The Ravens might not have anything left to play for in the regular-season finale Jan. 6, but it’s still Steeler Week.
Even though the Ravens (13-3) have wrapped up the AFC’s No. 1 seed heading into Week 18, they face a Pittsburgh Steelers team that, at 9-7, is still competing for a playoff spot, and motivation won’t be hard to drum up against the Ravens’ most intense rival.
There’s a saying in the Ravens locker room that “You aren’t truly a Raven until you beat the Steelers,” and Ravens rookies haven’t done that yet. The Steelers won the first meeting this season, 17-10, when they scored the final 17 points and held the Ravens to their lowest point total of the season. A blocked punt for a safety shifted the momentum, and then Kenny Pickett threw a 41-yard touchdown pass to George Pickens with 1:17 left for the go-ahead score.
That alone will have the Ravens motivated to exact revenge, and the idea of severely damaging the Steelers’ playoff hopes — though they could still back in at 9-8 — certainly has appeal as well.
“Anytime you can send somebody home, that’s one reason why you play the game,” linebacker Patrick Queen said earlier this week.
“I could use the rest, but at the same time, I do want to play,” Queen added. “It’s Pittsburgh. Those guys come out fierce. Try to do their thing … come out, punch you in the mouth and stuff, so that’s my type of game.”
Center Tyler Linderbaum, who like Queen was named to the Pro Bowl for the first time this week, said, “Anytime you’re playing an AFC North team, you want to win.”
It’s unclear how much Queen, Linderbaum or other top starters play against the Steelers, if at all. The Ravens have already ruled out starting quarterback Lamar Jackson, wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr., guard Kevin Zeitler and cornerback Marlon Humphrey. Leading wide receiver Zay Flowers, who is dealing with a calf injury, is doubtful, according to the final injury report.
But assuming other starters play a limited amount, the game gives backups a chance to make their biggest impact on the season when the stakes remain high for the Ravens’ fiercest rival.
“There’s no lack of motivation, for sure,” head coach John Harbaugh said earlier this week. “The guys playing in the game are going to be giving it all they have. You have to. … They’re going to play their very best. They’re going to play as hard as they possibly can.”
“It’s Pittsburgh,” he added.
For backup quarterback Tyler Huntley, it’s his chance to shine, his first start since last season’s playoff loss at Cincinnati, when his goal-line fumble was returned for a 98-yard touchdown by Bengals defensive end Sam Hubbard in the game’s decisive play.
Because of injuries to Jackson, Huntley has already started three games against the Steelers, going 1-2. The Ravens behind Huntley won, 16-14, in Pittsburgh in the first meeting last year before the Steelers won, 16-13, later in the season. In the 2021 finale with Huntley as the starter, the Steelers won, 16-13, in overtime.
“We’re just worrying about going 1-0 on the week,” Huntley said. “That’s the advice we’ve got for each other.”
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