There are still eight games left in the season for the Pittsburgh Steelers, who enter Week 11 against the Cincinnati Bengals at Acrisure Stadium holding a 5-4 record, so they can’t afford to look ahead.
But it’s hard not to turn the attention to their Week 14 matchup with the Baltimore Ravens, who are hot on the Steelers’ heels in the AFC North. After the Ravens started 1-5 on the season, lost star quarterback Lamar Jackson for a few games and largely looked dead in the water, they’ve rebounded to win three straight games.
Meanwhile, the Steelers have lost three of their last four and have given up any sort of control they had on the division. Though Pittsburgh could get back on track Sunday against the Bengals, the division will really come down to those Ravens matchups.
For CBS Sports’ Garrett Podell, the Week 14 matchup between the two AFC North foes is one of the most important remaining games in the NFL this season.
Podell ranked it as the No. 4 most important game remaining this season, behind only Week 18’s Chargers-Broncos game, Week 16’s Rams-Seahawks matchup, and Week 15’s Bills-Patriots game.
“The Pittsburgh Steelers are moving in the opposite direction of late, losing three of their last four games, including a deflating 25-10 loss on ‘Sunday Night Football’ at the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 10,” Podell writes. “As a result, they’re now just one game up on the Ravens for the division lead. If the Steelers win, they can create some solid separation.
“If the Ravens win, they could take the AFC North lead with an early head-to-head win against the Steelers.”
It’s fair to say that the Steelers are Ravens are moving in opposite directions. Baltimore is getting hot with Jackson returning to action and its defense making major improvements. They look like a true Super Bowl contender once again, which isn’t much of a surprise.
As for the Steelers, their offense is going backwards, and their defense relies far too much on turnovers to be effective week to week.
Of course, once those AFC North matchups kick off, all that goes out the window. The two teams are very familiar with each other, and prior to the last two meetings, the Steelers had a great deal of success against Jackson and the Ravens. But Baltimore might have Pittsburgh’s number at this point.
It will be very telling what happens in Week 14. All eyes will be on it in that 1 PM window.
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