BOLD PREDICTIONS: Ravens v. Steelers III

The Trilogy: A Wild Card Showdown

Ready for your Ravens vs. Steelers predictions? Capturing the conference’s No. 3 playoff seed, the (12-5) Ravens won the AFC North title for the second-straight year and fourth time in the past seven seasons. … Winning four-straight games to close out the regular season – including three contests during an 11-day span in late December – Baltimore earned a playoff berth for the third-straight year and for sixth time in the past seven seasons. And now they’ll host the (10-7) Steelers in a Wild Card

The Ravens now host the (10-7) Steelers in a Wild Card showdown that marks the 10th home playoff game in franchise history (4-5 record) and fifth postseason matchup between these fierce division rivals. (Pittsburgh leads the all-time playoff series, 3-1.)

The last time these teams squared off, the Ravens won as 7-point home favorites by the scored of 34-17. That was in line with many Ravens vs. Steelers predictions here and elsewhere. The Ravens had 418 yards of offense to the Steelers 315 while possessing the ball for 32:25 to 27:35. The Ravens won the turnover battle 2 to 1 and they had just two penalties for a total of 10 yards. That’s a great formula to win this wild card game.

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“I just wanted to come here to make an impact and be an adding piece to this offense, to this team, to help them get to where they want to go, and this week is a first step. We have to work hard this week and practice execution to go out there and do it on Saturday.” ~ Derrick Henry on if he thought he could be the difference in the Ravens winning the Super Bowl

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Officiating Crew: Alex Kemp

The last time Kemp’s crew handled a Ravens game was back on October 21st during a Monday Night contest in Tampa, a game the Ravens won 41-31. In that game, laundry littered the field. The Ravens were flagged 9 times for 85 yards while the host Buccaneers were found guilty of 8 infractions for 75 yards.

Kemp’s flock of zebras last called a playoff game on January 20, 2024 during a divisional showdown between the host 49ers and the Packers. Only 7 total penalties were enforced in that game for 88 yards. Six of those penalties were against San Francisco for 83 yards. Three of those penalties were for defensive pass interference totaling 61 yards. The good news for Brandon Stephens, Kemp’s crew is tied for the fewest DPI’s during the 2024 season.

Lastly, only four of the 17 officiating crews call more penalties than Kemp’s. This crew is tied for the league lead in offensive holding calls. Fifty-nine of the 221 penalties (26.7%) enforced by this crew were holding calls.

• Kickoff: Saturday, 8PM at M&T Bank Stadium
• Uniform: Purple jerseys, white pants
• Gametime Forecast: 29 degrees, WNW winds at 9 MPH, 0% chance of precipitation
• Betting Line: Ravens by 9 ½; over/under 43 ½
• On The Call: Al Michaels (PBP); Kirk Herbstreit (analyst); Kaylee Hartung (sideline)

These Ravens vs. Steelers predictions will have you ready for the wild card game, and should have the entire Flock raring to go on Saturday night. Make the Bank loud!

Ravens vs. Steelers Predictions – Wild Card Round

Tony Lombardi

The primary focus of this game is Lamar Jackson. How will he handle an opponent that has defended him well during the regular season in a postseason environment where he has had his fair share of struggles? This game swings on how Lamar performs, and that performance will be largely predicated on how the offensive front handles the Steelers front seven. Jackson has been grinding his gears since the Ravens’ loss during last season’s AFC Championship Game. He seems keenly aware of his tendency to get overamped during the playoffs, and that self-awareness will help him downshift when needed in round 3 of this Ravens v. Steelers trilogy.

• Three weeks ago, Lamar was 15 of 23 for 207 yards, 3 TDs and 1 INT. This time around the numbers will be similar minus the INT. Let’s call it 20 of 28 for 245 and 3 tuddies.

• Touchdowns passes will be collected by Messrs. Andrews, Likely and Hill. Each connection will take place in the red zone where the Ravens will go 4 for 5.

• The King had 24 carries for 165 yards against the Steelers back in December. His workload will be a tad lighter because the Steelers will sell out to stop him and that opens the passing game. Henry will get 19 carries for 115 yards including a 25-yard scamper for a score. He will have four carries that net just 2 yards thanks to Steelers’ run blitzes.

• Defensively, all eyes will be on Brandon Stephens. Undoubtedly, he will be targeted and ideally for the Steelers, he’ll be matched up with George Pickens. Pickens will beat Stephens for one score, and he’ll draw a chunk penalty from Stephens in the form of a DPI.

• Other than Pickens, the biggest threat to the Ravens defense will be Pat Freiermuth. The Ravens will roll coverage towards the Steelers diva receiver which will free up some space underneath for Freiermuth to navigate. He’ll collect 6 passes for 54 yards.

Get ready for game 2 of Lamar’s revenge tour in Buffalo next week RavensFlock. The outcome in this Wild Card game will look a lot like the game between these two rivals back on December 21st.

Ravens 31 Steelers 16

Tanner George

Here. We. Go.

