With their 17-10 win over the Ravens here Saturday at M&T Bank Stadium, the Steelers swept Baltimore this season and have now won seven of the past eight matchups between these two teams.

That the Ravens were resting a handful of players – including quarterback Lamar Jackson – didn't really matter.

In a game like this one, where it rained constantly while the winds gusted at times to bring the precipitation down horizontally to the ground, this wasn't necessarily a game that was going to be won by throwing the ball. This was a game that was going to be won at the line of scrimmage.

And as the Steelers have done throughout their three-game winning streak to close out this season, that was Pittsburgh all the way.

But winning the ball of physicality against the Bengals and Seahawks – their past two opponents – is one thing. Doing it against the Ravens, is something altogether different.

Baltimore was sitting some of its better players on offense. But defensively, the only front-line players who didn't see action in this game were linebacker Roquon Smith, safety Kyle Hamilton and cornerback Marlon Humphrey.

The defensive front still included Michael Pierce, Justin Madubuike Jadeveon Clowney and Kyle Van Noy.

And despite that, the Steelers controlled this game, running the ball 39 times for 155 yards, including 26 rushing attempts for 112 yards from Najee Harris.

"We knew the weather report," said Harris. "We knew exactly what kind of game it was going to be. Us running backs knew it was going to lean on us more than any other game.

"Whenever teams are playing against us, we're never worried about who is playing and who is not. … We didn't really care about who was out there or how long they were in the game. We wanted to play so physically that if they did play their guys, we wanted (Ravens coach John) Harbaugh say, 'Hey, we've got to get them out of there.' I think we were able to do that."

And they didn't just do it offensively. The Steelers hammered Baltimore's traditional running game, as well, forcing the Ravens to attempt more passes than would have been expected on a day like this.

Running backs Gus Edwards and Melvin Gordon got just 17 carries for 66 yards. And that came despite Edwards getting a 29-yard carry in the second quarter. On their other 16 rushing attempts, Edwards and Gordon had 37 yards, an average of 2.3 yards per carry. Both lost fumbles.

"You can't blame the weather," said linebacker Markus Golden. "When you get out there in a game like that for the Steelers against the Ravens, it's supposed to be like that. It's supposed to rain. That's the type of physical game it is. It was perfect for these two teams to match up like that is perfect."

Not everyone agreed with the weather part of Golden's assessment. Rookie offensive tackle Broderick Jones, who hails from the South, didn't love playing in a cold rain all day.

But he did agree the Steelers won this game because they were the more physical team.

"Yeah. Really," Jones said of the Steelers winning the physical battle. "With the weather and everything, all the factors that played into it, I believe so."

One of the reason Baltimore often blows out teams -- especially later in games -- is because those teams don't or can't or won't match the physicality of the Ravens. That's not an issue for the Steelers.

• We'll see what happens with Steelers outside linebacker T.J. Watt, but Golden did a good job of imitating Watt after replacing him following Watt's third quarter knee injury.

Golden finished with three tackles, a sack, two tackles for a loss and a fumble recovery that saw him dig a ball out of a pile midway through the fourth quarter and set the Steelers up for a field goal.

"I was going to come up with that no matter what," said Golden. "I knew people were going to try to take it from me."

But replacing Watt isn't easy. And if the Steelers do happen to get into the postseason, that's what they could find themselves needing to do.

"It's not just a one-man job," said defensive lineman Cam Heyward.

No, it's not. But given how the Steelers have pieced things together with their defense all season given the players they have been missing, don't necessarily bet against them.

"You don't ever want to see the best defensive player in the league on the ground," said Golden. "But he's a tough guy. You never know about him. Hopefully, he's alright."

• We will find out more about Watt's status in the coming hours and days, but he seemed on a mission in this game to will the Steelers into the playoffs.

Prior to his injury, Watt had eight tackles, including three for a loss, two sacks and two more quarterback hits.

He finishes this season with 19 sacks – becoming the only other player in league history other than his brother to register two seasons with at least 19-plus sacks – to go along with 19 tackles for a loss, 36 quarterback hits, an interception, four forced fumbles and three fumble recoveries.

Given that some of the other players mentioned for NFL Defensive Player of the Year haven't done much in more than a month, Watt should be the favorite to win that award.

And hopefully, he's OK.

"I just hope it's nothing bad. He's my brother and a leader on this team," said fellow outside linebacker Alex Highsmith. "He shows up every single game. I pray he's alright. He loves this game so much. He puts his heart and soul into it. You hate to see someone like him go through something like that."

• Mason Rudolph wasn't asked to do a lot in this game, throwing the ball just 20 times. But he set a team record by completing 18 of those passes, a 90 percent completion percentage, including going 4-for-4 in the second half for 75 yards, including a 71-yard touchdown pass to Diontae Johnson.

