BOLD PREDICTIONS: For Control of The North

Winners in five of their past six games, the Baltimore Ravens (6-6) host the Pittsburgh Steelers (6-6) for a crucial AFC North battle to determine first place in the division. Kickoff from M&T Bank Stadium is set for 1 p.m.

The Ravens’ remaining schedule consists of the following: vs. Pittsburgh, at Cincinnati, vs. New England, at Green Bay and at Pittsburgh. The Steelers’ next six games include: at Baltimore, vs. Miami, at Detroit, at Cleveland and vs. Baltimore.

Baltimore is 25-33 vs. Pittsburgh all time in regular season play, including a 15-19 mark under head coach John Harbaugh. In home games, the Ravens are 14-15, posting an 8-9 record with Harbaugh at the helm. (In 2024, Baltimore defeated Pittsburgh at M&T Bank Stadium in both a Week 16 and Wild Card playoff game.)

Television: CBS / WBAL Ch. 13 (Local Baltimore)

On The Call: ✗ Jim Nantz (PBP) ✗ Tony Romo (analyst) ✗ Tracy Wolfson (sideline)

Officiating Crew Chief: Alex Moore, a first-year NFL referee who began officiating in the 2025 season after being promoted from his position as an umpire. His crew is known for throwing the most penalties in the league in 2025, averaging 19 flags with 16 being accepted.

Forecast at Kickoff: Cloudy, 42 degrees, winds SSW at 5 MPH, 1% chance of rain

Betting Line:

• DraftKings: Ravens – 5 1/2, over/under at 42 ½
• FanDuel: Ravens – 5 1/2, over/under at 43 ½
• Bet365: Ravens – 5 1/2, over/under 42 ½

Tony Lombardi

Neither of these teams is playing with much confidence. The Ravens offense has looked broken for 3 games, while the Steelers defense was shredded on the ground by the Bills last week. This game will feel like a struggle from the jump. Todd Monken whose offense ran for 220 and 299 yards the last two times these teams met, will have no choice but to try and crank that part of their game up again, following the Bills 249-yard ground attack in Pittsburgh. But you can expect Mike Tomlin to exhaust all resources to make sure that doesn’t happen again.

• Lamar Jackson’s struggles continue. He’ll throw for 225 yards and a score, but he’ll also throw a pick after a tipped ball at the LOS lands in Patrick Queen’s arms.
• Derrick Henry will get 22 attempts but is held to under 100 yards. He’ll score 1 TD but the RPO’s that were so effective against the Steelers last year, aren’t in play this time around because Lamar has made it clear that he only wants to run when there’s no other choice. Consequently, the Steelers defenders won’t bite and the Ravens, who had 299 yards rushing the last time these teams squared off, will hold the Ravens to less than half of that total.
• Aaron Rodgers will not be sacked. He’ll be getting passes off in 2 seconds and bubble screens to DK Metcalf will be the flavor of the day. Metcalf will break one off for a chunk play.
• Jaylen Warren and Kenneth Gainwell will combine to churn up 175 yards from scrimmage. Each will score.
• A Chris Boswell FG from 50+ yards out is the difference.

Steelers take control of the North.

Steelers 20, Ravens 17

Kevin McNelis

This game is monumentally important, not just for the fate of this season, but for implications that go beyond this year. If the Ravens win this game, their playoff odds improve to 70%, while a loss would cause them to fall to around 21%. Not only would a loss be catastrophic for their hopes of seeing the postseason, but it could signal massive changes for the franchise’s direction and coaching staff as they move forward. The Steelers are facing similar implications given their fall from grace, and you’d better believe that Mike Tomlin will be coaching like his job depends on it.

— I get the sense that this game is going to look a lot like the last game that Baltimore played against the Browns. The Ravens will have some success offensively given that the Steelers don’t boast the same level of all-around defense, but T.J. Watt is still T.J. Watt. He has a field day with two and a half sacks and a forced fumble.

— Last week, Pittsburgh’s interior D-line looked like a freeway with the express lanes open. James Cook ran all over them, and while I don’t expect that you’ll see the guard play improve mightily for Baltimore, they’ll open up a few running lanes for Derrick Henry throughout the contest, one of which he’ll take for 40+ like he did in the Wildcard Game last year.

— Aaron Rodgers has been plagued by injury and inefficiency this season, but he and Mike Tomlin combine to figure out the Ravens secondary, especially in the second half. Rodgers does throw a first-half interception on a tipped ball, but records two passing touchdowns in the second half.

My biggest reservation for this game is simply rooted in what we saw last week. I know it was a short turnaround, but with everything on the line against a division rival at home, they laid an egg and handed the game to an inferior opponent. They got run out of the building in a prime time game. Now, they face a coach and a team that have traditionally given them fits, and as much as Pittsburgh is struggling, I can’t shake what we saw their last time out and feel confident.

Steelers 20 Ravens 17

Rob Shields

It’s desperation time for the Ravens…and the Steelers. In what is a must-win game for each team, we see these two teams entering this game coming off of losses where they both played terribly.

