In case you’ve forgotten, the Pittsburgh Steelers are 10-0.
Perhaps you’ll recall, the race for the AFC’s No. 1 seed — and valuable lone bye that comes with it — remains very much on the line.
Keep in mind, Baltimore is on the verge of being eliminated from division championship contention.
A game will (eventually, we think) be played at Heinz Field. One that has plenty at stake, ranging from playoff seeding to the AFC North title to, well, just plain old bragging rights between two organizations that have been measuring themselves against each other for two decades.
It’s understandable amidst a holiday week that included a whirlwind of unprecedented postponements, positive coronavirus tests and considerable debate about how the NFL is handling the circumstances that fans might have to be reminded:
There is (supposedly, as of now, at least) a game being played Wednesday. And it’s a big one.
“You have to be ready for schemes,” Steelers defensive captain Cameron Heyward said. “We have to understand the personality of (the Ravens), what they like to run. They have a mobile quarterback who has beaten us this last time. Their defense is opportunistic, and they can be on long fields and have a kicker that can buy them out of any situation.”
Hearing Heyward discuss the schematics and game plan of the upcoming opponent was a rare glimpse at normalcy during a week in which most of the talk surrounding the Steelers has been about how their first chance to host a Thanksgiving game turned into a Sunday afternoon contest, and then a Tuesday night kickoff before a third postponement to 3:40 p.m. Wednesday.
.@TimBenzPGH : For a league that so often targets the #Steelers, it must be doing a lousy job. Ya know, given the six Vince Lombardi Trophies and 17 straight years of winning football and whatnot.https://t.co/k0Mc3gOHij
— Tribune-ReviewSports (@TribSports) December 1, 2020
Twenty Baltimore players, at one point, were on the reserve/covid-19 list. The Steelers’ such list stood at five names before Isaiah Buggs and Kevin Dotson were activated off of it Monday. Baltimore, too, is welcoming back players to its roster that were in isolation after being deemed high-risk contacts to an individual who tested covid-19 positive.
Players on both teams remain out, but — as far as anything is a certainty in 2020 — the show will go on. And what a show Steelers-Ravens typically is. The teams have split their 46 meetings dating to 2000, including the playoffs, a time period in which each franchise won two Super Bowls.
The Ravens and Steelers have combined to claim 14 of the 18 AFC North titles, including the past two by Baltimore. That streak would officially end should the Steelers beat Baltimore this week. If that happened, it also would knock the Ravens out of a playoff position — a win would move them into seventh-place in the AFC standings while a loss would drop them to ninth.
The stakes for the Steelers aren’t as dire, per se, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t of high importance. At 10-1, the Kansas City Chiefs are keeping pace. They presently hold the tiebreaker over the Steelers, meaning a loss drops the Steelers to the AFC’s No. 2 seed.
That fall-off became significantly more important beginning this season when the NFL added a seventh team to each conference’s postseason, thereby eliminating a bye for the No. 2 seed. Adding another element of intrigue to the scenario is that a Ravens win against the Steelers this week aligns the teams to potentially meet in a first-round, No. 2-vs.-No. 7 matchup.
In other words, a lot is riding on a game that’s taken a major hit in cache, prominence and exposure from a Thanksgiving night showcase to “Wednesday Afternoon Football.”
. @MarkMaddenX: #NFL has billions of reasons to trudge on through covid mess https://t.co/xaTcv1eiuP
— Tribune-ReviewSports (@TribSports) December 1, 2020
“Everybody grew up on football on Thanksgiving,” Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said of his players. “They were excited about being a part of that. I think it’s a natural response to be disappointed to lose that opportunity, but that’s over. We are getting focused on (the game).”
Though the Ravens’ roster is slowly being replenished as players come off the covid-19 list who had spent the minimum five days on it for contact-tracing reasons, several starters are ineligible to play. Most notable among that group is reigning NFL MVP Lamar Jackson, leaving Robert Griffin III to start at quarterback.
The Steelers will be missing two starters in running back James Conner and defensive lineman Stephon Tuitt, as well as reserve offensive lineman Jerald Hawkins.
“We don’t care where we play. We don’t care how it’s played,” Heyward said. “We just want to play. When we get the all clear from the NFL, we will be ready.”
Chris Adamski is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Chris by email at cadamski@triblive.com or via Twitter .
Categories: Sports | Steelers/NFL
December 02, 2020 at 12:19AM
https://triblive.com/sports/amid-postponements-and-controversy-dont-forget-steelers-ravens-has-plenty-on-the-line/
Amid postponements and controversy, don't forget, Steelers-Ravens has plenty at stake - TribLIVE
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