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Opponents on Steelers

Ravens are talking about Russ, Justin and Mason

The Steelers and Ravens have a long history, and it will continue on Saturday night when the two teams meet in the Wild Card Round at M&T Bank Stadium.

The Steelers are 3-1 against the Ravens in the postseason, with this being the first time the two teams will meet in Baltimore.

This season, the two teams split the head-to-head series, both winning at their home venues.

The two teams are no strangers to each other, but Ravens Coach John Harbaugh still expects something different from the Steelers.

"We know them, they know us pretty well," said Harbaugh. "There's always that little chess game going on, Game of Thrones, I don't know, whatever with them because it's always something different. There are always wrinkles thrown in every week, so that's the part of it that we study really hard."

The Ravens weighed in on playing for a third time, using two quarterbacks and more this week.

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Harbaugh on what he has seen from the Steelers last few games that they have lost:
"We've been studying them. And that's what we make of it, what we study. What we look at the football, what they're doing schematically, the players. How we think that they're going to attack us. How we can try to attack what they do or don't do.

"We know them, they know us pretty well. There's always that little chess game going on, Game of Thrones, I don't know, whatever with them because it's always something different. There are always wrinkles thrown in every week, so that's the part of it that we study really hard."

Quarterback Lamar Jackson on if winning against the Steelers in Week 16 adds confidence to playing against them:
"I was always confident, but that game doesn't even matter anymore. It's win or go home right now, so I'm locked in with the same mindset I had before that last game."

Defensive lineman Nnamdi Madubuike on if he likes that the Ravens have to go through the Steelers in the playoffs:
"Yes, I mean they are just another person in our way – the team in our way to get to where we want to get to. And that's why we're out there practicing and working hard and doing everything we can to be our best self on Saturday."

Harbaugh on the challenge of playing a team like the Steelers for a third time this year and what is the difficulty in that:
"I don't think there's any specific difficulty in it. This process is still the same. You probably have certain things that are understood. There's a lot of things that have been ingrained in your knowledge of a team in division like that who you've already played twice, so your jumping-off point is further down the road for sure. That's about the only difference."

Running back Derrick Henry on the difference between a regular playoff game vs. a playoff game against a division opponent:
"We're playing the Steelers, so we know it's always tough. During the season, those AFC North matchups are four-quarter battles, so that's what we anticipate. We don't take the opponent lightly, but we know it's an AFC North division opponent rivalry. We know it's going to be a four-quarter battle."

Madubuike on if there's a sense of pride and motivation in hosting the Steelers in the playoffs:
"Absolutely. The energy, the focus, it's all there. It's playoff football. It's win, or you go home, and everybody knows what's at stake, and everybody's locked in, in the locker room. You can feel it. And it's just one day at a time at this point."

Harbaugh on playing the Steelers three times in a season multiple times in the past too and what he can draw from that:
"I don't really remember the other times that well, to be honest with you that specifically, I just think it's part of the process. We played the Bengals a couple of years ago once or twice, right? A lot of our teams in this division make the playoffs. We run into them. It's probably pretty normal."

Jackson on how he can avoid the turnovers against the Steelers:
"Keeping the ball in our hands. Keeping it away from those guys, those scripts; don't throw the ball into traffic – stuff like that – and what we should be knowing that we should not do."

Madubuike on how much of a focus the defense will put on eliminating checkdowns by running back Jaylen Warren:
"All of their running backs have been a focus. He hasn't been the main focus, but he's somebody that we're accounting for, obviously (No.) 22 (Najee Harris). All the backs are good. They're downhill backs, strong backs, so we know what's ahead of us, and we're preparing for it. We're doing everything we can to make sure that we eliminate those things from slipping away [from] our hands, and we have the right men for the job to do it."

Defensive coordinator Zach Orr on if he is expecting to see both Russell Wilson and Justin Fields play on Saturday night:
"Yes, I'm definitely expecting it. Just because I think they have two starting quarterbacks – two starting-caliber quarterbacks on their squad. They've won games with both of them. Justin Fields is a weapon, you have to be prepared for. Saw it in the first game, even though he didn't start against us, he came in and made some critical plays that ultimately, in our eyes, cost us the game. So, we have to prepared to see both of them. Not even just Justin as a runner, but him as a thrower, as well, because he is a quarterback. So, we prepare for both, and the gameplan really doesn't change much from either one. We have to do what we have to do. Play sound, disciplined football, and we like our chances."

Tight end Isaiah Likely on playing the Steelers for a third time this season:
"I feel good. It's a divisional rival. You always want to go in and understand what you're good at, what they're good at, and at that moment, you just let your talent shine."

Linebacker Roquan Smith on the challenges of facing a team for the third time in a season:
"We know what they're going to do. They know what we're going to do, so it's going to be about the best man winning. I have a lot of respect for the guys. Russ (Russell Wilson) has been doing it a long time. Their running back runs very hard. Tight ends make plays, obviously [George] Pickens on the outside, and the O-line plays well together, so excited about the matchup. They know us. We know them, so it's going to be about the best man at the end of the day."

Madukuike on Mason McCormick potentially playing with a broken hand:
"I didn't know that, but whoever's out there, I'm ready to play. It's playoff football. It's win or go home, so yes. So that's my take on it."

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