So now we have this game, a battle for 1st place in a terrible division. The winner comes out of this with a firm lead on the division and the loser is likely to see their season end. Neither of these teams are likely to go on a big run to end the year if they lose this game.

The Ravens are the better team but that doesn’t mean they win this game. The only way Pittsburgh can beat a team of any quality is it they get a lot of turnovers and the Ravens have been turnover prone this year, including their last game where they had five.  If the Steelers win, it will be because the Ravens gave it to them.

Lamar Jackson missed practice again Thursday. That is four straight weeks of missing at least one practice. It’s a little surprising considering he looked better moving around last time we saw him. Maybe something happened in practice Wednesday. The good news is Todd Monken said he expected him to play, so hopefully that is the case.

That being said he will likely continue to look shaky until he starts practicing on a regular basis. It’s just how it is with him and how it’s always been with him. Now maybe during the mini bye, he got in some extra work that allowed him to miss Thursday with no ill effects but for now, we have to assume he will still struggle.

Look for the Ravens to lean on the run game whether he plays or not. Pittsburgh is vulnerable against the run and this is literally one of the worst run defenses in the franchise’s history.

I’m not worried about the Steeler offense. They don’t do anything well and the Ravens defense is playing well.

If the Ravens don’t turn it over, I think they win easily. If they do, I think the game is closer than it should be.  I’m going to assume they turn it over and the game is closer than it should be.

Ravens 20 Steelers 16

Derek Arnold

We always hear that these games are destined to come down to the wire. But, did you know: the Steelers have only kept it within two touchdowns once in Baltimore with Lamar Jackson on the field, back in 2020 (a 28-24 Pittsburgh win).

Now, the naysayers among you will say that stat is meaningless because the sample size is so small: two whole games, other than that 2020 example. To that I say, let me cherry pick my way to confidence!

Two of the three times Jackson has suited up at M&T Bank Stadium against the Steelers (so, last year’s games), the Ravens won by 14 and 17. More of that.

Let’s send Pittsburgh to their search for a new head coach. Since Steve Bisciotti wants to be them so badly, it’s the only way we’ll ever have another of our own any time soon.

Ravens 34 Steelers 10

Jared Pinder

What a fun and not-potentially-franchise-shifting matchup we have here. This game is for all the marbles. The winning side gets to feel slightly more vindicated despite a weird season, the other kisses their playoff hopes pretty much goodbye with larger questions to answers about their long term coach.

Both sides need this win, so I predict a really hard fought game that leaves everyone bruised and beaten.

— Lamar struggles again, throwing one interception.

— Derrick Henry and Keaton Mitchell turn it up and take advantage of an uncharacteristically poor Steeler run defense.

— The Ravens clinches the game with a turnover.

Ravens 21 Steelers 17 

Jason Woolbert

These two franchises are such a mirror of each other.   For a couple decades now they’ve operated much the same way, with some nuanced differences.   They’re both 6-6; they both have long-tenured head coaches that are under scrutiny; they both have banged up former MVP quarterbacks; they both have defenses that you’d think would do better.  One of these teams is most likely going to win the division – the Bengals are mathematically in it but everything has to go right for them – the other team is likely not making the playoffs.  This game more than any other will help us determine which team moves on and which head coach may be “mutually agreeing to part ways,” as Ben Roethlisberger said on his podcast this week.

The Ravens have the advantage of staying at home on a long week.  Well, they had the advantage of staying at home on a short week against the Bengals, and that didn’t help.  If the Ravens can’t stop fumbling, committing ill-timed penalties and otherwise making dumb plays, they’re not winning.  It’s as simple as that; it doesn’t matter if the opponent is a bitter division rival, a Super Bowl contender or a Division II college team.

In classic Steelers-Ravens style, the team that makes the fewest mistakes will win a close game.  There will be turnovers, and there will be a few astounding plays that leave you scratching your head.  There may not be the vitriol of years past in this rivalry, but this game has the chance to be added to those games that will be talked about for a long time.

Steelers 22 Ravens 21

Vermont Raven

This is a huge game for both sides with major playoff implications.  It’s also extremely hard to predict because both teams have been wildly unpredictable, and if I’m being quite honest, I don’t have confidence in either team to put together a good performance.  But, this is a heated rivalry, and I expect it will be a close, ugly affair.  I currently have more confidence in both defenses than I do offenses. (For Baltimore, a complete reversal of the first few weeks).  I expect this to be an ugly, low scoring game.  I will go with the following predictions:

— Lamar Jackson is sacked 5 times and commits 2 turnovers (1 strip-sack and 1 interception)

— Derrick Henry rushes for less than 70 yards.

— Mark Andrews celebrates his contract extension with the Ravens only TD on the day..

— Baltimore defense forces the Pittsburgh offense into 2 turnovers (1 fumble and 1 interception)

— Ravens pull out a tight one on a last second field goal by Tyler Loop.

Ravens 16 Steelers 13

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