Cheat Sheet: Steelers at Ravens

SERIES HISTORY

This will be the fifth postseason meeting of the Steelers and Ravens. The Steelers have lost just one of those against Baltimore, but it was the last meeting in the 2014 Wild Card round. This fantastic rivalry started in 1996 when the Ravens joined the NFL. Since then, Pittsburgh leads the series 36-26, including the four playoff matchups. Pittsburgh won six of the first seven meetings. The Steelers also have won eight of the last 10 games. But Baltimore won most recently, a 34-17 victory at home in Week 16. Mike Tomlin is now 22-17 against the Ravens. John Harbaugh is 16-21 against Pittsburgh. Tomlin and Harbaugh's 37 meetings is the second-most between head coaches in NFL history. In Baltimore, the Steelers are 15-14, but have won four of the past five and six of the past eight there.

MATCHUP OVERVIEW

• Baltimore won the AFC North with a 12-5 record, compared to 10-7 by the Steelers. The Ravens finished on a four-game winning streak and Pittsburgh finished on a four-game losing streak. The Ravens are 6-2 at home. Pittsburgh is 5-4 on the road. Baltimore was 4-2 in the division compared to 3-3 for the Steelers.
• The Ravens are plus-157 in point differential (tied with Buffalo for best in the AFC and third-best overall) compared to plus-33 for Pittsburgh.
• The Ravens' 14.9 average margin of victory is fifth-highest in the NFL.
• Baltimore's .520 average strength of victory is the highest of any playoff team and it is the only mark above .475. They were 7-3 against playoff teams. Baltimore's 10 games vs. playoff teams are tied for most in the league with the Raiders.
• Pittsburgh was 4-3 vs. playoff teams.
• The Ravens produce a league high 6.9 yards per play on first down.
• Baltimore's offense has reached third downs a league low 38.3% of their set of downs. Pittsburgh's offense has reached third downs 49.6% of its set of downs.
• 74.1% of Baltimore's scoring plays this season have been touchdowns, the highest rate in the league. 46.1% of Pittsburgh's scoring plays have been touchdowns.
• The Steelers have turned the ball over in 10-straight games. Still, only the Bills have a better turnover ratio than Pittsburgh (plus-16). Baltimore is plus-6. The Steelers and Vikings led the NFL during the regular season with 33 takeaways. The Ravens' 17 takeaways was only more than six teams. Pittsburgh tied the Bills for the league lead in fumble recoveries with 16 while Baltimore only had five. But only the Bills and Chargers had fewer giveaways than Baltimore (11). The Steelers threw six interceptions all season. Baltimore threw four. Only the Chargers (3) threw fewer. Pittsburgh had 12 games with multiple takeaways, most in the league.
• The Ravens have allowed 30 points off turnovers (3^rd), while Pittsburgh has allowed 38 (4^th).
• Of a possible 240 minutes over their past four games, the Steelers have possessed the ball for just 101:05. They possessed the ball for 22:00 last week. In Week 16, Baltimore possessed the ball for 32:25. For the season, Baltimore is sixth in time of possession (30:53) and Pittsburgh is seventh (30:47). The Ravens are at 33:08 over their past three games.
• The Steelers have 15 more first downs via penalty than they have given up. Baltimore had 132 accepted penalties. Only the Jets had more. Pittsburgh had 102. Only nine teams had fewer. Baltimore's 24 offensive holding calls are the fourth-most as are its 15 defensive pass interference infractions.
• As a team, Baltimore's 3.14 average time to throw is the highest in the NFL. Pittsburgh's 2.91 is sixth-highest.
• 55.4% of rushing attempts against the Ravens and 51.2% against Pittsburgh are between the tackles. That is first- and fourth-highest.
• The Ravens have produced 63 more first downs than they have allowed and 95 more rushing first downs. They produce 1.7 more passing yards per attempt, 14 more passing touchdowns, 30 more sacks, 1,828 more rushing yards, 2.2 more rushing yards per attempt and 91.9 more total yards per game than they give up.
• Pittsburgh has scored and allowed 37 touchdowns. Opponents have six more first downs. The Steelers produce 7.2 yards per pass attempt and give up 7.1. They produce 4.1 yards per rush attempt and give up 4.1. They have 14 rushing touchdowns and have allowed 14 rushing touchdowns. Pittsburgh gives up 3.3 more yards per game than they produce.
• The Steelers produce 28.7 more rushing yards per game than they allow.
• Only Patrick Mahomes (15) has more playoff wins than Russell Wilson (9) among quarterbacks currently in the playoffs. He is 9-7 in his playoff career.
• Lamar Jackson is the only quarterback in NFL history with multiple MVP awards without a Super Bowl victory. He has a 2-4 postseason record and has nine turnovers in those four games. In Jackson's four playoff losses, the Ravens have averaged 10.5 points and didn't once exceed 20 points scored. Jackson has completed 57.4% of his playoff passes but does average 86.8 rushing yards in the postseason. Jackson is one of six quarterbacks since the 1970 merger with 25 or more tarts with a .700 or better winning percentage. He has a .745 winning percentage in the regular season compared to .333 in the playoffs-the biggest discrepancy of any quarterback since 1950 with at least five postseason starts.
• Since drafting Jackson in 2018, the Ravens have won the AFC North four times and have gone to the playoffs in six of those seven years with the lone exception of 2021, a season in which Jackson missed the final four games because of injury.
• The Steelers are on a five-game playoff losing streak dating back to 2016 and are the third team in NFL history to enter the playoffs on losing streak of four or more games.
• Pittsburgh has played a divisional opponent in the playoffs a dozen times in their history. Their record in such games is 10-2.
• Led by Roger Rosengarten (933) and Nate Wiggins (679), Baltimore got 1,781 snaps from rookies this season. The Steelers got 3,013 snaps from rookies this season: Zach Frazier (975), Mason McCormick (936), Beanie Bishop (549) and Payton Wilson (493).

