground after what happened to the Steelers against the Bills last Sunday.
The Pittsburgh Steelers, on the other side, have been on a downward slide recently, as they are on a 2-game losing streak by losing to the Chicago Bears and the Buffalo Bills last Sunday. In their last 7 games, they are 2-5 that current started the season 4-1, thanks in large part to some lackluster results and their exclusion on offense and defense. Aaron Rodgers played terribly last Sunday against the Bills as he threw for only 117 yards on 10/21 and a QBR of 6.2. And the Steelers’ run defense gave up the most rushing yards in Acrisure Stadium history as they gave up 249 yards on the ground, and most of it was done by James Cook, who ran for 144 yards on 32 carries. The Steelers coming into this week are pretty banged up with injuries and will not have rookie Derrick Harmon for this Sunday, as he is nursing a knee injury. And, with the team banged up, the Steelers will need to flawless performance to keep the lead they had earlier in the season for the AFC North.
The Ravens, knowing that an embarrassing loss to the Steelers was a rough one to come back from. Knowing that Ravens always come back the following week and get a victory, but this week will be another true test as they are facing their archrivals, the Steelers, with 1st place on the line in this game. The Ravens, after seeing what the Bills are against the Steelers, will need a big game from the running game and to come away with turnovers to win this game. And with the Steelers being more banged up than the Ravens, that could be the thing that gets the Ravens over the Steelers this Sunday afternoon.
Prediction: Steelers 14 Ravens 31
