Ravens-Steelers winner takes AFC North: ‘This is going to be a slugfest’

Over at John Harbaugh’s house on Sunday, some of the Baltimore Ravens players and members of the coaching staff gathered to cheer on the Cleveland Browns to beat the Pittsburgh Steelers.

It became the most nervous three hours of the season for the Ravens, who sat helplessly knowing they needed the Browns to upset the Steelers to keep their postseason hopes alive. When Pittsburgh quarterback Aaron Rodgers’ fourth-and-goal pass sailed incomplete to seal Cleveland’s unlikely 13-6 victory, the Ravens erupted in a celebration that Harbaugh described as «uncorked and raucous.» They jumped around. They hugged each other — a lot.

All of this sets up a historic — and some might say inevitable — showdown in one of the NFL’s most heated rivalries: The Ravens and Steelers will battle for the AFC North crown Sunday night in the final regular-season game of the 2025 season. For Baltimore and Pittsburgh, this game is the culmination of two challenging seasons filled with quarterback drama and questions about the futures of the league’s most tenured coaches.

«I think when you take a step back, especially as a Ravens fan or in the organization, you have to nod your head a little bit and go, ‘Yes, that’s probably the way it should be,'» Harbaugh said.

8:20 p.m. ET, NBC), it will mark the first «winner-take-all» game in the final week of the regular season between the two teams and only the second winner-take-all regular-season finale in the division since the AFC North was formed in 2002.

«The competitor in me is like, ‘Bring it on,'» Steelers defensive captain Cameron Heyward said after the Week 17 loss to the Browns. «Baltimore’s coming in. Winner takes all. I have a lot of respect for those guys over there, but let’s win it at home.»

It could also mark the end of an era for the losing franchise with both coaches facing a surge of external criticism even as each locker room publicly backs its leaders.

«Those two guys are extremely hardworking guys,» said inside linebacker Patrick Queen, a first-round pick by the Ravens in 2020 before being signed by the Steelers as a free agent in 2024. «They care about each and every single player on their team. Every single day they come in with the best mindset to be able to prepare their team for whatever challenges they face ahead.»

The winner earns the AFC North title, the No. 4 seed in the AFC and a home game in the wild-card round. For the losing team, the season is over and real decisions about the future of the franchise begin.

«This is going to be a slugfest,» said CBS analyst Bill Cowher, who coached the Steelers from 1992 to 2006. «And this is going to be one of those games where it becomes very personal. This is going to go back to the old Pittsburgh Steelers-Baltimore Ravens game. You know what? No hitting during the week because we’re going to leave it all out on that field.»

ESPN Ravens reporter Jamison Hensley and Steelers reporter Brooke Pryor take a look at each team’s matchup with a focus on the quarterbacks, keys to each team’s defense and the potential impact of this game’s outcome on both head coaches.

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Sunday, 8:20 p.m. ET | NBC/Peacock | BAL -3.5 (43.5 O/U)

Ravens

Does it matter who’s the starting QB for Baltimore?

It absolutely does, although the answer isn’t clear-cut. The Ravens are at their best with a healthy Lamar Jackson, but the two-time NFL Most Valuable Player hasn’t been at full strength for a majority of this season because of hamstring, knee, ankle, toe and back injuries. The good news for Baltimore is that it looks as if Jackson will have his first full week of practice in two months. In the final two weeks of the regular season, Jackson is 8-0 with 18 touchdown passes and one interception.

But Jackson, 28, just hasn’t looked like himself since returning from a hamstring injury that sidelined him for most of October. In his past eight games, he has thrown eight touchdown passes and five interceptions while averaging 21.7 yards rushing per game.

In the past two games that Jackson has sat out, backup Tyler Huntley has led the Ravens to their two biggest wins of the season, defeating a couple of playoff teams in the Chicago Bears and Green Bay Packers. But Harbaugh has made it clear there is no quarterback controversy, saying, «If Lamar’s ready to go, he’s playing. That’s it, for sure.»