WHEN PITTSBURGH HAS THE BALL

• The Ravens defense allows 5.2 yards per play for the season, but just 4.5 over their past three games.
• Only three offenses, including Baltimore, are throwing the ball at a lower percentage than the Steelers (50.7%). The Ravens defense sees a pass play on 63.9% of snaps, the highest percentage in the league.
• The Ravens allow 1.92 points per drive, 11^th-best. But since Week 10, Baltimore allows 1.59 points per drive, second-best over that stretch.
• Over the past seven weeks, the Ravens defense has allowed just 15.4 points per game, league best over that stretch.
• Pittsburgh's offense converts a set of downs into a new set of downs or touchdown at a 68% clip. League average is 71%. The Ravens defense is at 70%.
• The Steelers average 192.0 passing yards per game.
• The Steelers use 11 Personnel on 50% of their snaps. Only seven offenses use it less. Pittsburgh's 15.2% usage of 13 Personnel is the highest in the league. Opposing offenses are attacking the Ravens out of 11 Personnel at a 64% clip. Only four defenses see a specific personnel grouping at a higher rate.
• Baltimore has limited opposing passers to 223 yards or fewer in seven of their last eight games, which includes a pair of games against the Steelers. Wilson has 422 passing yards and two touchdowns in his two meetings against the Ravens. Over their past seven games, Baltimore's defense has allowed a 59.5% completion rate (3^rd) and a league-best 5.8 yards per attempt and 2.2% touchdown rate.
• Wilson hasn't thrown for over 217 yards in his past four games. Over his past five games, Wilson is completing 61.1% of his passes for 5.7 yards per attempt.
• Wilson has thrown between the numbers on 48.8% of his attempts. On throws outside the numbers, Wilson averages 7.7 yards per attempt, 12^th-most. But the Ravens allow 6.3 yards per attempt outside the numbers, sixth-best.
• Wilson also has thrown the ball away on a league-high 7.2% of his dropbacks.
• Pittsburgh's average depth of target with George Pickens on the field is 7.1 yards downfield compared to 6.0 without him.
• Pickens was targeted six times last week and ended up with just one catch for zero yards. He has three or fewer catches in three consecutive games. But in his only matchup against Baltimore this year Pickens was targeted 12 times, catching eight catches for 89 yards. He hasn't hit 100 yards since Week 7. Pickens does have 13 receptions of 30-plus yards which tied with Ja'Marr Chase for the league lead.
• Pat Freiermuth has three or more receptions in seven-straight games. Last week he caught eight passes for 85 yards and a touchdown. Freiermuth has 15 receptions in his past two games after not having more than five in any previous game this season. But in his two games vs. Baltimore this year, Freiermuth has five catches on five targets for 36 yards. He has a team-high five touchdown receptions with Wilson on the field.
• Baltimore gives up the ninth-most receiving yards per game (56.6) and the 10^th-most receptions per game (5.5) to the tight end position.
• Baltimore allows the fourth-most receiving yards per game (39.6) to the running back position.
• Pittsburgh's receivers generated 1,804 yards after the catch.
• The average time to throw against Baltimore's defense is 2.88 seconds, fifth-highest. In Week 16, Wilson's average time to throw of 3.25 seconds was his longest time to throw in a Steelers uniform.
• Wilson was sacked four times in Week 11 and the Ravens sacked him three times in Week 16. Baltimore had 54 sacks this year and 18 different defensive players have recorded a sack with Kyle Van Noy (12.5) leading the way, followed by Odafe Oweh (10). The Ravens sack opposing quarterbacks on 7.7% of dropback. Nnamdi Madubuike's 19.5 sacks since 2023 is the most among NFL defensive tackles. Van Noy has a sack in five-straight games. Oweh's 10 sacks are a career-high. Baltimore is one of four teams along with Denver, Houston and Minnesota to have two defenders with 10 or more sacks.
• Although the Ravens' 54 sacks were second in the NFL, their pressure rate of 31.4% is eighth-lowest.
• Jaylen Warren has reached 64 or more scrimmage yards in seven of his last nine games. In the two games against Baltimore, Najee Harris accumulated 105 rushing and 30 receiving yards, while Warren added 89 and 71, respectively. Warren only received 26.1% of the backfield snaps in Week 18 after seeing 62.9% and 50% the previous two games.
• Over his past nine games, Harris averages 64.6 total yards per game and has hit 100 yards once during that time. In those nine games.
• The Ravens allow the fewest rushing yards per game (63.8) to the running back position.
• Baltimore surrenders just 3.6 yards per carry, best in the league. 19.8% of carries against the Ravens go for zero or negative yardage. That is the fifth-highest percentage. Their 1.08 average rushing yards allowed before first contact is fifth-best and their 2.50 allowed after first contact is second behind the Lions.
• Wilson has run for 128 yards and a touchdown in his last five games, but just 28 in his two games against Baltimore.
• The Steelers' red zone conversion rate was 48.2%. Baltimore's defense allowed 54.0%, 12^th best.
• Pittsburgh converts 39.5% of their third down attempts, tied for 15^th. The Ravens defense allows a 39.8% conversion rate, 18^th.
• Through the first 10 weeks of the season, safety Kyle Hamilton spent 42.8% of his snaps in the box and 28.3% in the slot. Since then, Hamilton has spent 69.3% of his snaps at deep safety. Over the first 10 weeks, Baltimore gave up 1,655 yards on passes of 10-plus yards - the most in the league. Since the change, they have given up 575 such yards-second fewest.
• Madubuike's 812 snaps played is 213 more than Baltimore's next highest defensive tackle (Travis Jones).

