Neither the Baltimore Ravens nor the Pittsburgh Steelers are playing at their peak heading into Sunday’s showdown, but that doesn’t diminish the rivalry.
“It is the purest form of football that you'll get, honestly,” Ravens defensive back Kyle Hamilton said Thursday. “It’s two teams [that] know each other well. Line up, stop-the-run [and] run-the-ball kind of game, and both teams have enough firepower to open the game up to throwing the ball. But at the end of the day, it's just about winning your one-on-ones and being physical.
"One day, I'll be able to tell the grandkids I was playing in this rivalry, and it's a blessing to be a part of it.”
Sunday’s game is massive for both 6-6 clubs, with the winner taking sole possession of first place in the AFC North with four games to play. Each team’s playoff hopes hinge greatly on the outcome. Per Next Gen Stats, the Ravens' chances of making the playoffs hit 79% with a win but drop to 34% with a loss. For the Steelers, those numbers are 64% and 17%.
The Ravens entered the week with the sixth-hardest remaining strength of schedule, with two games remaining against teams five-plus games over .500 (New England in Week 16 and Green Bay in Week 17). The Steelers have the ninth-easiest slate with one game against a foe currently over .500 (Detroit in Week 16).
Baltimore is 5-1 in its last six games after starting 1-5, but is coming off a five-turnover loss on Thanksgiving to Cincinnati. Pittsburgh is 2-5 in its last seven games after starting 4-1.
With the division lead on the line, Hamilton said it feels like a new season just began in the AFC North.
“Yes, I do feel like it’s like that a little bit,” he said. “We have to acknowledge the good and the bad that we've done so far, though. I don't think it's good to just forget it, because we've learned so much. It'd be a shame if we were not to use it going forward, but it is kind of like that. We've had this conversation twice now. I guess this is our third season. ... We started 1-5, then [went] 5-1. We have to finish out strong and put ourselves in an opportunity to win the Super Bowl.”
This is tied for the latest in a season that the Steelers and Ravens will meet with neither team being over .500 -- Week 14, 1999: 5-7 Steelers lost, 31-24, to 5-7 Ravens in Pittsburgh.
The Ravens have won two straight games in the rivalry (including playoffs) -- a 28-14 win in the 2024 AFC Wild Card Game and a 34-17 win in Week 16, 2024. Pittsburgh had won four straight prior to the Ravens' current two-game win streak.
The rivals have played 40 one-possession games since the Ravens entered the NFL in 1996, three more than the next-closest rivals (Bears and Vikings, 37 such games).