Steelers ready for clean slate after ending regular season on 4-game skid
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- For a third time this season, the Pittsburgh Steelers will meet the Baltimore Ravens. This time, however, comes with much higher stakes for both teams in a win-or-go-home wild-card matchup.
Pittsburgh, the AFC's sixth seed, will travel to Baltimore to battle the AFC's third seed in a Saturday night, prime-time showdown.
Head coach Mike Tomlin began his weekly press conference by detailing his team's struggles on the four-game losing streak to close the regular season, including a 34-17 loss to Baltimore on Dec. 21.
He added that those collective experiences are beneficial to learn from, saying more can be learned with failure than success.
Injuries
Offensive lineman Mason McCormick has a broken hand that will be placed in a cast or brace to determine functionality and game availability, according to Tomlin.
The opposition
Tomlin, much like he did the last time both teams played each other, highlighted Baltiomore's defense, led by Dean Pees' coaching, which has been instrumental in Baltimore's defensive turnaround.
"They remain aggressive schematically, but they do so while being prudent," Tomlin said of the defense, which includes a talented secondary with players like Marlon Humphrey and Kyle Hamilton.
Star linebacker Roquan Smith leads the Ravens with 154 tackles. Humphrey has a team-best six interceptions and fellow linebacker Kyle Van Noy leads the Ravens with 12.5 sacks.
"On the offensive side, man, it's about (Lamar Jackson) and (Derrick Henry) for us," Tomlin added, signifying the importance of the electric quarterback-running back combination Baltimore employs.
Jackson has since become the first NFL player to throw for 4,000 yards and run for 900 yards while throwing 41 passing touchdowns to four interceptions.
Running back Derrick Henry also has 1,921 rushing yards with 16 touchdowns.
"On the perimeter, [wide receiver] Zay Flowers is a matchup issue," Tomlin said of the young pass-catcher with 1,059 yards this season.
"Going to Baltimore, particularly in playoff football, is something to be respected. I expect it to be a hostile environment. It's simply a tax for not winning the division, and we pay that," Tomlin said.
The AFC North showdown will take place on Saturday night, with kick-off at 8 p.m. It will be available to stream on Amazon Prime Video.