WHEN BALTIMORE HAS THE BALL

• Detroit, Tampa Bay and San Francisco are all tied for second in yards per play at 6.2. The Ravens are at 6.8. Baltimore produced 6.7 yards per play against the Steelers defense in Week 16. The Steelers give up 5.4 yards per play for the season.
• The Eagles (44.3%) are the only offense throwing the ball at a lower percentage than Baltimore (47.5%). Pittsburgh's defense sees runs 39.9% of snaps. Only five defenses, including Baltimore's, sees run less.
• The Steelers allow 1.83 points per drive, seventh-best.
• The Ravens convert a set of downs into a new set of downs or a touchdown at a 79% clip. Only the Lions are better. The Steelers defense allows a 69% conversion rate, tied for seventh-best.
• Baltimore is producing 424.9 yards per game. Not only is that best in the league but it is 15.4 more than the second-place Lions.
• Only the Lions (68) have scored more touchdowns than Baltimore's offense (62).
• The Bengals' longest play from scrimmage last week against the Steelers was 19 yards.
• Baltimore employs 11 Personnel on just 29% of snaps. Only two teams use that grouping less. Opposing offenses are attacking the Steelers out of 11 Personnel at a 62.5% clip. Only six defenses see a specific personnel grouping at a higher rate.
• Fullback Patrick Ricard has been on the field for 435 of a possible 1,110 snaps for Baltimore's offense.
• The Ravens lead the league with 8.1 yards per pass attempt.
• Jackson is the first quarterback in league history with at least 4,000 passing yards, 900 rushing yards and 40 touchdowns. Jackson's 41-to-4 touchdown to interception ratio was the best since Aaron Rodgers' 25-to-2 in 2018. Just under 42% of Jackson's attempts have resulted in first downs or touchdowns, the second-highest percentage in the league. His average pass produced 8.8 yards, highest in the league. Jackson has accounted for multiple touchdown passes in 10 of his last 11 games and 13 of his last 15. His 8.6% touchdown rate was also the best in the NFL. On passes 10-plus yards downfield, Jackson has 27 touchdowns against just one interception. That interception came against the Steelers.
• Jackson has accumulated 414 passing and 68 rushing yards in his two contests against Pittsburgh this season with four passing touchdowns.
• Burrow attempted no deep balls against the Steelers in the regular season finale, but he also completed 21 of 23 attempts for 160 yards on passes outside the numbers. Burrow finished the regular season with the most passing yards outside the numbers (1,799), 86 more yards than the next closest quarterback (Jackson).
• Zay Flowers caught five passes for 100 yards in Week 16 and accounted for a team-high 139 receiving yards in games between these two teams. Flowers was injured early in the game in Week 18 and Nelson Agholor was inactive. As a result, Tylan Wallace ran 28 routes on 36 drop backs against the Browns.
• Before catching five passes last week, Rashad Bateman had back-to-back games with only one reception. Against the Steelers this season, Bateman has three catches on eight targets for 44 yards and a touchdown. Bateman had five touchdowns of 20-plus air yards. Only Chase had more.
• Mark Andrews has scored a touchdown in six-straight games and has 11 touchdowns over his past 12 contests. Andrews has caught six passes for 59 yards and a touchdown against the Steelers in two games this season. From Week 5 on, Andrews was third among tight ends in yards per route run (2.21), sixth in receiving yards (608) and first in touchdown receptions (11). Andrews led the NFL with 11 red zone touchdowns.
• Isaiah Likely caught seven passes for 104 yards and a touchdown against Pittsburgh this season. Likely has logged three of his six best route shares in his past three games.
• With Justice Hill out last week, Derrick Henry ran 19 routes on 36 drop backs, while Rasheen Ali and Keaton Mitchell combined to run just seven.
• The Steelers employ the highest percentage (68%) of single-high coverage in the league. In Week 11 against Baltimore, the Steelers aligned in single-high 79.2% of the time and in the Week 16 rematch, it was 83.1%. Those are the fourth- and second-highest rates any defense in the league has used this tactic all season.
• Only five of the Steelers' 33 takeaways have come over the past four games.
• Only the Bills and Packers have taken fewer sacks than Baltimore and their 4.8% sack rate is fourth-best. The Steelers had four sacks last week, but just one the last time these teams met. Pittsburgh blitzes at above average rates on both first downs (32.1%) and second downs (29.7%), but just 16.9% on third downs, the third-lowest blitz rate on third downs by any team over the past two years.