For the Ravens, the 2024 season starts now. After coming so close to the Super Bowl last year, this is the moment both fans and players have been anxiously awaiting. A chance for revenge. A chance to bring that ever-elusive Lombardi back to the Charm City. A chance to finally put an end to the questions surrounding Lamar Jackson and this franchise.

And what would be a better way to start than by knocking off the Pittsburgh Steelers?

Mike Tomlin’s crew comes limping into the Wild Card on the heels of a four-game losing streak in which they were outscored 109-57. His team hasn’t cracked 20 points since a December 8th win over Cleveland, and they are far removed from their midseason form that had many around the league thinking they were a top-5 team.

We’ve seen this story with the Steelers many times before. In 2021, they started a perfect 11-0 before stumbling their way to a miserable 1-4 record in the final stretch and a blowout loss in the first round. For such a historic franchise, it’s hard to believe that they haven’t won a playoff game since 2016.

And I don’t see that changing on Saturday night under the lights at the Bank. Baltimore’s regular season was the exact opposite of Pittsburgh’s; they had a rocky start but finished strong, riding a month-long winning streak into the postseason. The Ravens are peaking at the perfect time. They have the league’s number one offense, and Zach Orr has his defense playing like a top-3 unit. Fresh off a second consecutive AFC North championship, the vibes are high at 1 Winning Drive, something that can’t really be said about the Steelers. This team is locked in.

The Ravens have Super Bowl aspirations and, more importantly, something to prove. And that starts with taking care of a struggling Steelers team that they dominated a few weeks ago. Even if Zay Flowers can’t go, I fully expect Baltimore to take care of business.

Ravens 31 Steelers 13

Kevin McNelis

Postseason victories are hard to come by, but man, are they sweet when they happen. A postseason victory against the Steelers would be even sweeter, and as there’s a nervous buzz around the fanbase as we all hope that the Ravens can have the Steelers swapping their Terrible Towels for golf towels.

-After a certain amount of time listening to this coaching staff, you start to hear trends when they talk about a player’s injury status. Because they’ve said Zay Flowers is “day-to-day” and not that he “looks good” or that he’s “trending the right way”, I doubt he’s ready to go on Saturday. It’ll mean tough sledding for the offense being without one of their key pieces, but I think you see Isaiah Likely and Mark Andrews really carry the weight for the Ravens in the receiving game. One of the two hauls in a TD, but it’ll be Nelson Agholor who draws the lion’s share of the targets among the receivers as Bate faces heavy coverage.

-The defense came in clutch in the last matchup as Marlon Humphrey put the dagger in the Steelers with a pick-6. With the offensive struggles Pittsburgh has faced over the last few weeks, they’re likely to fall behind and try to get aggressive, meaning more risks. The Ravens defense will take advantage, and as Russ stands in the pocket trying to buy more time, he’ll lose the ball on a strip sack by Michael Pierce, who will continue to ride his wave of momentum after last week.

–Derrick Henry is obviously going to be a point of focus for the Steelers defense because of the combination of his impact and the bitter cold weather. He goes for under 100 yards on the day, but we all got a treat last week seeing that Keaton Mitchell does indeed still have the burst that we all enjoyed in his rookie season. Mitchell comes into the game to relieve Henry and rips a 25+ yard run that goes to the house, and we all go crazy.

Pittsburgh is going to fight tooth and nail in this one, because that’s who they are. Right now, though, the Ravens are the better team, and I think they take care of business at home. Here’s a Ravens vs. Steelers prediction we can all get behind:

Ravens 27 Steelers 17

John Hughey

The road to Super Bowl LIX officially begins Saturday night when the Ravens host the Steelers in primetime. The Steelers come in losers of their last 4 games, dropping out of the AFC North’s top spot, forcing Mike Tomlin’s squad to hit the road for the postseason. Baltimore enters the postseason playing their best football of the season. After a disappointing finish in the AFC Championship game last season, the Ravens are looking to learn from their past mistakes and finish what they started in 2023.

-The Ravens defense has taken a complete 180 since their Week 10 shootout win over the Bengals. After giving up 25.3 points per game through 10 weeks, Baltimore’s defense has allowed just 15.1 points per game while going 5-2 over that stretch. Zach Orr will have these boys ready to play, forcing an INT in the third straight matchup against Russell Wilson

-We’ve all seen a completely different Lamar Jackson this season. Following last season’s collapse, Jackson seems to have one thing in mind this season, a Super Bowl. Lamar gets his first chance to rewrite the playoff narrative in his 3rd start against the Steelers in front of a soldout home crowd. Lamar takes a step back from his usual “hero ball” in the postseason, throwing for 175 yards and 2 TDs

-Derrick Henry was brought to Baltimore specifically for games like Saturday. It’s going to be 4 quarters of hard-fought smashmouth football. Getting Henry going early similar to the gameplan in Week 16 can cause problems for Pittsburgh’s defense. Henry carries the rock 20+ times for 110 yards and a momentum-shifting TD

Ravens 24 Steelers 13

Derek Arnold

The last time we did Ravens vs. Steelers predictions, I said that I couldn’t predict the Ravens to win, despite them being the clearly superior team to Pittsburgh, until they actually went out and did it. Thankfully, they exorcised those demons, otherwise this game would be in Western PA (with both teams 11-5 and the bad guys having again swept the season series). It’s painful to imagine THOSE vibes, so let’s put that out of our minds. The vibes we should instead be focused on are the ones those of us watching Hard Knocks have seen, which are diametrically opposed.