That Rudolph's other three completions went for four yards tells you about how well the Steelers managed things with their running game.

Harris, in particular, was a bull in the second half, carrying the ball 15 times for 64 yards, despite the Ravens knowing what was coming.

"Very special," Rudolph said of the team's rushing attack, not just in this game but in all three of his starts. "(Offensive line coach) Pat Meyer and the offensive line have done a tremendous job of controlling the ball and making my job easier, making our offensive job easier. When you can run the ball like that, especially in these conditions, it makes life a lot easier."

Still, Rudolph completing 90 percent of his passes in this kind of weather is impressive.

"This was the most challenging weather game in my career," said Rudolph.

• Calvin Austin III had himself a day returning the ball, averaging 18.4 yards per return. Included in that was a 34-yarder Austin had in fourth quarter with the Steelers leading just 14-7 that flipped the field.

The third quarter had turned into a field position battle, with the two teams trading punt after punt. But Baltimore drove to the Pittsburgh 49 after Rudolph's 71-yard touchdown pass to Johnson before being forced to punt.

Instead of simply calling for a fair catch, Austin fielded the ball at his own 10, reversed field and returned the punt out to the 43.

"My guys on the punt return team do a good job of blocking," said Austin. "In a lot of those situations, you think they'll be automatic fair catches. But those are the times we're going to try to steal yards. (Special teams coordinator) Danny (Smith) does a good job of setting up to make that not just a fair catch."

Considering the Steelers went three-and-out after that, it was a huge play.

• Once again, safety Eric Rowe was among the Steelers' leaders in tackles, this week topping the Steelers with 12 stops in this game. He also had a pass defensed and a forced fumble in the fourth quarter that Golden recovered to set up a field goal.

Not bad for a guy who wasn't on this team six weeks ago.

"I don't know how he wasn't on a team," said Heyward. "That dude has just balled out, and we have needed every bit of it."

• As mentioned, the Steelers have now won seven of the past eight meetings with the Ravens and the past four in a row in Baltimore.

It doesn't seem to matter who is playing and who isn't, the Steelers might be the team the Ravens would least like to see get into the playoff field.

The 10 points Baltimore scored in each of the two meetings with the Steelers this season was easily the fewest by the Ravens this season. Baltimore was only held to less than 20 points three times this season and the Steelers did it twice.

"It's Steelers-Ravens," said Highsmith. "Every game I've been involved in, this might have been the biggest margin of victory this year. Seven points is the biggest margin. Every one of these games is tight. We know when we play against them, it's a physical, hard-fought game. That's Steelers-Ravens."

• The great thing about this game is that the Steelers weren't going to use the weather as an excuse of why they didn't win.

Both teams had to play in it. And if you've got to play in miserable weather such as this, you might as well come away with a win.

"I think just the resilience of this team. I think when I'm talking about the weather, it's because we can adjust to it," said linebacker Elandon Roberts. "Some teams come out and say, 'Aw man, the weather is this, or the weather is that.' We're built for every circumstance. We were ready for a 60-minute game. We knew they weren't going to let it bother them, not in this rivalry."

• A lot of players will spend their Sunday watching the games and scores in hopes the Steelers will get what they need.

Not Harris.

After finishing off this season with back-to-back 100-yard games and putting this team on his back, Harris is going to spend Sunday watching game film of how he can get better.

"I'm not watching. I'm watching film," said Harris. "I've got to watch film of this game, and really just see things I need to get better at. If we're in, we're in. (I'll) just watch film of who we're playing next."

Some have tried to claim Harris has been a bust or was a bad use of a first-round draft pick. But he's now the first running back in team history to go over 1,000 yards in each of his first three seasons. He never misses time. And in games such as the past two weeks, with the playoffs on the line, he took on a workhorse mentality and carried the team across the finish line.

That mentality is invaluable.

• Dale Lolley is co-host of "SNR Drive" on Steelers Nation Radio. Subscribe to the podcast here: Apple Podcast | iHeart Podcast

"(Najee) has a certain demeanor and play style that we covet and value," said Tomlin. "That's why we went to Tuscaloosa to get him. Today was an example of that."

Harris embodies that physicality with which the Steelers want to play – on both sides of the ball.

• Will the Steelers make it to the postseason or not? One never knows about these situations. Sometimes weird things happen.

But all the Steelers could do was take care of their business Saturday and put the pressure on the other teams with which they're fighting for a spot to handle things themselves.

It is, however, significant to go 5-1 in the best division in the NFL, sweep the Ravens – who many feel is the best team in the NFL – and create a mentality that no matter the venue, this team won't be intimidated.

"It says a little something," said Jones of sweeping Baltimore. "We've just got to get back and pray for the best and see what happens."