• The Ravens are the highest-blitzed offense in the league at 37.5%. In Week 16, Pittsburgh blitzed Jackson on 68.0% of his drop backs, the second-highest blitz rate Jackson has faced in a game in his career.
• TJ Watt has 8.5 career sacks against Jackson. That is the most sacks against Jackson by any player in his career. Watt led the NFL in forced fumbles (6) and tied for the lead with three strip sacks. Watt is only player in history to average more than 1.0 sacks per divisional game amongst players with 40 or more games.
• Cameron Heyward became the first defensive tackle since 2017 to record at least 10 pass defenses and 10 tackles for loss in a single season.
• The Ravens lead the NFL with 187.6 rushing yards per game and their 5.8 per rush attempt is .5 yards better than the second-place Cardinals and Buccaneers. Baltimore averaged 5.8 yards per rush in these team's last meeting. Pittsburgh's 98.7 rushing yards allowed per game is sixth-best and their 4.1 per carry is tied for fourth-best.
• Baltimore has 89 rush attempts that gained 10 or more yards. That is most in the league. The Eagles are next with 76. Pittsburgh has allowed just 43 such runs, sixth-best.
• The Ravens' 2.27 average rushing yards before first contact is best in the league and their 3.48 average after contact is second best. The Steelers' 1.17 average rushing yards allowed before first contact is eighth best.
• Derrick Henry became the first player in NFL history with multiple seasons with 1,900-plus rushing yards, finishing with 1,921. Henry is also the first player in NFL history with 1,800 or more rushing yards and 15 or more rushing touchdowns in multiple seasons. He is also now tied with Jim Brown for sixth all-time with 106 rushing touchdowns and needs four more to tie Walter Payton. Henry ran for 162 yards when these teams met last, but just 65 in the first meeting. In Week 16, Henry had seven runs of 10 or more yards. That is most of any runner in any game this season. Henry has scored three touchdowns in his last two games after going scoreless in four-straight games. His 1,137 yards after first contact led the NFL, the fourth time in Henry's career that he has eclipsed 1,000 yards after contact.
• Henry ran for 1,119 yards with a 6.4 yards per carry in the second half of games this year compared to 740 yards and 5.1 in the first half. Henry averages the most rushing yards per game (99.8) in December or later in the Super Bowl era, including the playoffs.
• The Ravens have run the ball 62.6% of the time when Henry is on the field.
• Jackson is the Ravens' second-leading rusher with 915 yards, but no one else has more than 228 (Hill). Jackson led all NFL quarterbacks in rushing yards and no quarterback in history has rushed for more yardage.
• Jackson's six fumbles as a runner were most among quarterbacks this year. His 10 fumbles in any situation were fourth-most.
• The Ravens ran the football on 77.1% of snaps with Charlie Kolar on the field. That is the highest rate for any player in the league with at least 150 snaps played this season. Ricard is fourth-highest at 71.7% of his snaps being run plays. Dating back to 2023, when these two are on the field together, Baltimore runs the ball 81.8% of the time.
• With Heyward on the field, Pittsburgh has faced 303 rush attempts, allowing just 3.7 yards per carry. That would be second-best in the league. On the 109 carries without Heyward on the field, the Steelers allow 5.1 yards per carry, which would be 31^st.
• With Watt lining up on the defensive left edge of the defense on 94.7% of his snaps, the Steelers opponents ran to the offensive left on 58.6% of their rush attempts against Pittsburgh, the highest rate in the NFL. On runs to the offense's right, Pittsburgh gave up just 3.2 yards per carry-best in the league.
• The Steelers have allowed opposing quarterbacks to get past the line of scrimmage on scrambles just 14 times this season, fewest in the NFL. Pittsburgh has allowed 63 yards and a touchdown on such runs for a league-low 4.5 yards per scramble.
• Baltimore's 74.2% red zone conversion rate is best in the league and 2.6% better than the Bills who are second. Pittsburgh's defense is at 54.1%, 13^th best.
• The Ravens convert 48.2% of their third down attempts. That is only behind Tampa Bay and Kansas City. Pittsburgh's defense (35.3%) is second-best on third downs behind only the Lions.