The Ravens are having fun, kicking butt, rallying around one another, and look poised to again make a run at the Super Bowl. Pittsburgh? Heads hanging, the washed up corny QB trying to rally guys who look to be ignoring him, and the overrated head coach struggling to keep things together.

Plenty of others will offer up the X’s and O’s reasons the Ravens will win (check out Battle Plans especially), but I’m talking about the mood, the intangibles, the collective atmosphere. On last night’s episode, you also saw Pittsburgh defenders lobbying Mike Tomlin for more heaters on the practice field, while Mike told those southern boys to sack up.

Speaking of the Corny QB, Wilson’s last playoff start was four calendar years ago (a loss to the Rams). His last playoff win was five years ago. He’s 9-7 as a starter in the postseason, but just 3-5 on the road (in short, he’s no Joe Flacco).

They’re cooked. Let’s serve ’em up into the offseason.

(Unfortunately, I still can’t bring myself to predict the blowout that SHOULD happen.)

Ravens 27 Steelers 20

Nick Polinsky

After almost 11 months, the Ravens have their chance for vengeance. A 2023 journey that was headed for a perfect finish sputtered at the end, but another chance presents itself.

The Steelers are ice cold. What was 10-3 quickly became 10-7. Over this four game skid they’ve failed to reach 20 points in every single game.

The Ravens defense on the other hand has gone through a late season transformation, now ranking first in multiple defensive categories. Kyle Hamilton reverting to a true safety has led the defense to turn a true 180° and become one of the league’s elite units.

Zay Flowers’ likely absence will hurt, but this offense is still very capable of running a clean operation with all the other weapons the Ravens have at their disposal.

If this game were in Pittsburgh it would honestly worry me, but a home playoff game against your biggest rival seems like one this Ravens’ team is going to go and get.

Ravens 27 Steelers 13

Rob Shields

I’m not going to lie, this game has me worried. No Zay limits what we can do on the outside. I worry that the cold weather brings dropped passes and mistakes. I worry about the Ravens doing dumb things against a team that is overmatched.

The Ravens are big favorites for a reason. They have the more talented team. They are playing their best football of the year and Pitt is playing their worst football of the year.

Russell Wilson really can only throw the ball deep and the cold and windy conditions are going to hurt that.

Everything, even with Zay out, says the Ravens should dominate this game and win easily but that rarely happens vs Pitt. Even the game a few weeks ago was closer than the score indicates.

This game will likely come down to Henry and the legs of Lamar. I’m not sure the passing game will be able to generate a lot with the expected weather and no Zay.

Look for Justice Hill to be involved a lot and I expect Likely to make some big catches.  As long as the Ravens don’t turn the ball over, they should win.  Easier said than done vs Pitt.

Ravens 24 Steelers 13

Chad Racine

I’m really excited as this will be the first playoff game that I’ll be attending. The last I heard the Ravens were 9.5 point favorites but many Ravens fans seem to be fairly concerned. The Ravens are on a four game winning streak and the Steelers are on a four game losing streak. Just three weeks ago the Ravens easily handled the Steelers 34-17. It’s a divisional game and anything can happen but recent momentum is on the Ravens side. We know how important momentum is in the NFL, something to keep in mind when making Ravens vs. Steelers predictions.

– Lamar will be in peak form and operate with maximum efficiency throwing for 250 yards, three touchdowns and rush for another 100 yards.

-Derrick Henry will not be forgotten about and rush for 120 yards and a touchdown.

-Keaton Mitchell will have his first touchdown of the season on a screen pass taken to the house.

-Mark Andrews and Rashod Bateman will be the other recipients of the touchdown passes.

-Kyle Hamilton will have a pbu and forced fumble.

-Marlon Humphrey will have a sack.

–Ar’Darius Washington will have an interception.

– Travis Jones will have a sack.

Ravens 31 Steelers 19

Chris Schisler

I have to say, if you look at these teams on paper and take the names away, rip the history out of the equation, and evaluate just what you’ve seen from these teams this season, it’s an easy game to pick. The Ravens are clearly a better team with more momentum. The Ravens should win this game. For that reason, I’m picking the Ravens. Though taking the history and mind games out of this rivalry is easier said than done.

I think the last game showed the Ravens what they can do against the Steelers. I think Lamar Jackson will protect the football and make the Steelers’ defense start to guess rather than know. I think Jackson will have a signature game in line with his MVP-worthy season.

Ravens 31 Steelers 21

Give us your Ravens vs. Steelers predictions in the comments, Flock!

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