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What’s the biggest concern with the Ravens’ defense?

Big plays in the passing game. Baltimore has given up an NFL-worst 32 completions on passes of at least 20 yards in the air this season, including a season-high six during the 41-24 Week 17 win at Green Bay.

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Harbaugh said the issue was poor technique by the cornerbacks and a lack of communication among the defensive backs. It was a surprising comment considering the Ravens’ secondary is loaded with four first-round picks: cornerbacks Nate Wiggins and Marlon Humphrey and safeties Kyle Hamilton and Malaki Starks.

In the season’s first meeting with Pittsburgh in Week 14, the Ravens’ pass defense was a problem. Aaron Rodgers threw for a season-high 284 yards and stretched the field for one of the few times this season. Three of Rodgers’ completions went to DK Metcalf for 28, 41 and 52 yards. With Metcalf suspended, the only Steelers player with multiple catches on throws over 20 yards this season is tight end Pat Freiermuth with two.

«I think we need to play smart but not play timid. I think there’s a fine line there,» Ravens safety Kyle Hamilton said. «Whoever loses the game, it’s their last game of the year. So whenever the outcome, you don’t want to be sitting in the locker room saying you could have done more.»

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How does this game impact Harbaugh’s future with the Ravens?

That’s ultimately Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti’s call. It just seems more questions about Harbaugh’s job security are coming from outside the Ravens’ facility than inside. Harbaugh signed a three-year extension last offseason, which keeps him under contract through 2028. The amount of fight that the Ravens showed in Saturday’s must-win game in Green Bay showed the players are still responding to Harbaugh, who is in his 18th NFL season (tied with Denver’s Sean Payton for fourth-most tenured active head coach).

«I love Coach Harbaugh as a coach, and I also love him as a man as far as what he’s been able to preach to me when he’s not even talking about football, but speaking about football. It’s been great,» Humphrey said. «So having a leader that, no matter what’s going on, staying positive I think has been huge of what he’s done this year. And even given the circumstances, we have a chance to win it all. And so I couldn’t be more grateful to have that guy leading us.»

This disappointing season — going from one of the preseason favorites to win the Super Bowl to a fringe playoff team — has led to a growing level of discontent. Harbaugh was booed while walking off the field at a home game this season, and he has had to constantly answer questions about his job security.

Earlier this week, he was asked if Sunday’s game will serve as a «referendum» for Steelers coach Mike Tomlin and himself.

«There’s always pressure, but I think it was [tennis hall of famer] Billie Jean King who said that pressure is a privilege,» Harbaugh said. «That’s something that is earned. So, we feel like it’s something very worthwhile to be in games like this. And if those are the things that are being talked about along with that, that’s OK. That’s a privilege, too.»

Steelers

How can the Steelers and Rodgers better absorb Metcalf’s absence?

The Steelers’ offense used Metcalf to set the tone from their very first snap in their 27-22 Week 14 win against the Ravens as Rodgers hit veteran receiver on a go route down the right sideline for a 52-yard completion. That was just the beginning of Metcalf’s seven-catch, 12-target, 148-yard afternoon, marking his best output since the Steelers acquired him in a March blockbuster trade. The rest of the Steelers’ wide receivers — Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Adam Thielen, Scotty Miller — accounted for 48 yards on three catches in five targets.

Though the Steelers are on track to get Calvin Austin III (hamstring) back after he sat out the Browns game, shifting targets to running backs Jaylen Warren and Kenneth Gainwell could have a bigger impact on the passing game.

Gainwell, who leads the Steelers in targets this season, spent a lot of the Browns game giving Rodgers extra protection against Myles Garrett. But the Ravens’ pass rush isn’t as formidable. Gainwell had six catches on seven targets for 29 yards in the first meeting with the Ravens, while Warren had three catches on three targets for 49 yards and a touchdown.

