This season, the Baltimore Ravens have risen above the wild NFL parity to dominate the league. The Ravens not only finished the 2023 regular season with 13 victories, but they also have a league-best plus-203 point differential entering the January 7 games. They also have the best strength of victory win percentage (.531) among teams currently in the playoffs.
During the 2023 regular season, the Ravens arguably had only one problem: the Pittsburgh Steelers. Despite Baltimore’s success, the Steelers swept the Ravens for the third time in four seasons in 2023.
However, Baltimore linebacker Patrick Queen expressed optimism about a potential Steelers-Ravens rematch in the postseason.
“Nobody’s hanging their heads or anything, and if we see those guys again, we’ll be ready,” Queen said after Week 18.
On January 6, the Ravens rested several starters, including MVP frontrunner Lamar Jackson. But, regardless of who was on the field in Week 18, the Ravens were still trying to beat the Steelers.
The Steelers defeated the Ravens by a score of 17-10 in the fourth quarter.
Patrick Queen of the Ravens Preparing for the Playoffs
During the week, Ravens head coach John Harbaugh stated that his team expected a difficult game against the Steelers. Despite resting starters, they hoped to defeat their main rival and ruin their season.
Although the Ravens were unable to meet that goal, Queen argued that the team must now quickly turn the page to the postseason.
“I can’t think about it. Even though you wanted to send them home, they now have a chance to make the playoffs,” Queen told reporters. “So, it definitely stings a little bit, but at the end of the day, we’ve already written a lot of pages in our book.” That puts us in a good position right now.
“So, we got a week to prepare, then find out who we gotta play, then we go into that.”
It’s possible that Baltimore’s first playoff opponent will be Pittsburgh.
If the Steelers make the playoffs, they will be the sixth or seventh seed in the AFC. Pittsburgh will face a road playoff matchup on Wild Card weekend.
Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin has a 2-4 postseason road record. However, Pittsburgh finished the season with two road victories in extremely difficult conditions. If the Steelers make it past the Wild Card round, they will most likely be the lowest AFC seed left.
This would set up a rematch in Baltimore, which has a first-round bye as the top seed in the AFC.
In their postseason history, the Steelers and Ravens have met four times. The Steelers lead the series 3-1, but the Ravens won the most recent meeting in January 2015.
All four games were played in Pittsburgh.
Steelers Playoff Prospects in Week 18
The Steelers will have a difficult time beating the Ravens for the third time. They would, however, welcome the opportunity.
According to The New York Times, despite clinching a 10-win season in Week 18, the Steelers have a 28% chance of missing the playoffs.
To secure a playoff spot, the Steelers must defeat either the Jacksonville Jaguars or the Buffalo Bills on January 7.
While Jacksonville quarterback Trevor Lawrence is questionable, the Jaguars face the 5-11 Tennessee Titans.
The Bills will face the 11-5 Miami Dolphins, who may be missing running back Raheem Mostert and wide receiver Jaylen Waddle.
These facts make a Steelers-Ravens playoff rematch unlikely.
