Ravens Ready for Steel City Battle: Playoff Berth at Stake in Intense Rivalry Game

The Baltimore Ravens have been a playoff shoe-in for most of the season at this point, but they still haven’t officially clinched their postseason spot yet. Now, they finally have their first chance to do so.

WIth the NFL releasing its official clinching scenarios for Week 16, there are two ways the Ravens can clinch a playoff berth at their first opportunity. The first and far simpler way to do so is to beat the Pittsburgh Steelers on Saturday, which would also tie the two teams atop the AFC North standings.

Obviously, winning that game is far easier said than done. Pittsburgh has dominated the rivalry for the past several years, winning eight of the past nine matchups, including the first of this season back in Week 11. All of those games have been decided by one score, so the Ravens are more than capable of winning, if they stay out of their own way of course.

“I’ve watched that game a number of times now, actually in the last week,” head coach John Harbaugh said Monday. “We got ahead with the bye week and everything, and I watched it again this morning. There’s so much to learn from that game, there’s so much to learn from all of the games, really, but at the same time, every game is different.

“Even though they seem like they’re same, the scores are about the same, it seems like. I’m talking about over 17 years and even beyond that, but every game is different. You try to learn from it and try to [see] where we’re at [and] where they’re at [and see] what we need to do to win this game [and] play our best football. That’s what we’re focused on.”

There is a way for the Ravens to clinch a playoff spot even if they lose, which requires losses or ties by both the Miami Dolphins and Indianapolis Colts. Both teams play at home on Sunday, with the Dolphins hosting the San Francisco 49ers and the Colts hosting the Tennessee Titans.

That’s obviously not the way the Ravens want to clinch a playoff appearance, though. They want to do it with a win over the Steelers, not just to keep their AFC North hopes alive, but to send a message to their arch rivals and the rest of the league.