SPECIAL TEAMS

• Chris Boswell's 41 field goals made led the NFL, and he only missed three kicks all season. He was 13 of 15 from 50-plus yards. Boswell's 158 points led the NFL and was eight more than second-place finishers Brandon Aubrey and Cameron Dicker.
• Justin Tucker made 22 field goals this season on 30 attempts. Twenty-two kickers made more field goals than Tucker. From beyond 40 yards, Tucker made just 11 of 19 attempts.
• Miles Killebrew and Connor Heyward lead the Steelers in special teams snaps (302) followed by Payton Wilson and Mark Robinson (300). James Pierre missed two games but is still fifth on that list with 254. Jeremiah Moon has only appeared in 13 games but is sixth with 220 special teams snaps played during the regular season while Tyler Matakevich is seventh with 194, he Matakevich has only appeared in 11 games.

MOST MEMORABLE MOMENT

Jan. 18, 2009: AFC Championship: Steelers 23, Ravens 14, Heinz Field

This was a battle and quite possibly the most violent and physical game ever played between these two franchises - and that is saying something. This was the second playoff meeting between these two teams in John Harbaugh's first season as Ravens head coach. Pittsburgh got out to an early 13-0 lead at home, but then two great defenses took over. About midway through the second half, Baltimore clawed its way back to make this a 16-14 game. In the end, Troy Polamalu intercepted Joe Flacco and returned it for a touchdown to seal a Pittsburgh Super Bowl appearance. Pittsburgh forced five fumbles in this game including three in the final 3:13 of play. The Steelers then went on to defeat Arizona in Super Bowl XLIII.

KEY MATCHUPS

Ravens QB Lamar Jackson vs. Steelers LB Patrick Queen - Jackson is a handful for every defense he faces, and he is having another MVP-caliber season. Jackson is improving at a rapid rate over the course of his career and has now become a fantastic passer from the pocket. But the danger he provides with his legs is as real as ever. Queen, Jackson's former teammate, will be instrumental in slowing down Jackson on designed runs and when he breaks contain.

Steelers QB Russell Wilson vs. Ravens S Kyle Hamilton - Hamilton is a do-everything safety with rare size for the position. Baltimore has used him all over their defense, but of late, he is spending a lot of time in the deep portion of the field. In this instance, Hamilton is likely to be the deep support to George Pickens' side of the field. If Wilson is to connect downfield with the Steelers most dangerous receiver, he must be very wary of Hamilton.