And it’s not only Metcalf’s absence the Steelers have to absorb. They’ll also be without tight end Darnell Washington, who fractured his forearm against the Browns and was put on injured reserve after undergoing surgery Tuesday. Washington is an irreplaceable target with his massive 6-foot-7 and more than 300-pound frame, but tight end Pat Freiermuth could be a good candidate to have an expanded role as an in-line blocker.

The Ravens have the league’s fourth-worst passing defense, giving up an average of 245.3 passing yards to opponents. And over the past three weeks, they have been the second-worst passing defense (285.3) after the New York Jets (314.3).

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How has Pittsburgh’s defense changed since their Week 14 win?

Since giving up 217 rushing yards to the Ravens — including 94 to Derrick Henry — the Steelers haven’t allowed an opponent to post 100 rushing yards. In the past three weeks, the Steelers have held opponents to a league-best 52 rushing yards per game. Perhaps even more remarkable, they did it without edge rusher T.J. Watt, who could return this week after a three-game absence from a partially punctured lung.

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A key part of that equation is the return of rookie defensive tackle Derrick Harmon. When Harmon plays, the Steelers hold opponents to an average of 80 fewer rushing yards per game.

Harmon returned from his second knee injury of the season against Detroit and helped the Steelers’ defense hold Jahmyr Gibbs to two yards on seven carries. Though the Steelers lost to the Browns, the run defense stood tall and held the Browns to 3.1 yards per carry.

«Maybe it’s just Derek Harmon,» Tomlin said with a sly grin when asked about the key to the Steelers’ defensive turnaround.

The reality is that while Harmon has been a boost to the run game, contributions across the board from Queen, Heyward, Malik Harrison, Nick Herbig and Alex Highsmith have elevated this unit to being a defensive strength after it was a significant weakness early in the season.

«I think we always had confidence,» Queen said of the run defense. «A couple of weeks ago, I [talked about] the difference between confidence and momentum. I think the confidence was always there. I think we just haven’t put a string of good games together doing that, and lately, we have.

«You can kind of see the momentum trying to take over, and everybody’s feeling it. … Confidence is you just knowing that you could do it, but momentum is you doing it, and then building off of it. And I feel like that’s what we’ve been doing.»

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Is Tomlin coaching for his job?

Not according to his contract or franchise precedent — or to the players in the locker room.

«I think a lot of the criticism is kind of unworthy, because a lot of times it’s on the players’ shoulders, the outcomes of games,» Queen said. «Sometimes it could be coaching-related, but for the most part, we go out there and perform and if defense is letting the offense score a whole bunch or the offense turning the ball over and stuff, I don’t think that really relies on coaches as much.»

Yet, it feels as if the Steelers and Tomlin enter this AFC North rivalry game at a crossroads, and the outcome will go a long way to determining their path forward.

Tomlin, 53, has two years left on his contract: 2026 and a club option for 2027 set to be determined by March 1. The Steelers have also had only three head coaches since 1969. But the external frustration is mounting.

Five weeks ago, fans chanted «Fire Tomlin» as the Steelers trailed the Buffalo Bills in the third quarter. And when the stadium DJ queued up Styx’s rendition of «Renegade» in a last-ditch attempt to get the crowd at Acrisure Stadium into the game, the crowd responded with loud boos.

That outpouring of fan unhappiness was undoubtedly one of the lowest points of the season — until the Week 17 loss to the Browns.

In the month between losses, the Steelers put together a three-game win streak as Tomlin clinched his 19th consecutive non-losing season and his 200th career NFL win. He blew kisses to the crowd in Baltimore and thumped his chest in Detroit. And against the Miami Dolphins, he clinched his 22nd consecutive home Monday night win in dominant fashion as the run defense held vaunted running back De’Von Achane to 60 yards.

Even so, embers of fan frustration still smoldered under Tomlin’s seat. And by coming out flat against the hapless Browns and squandering an opportunity to clinch the AFC North a week early, the Steelers breathed life back into fan discontent and reignited the fire.