It’s Ravens vs. Steelers for the AFC North championship in primetime.
What else needs to be said? What better way to close the curtain on a regular season with so much drama?
While it’s fitting for the Ravens and Steelers to meet in this situation, it’s the first time they’ve ever played for the division title in the regular-season finale.
With inconsistent play, Baltimore (8-8) and Pittsburgh (9-7) have flirted with danger this season like daredevils in a high-wire act. However, there will be no safety net to catch the team that falls on Sunday. The winner moves on and will be the No. 4 seed in the AFC playoffs. The loser moves directly into an offseason of uncertainty.
The pressure on both teams is undeniable. Yet, beating the Steelers in this situation would give the Ravens the best feeling they’ve had all year, with a fourth-straight playoff berth to look forward to after starting 1-5.
“We’ve worked hard to get this position,” Head Coach John Harbaugh said Monday. “There’s a lot of different paths in football and there’s a lot of different paths in life. This is the path of the 2025 season, so here we are. Our goal is to make the most of it.”
Harbaugh (18th season) and Mike Tomlin (19th season) will face each other for the 40th time on Sunday as the NFL’s longest-tenured current head coaches. The winning cultures they have built are part of the fabric of this rivalry. They have each won a Super Bowl. Harbaugh is the winningest coach in Ravens history, while Tomlin has never had a losing season.
Yet, their track record of success has not shielded them from criticism during a challenging year. At his Monday press conference, Harbaugh was asked if Sunday’s outcome would be viewed as a “referendum” on either coach’s job security. That’s not a typical question during Ravens-Steelers week.
However, Harbaugh remains laser-focused on winning, deaf to outside noise that won’t help him achieve what he works tirelessly to accomplish.
“I really don’t have the [head] space for that,” Harbaugh said. “It’s not important. It’s sports. That’s how sports are. I feel honored to be a part of it. We feel it’s worthwhile to be in games like this.”
