Ravens Insider: Ravens vs. Steelers staff picks: Who will win Sunday in Baltimore?

[ExtremeRavens]

Here’s how The Baltimore Sun sports staff views the outcome of Sunday’s Week 14 game between the Ravens and Steelers at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore:

Brian Wacker, reporter

Ravens 23, Steelers 14: Look for the Ravens to lean on their running game and Derrick Henry. The Bills gashed Pittsburgh last week, and even with an offensive line that has struggled this season, Baltimore should have success on the ground. Aaron Rodgers is banged up and so is Lamar Jackson, but not nearly as badly. There will be turnovers and this will get a little sloppy at times, but expect this one to decided by the Ravens’ defense and their rushing attack.

Sam Cohn, reporter

Steelers 17, Ravens 14: This doesn’t feel like the type of AFC North matchup in which both sides are fighting to win a spot in the playoffs. It reeks of two teams trying to avoid the humiliation of missing the postseason via abject disaster. Neither quarterback is at full health for this must-win game, which means it could be decided by defense. Expect a few turnovers; the Ravens have forced at least one in each of their past seven games, and the Steelers lead the NFL in forced fumbles. Another close ending seems all but certain in a rivalry in which 28 of 38 matchups have been decided by one score. Although the Ravens seem better equipped on paper, this one might end in a fourth straight Jackson clunker feeding a narrow loss because the Steelers do barely enough.

Mike Preston, columnist

Ravens 27, Steelers 14: Pittsburgh might be 6-6 and tied with the Ravens for first place in the AFC North, but the Ravens have a pulse with Lamar Jackson at quarterback while the Steelers answer with Aaron Rodgers. This matchup clearly works in the Ravens’ favor because Jackson can move as opposed to Rodgers, who at 41 is more of a statue. Plus, Steelers offensive coordinator Arthur Smith has very little imagination and Rodgers seldom throws the ball over the middle. The Ravens should be able to run Derrick Henry at will against Pittsburgh’s rush defense, which is ranked No. 17 in the league allowing 117.7 yards per game. This really shouldn’t be much of a contest. Pittsburgh is a really bad team, and even though the Ravens have their own problems, they should be able to handle the Steelers at home even with a struggling offensive line.

Josh Tolentino, columnist

Ravens 21, Steelers 17: Sunday’s renewal of the Ravens-Steelers rivalry comes with both teams nursing quarterback injuries and clinging to postseason hopes. Remarkably, the AFC North is the only division in the NFL without a winning team. That’ll change Sunday, with the victor walking away with a significant boost in playoff odds over the final month of the regular season. Despite Baltimore’s season-long offensive inconsistencies, there’s still a slight sense of optimism that the Ravens can heat up at the right time. Lamar Jackson gave fans a scare this week with his Thursday absence; the two-time NFL MVP might not reach full health again this season, but Jackson’s ability to protect the ball should be a top priority after the Ravens coughed up a season-high five turnovers in the Thanksgiving night loss to the Bengals. Mike Tomlin, Aaron Rodgers and Pittsburgh have authored a whacky season, losing five of their past seven. If there’s been one constant between both teams in recent games, it’s Baltimore’s defense.

C.J. Doon, editor

Ravens 20, Steelers 16: Lamar Jackson and company have struggled against the Steelers even during the best of times. Now that they’re down in the dumps, all bets are off. You could tell me just about anything happens Sunday — Jackson has a perfect passer rating, Jackson throws three interceptions, Derrick Henry rushes for 250 yards, Henry only gets 10 carries — and I would believe it. One thing that’s all but certain? It will be close. Steelers coach Mike Tomlin is 13-4-2 against the spread against Baltimore as an underdog. On the most basic level, I trust Jackson and the Ravens’ offense to figure it out against a slumping and banged-up Steelers defense than I do Aaron Rodgers, DK Metcalf and Jaylen Warren to get the best of a Ravens defense that had been playing really well before a Thanksgiving letdown. Kickers Tyler Loop and Chris Boswell could end up being the stars of the game.

Bennett Conlin, editor

Ravens 24, Steelers 20: Baltimore’s offense looks out of sorts, but a few extra days of rest should help Lamar Jackson and the unit sort out some issues. The Steelers are an average football team with issues of their own. A vintage Ravens-Steelers rivalry matchup, this is not. Give me the Ravens in an ugly game between two teams trying to find their way.

Tim Schwartz, editor

Ravens 24, Steelers 17: As messy as things are in Baltimore, it’s even worse in Pittsburgh. I don’t think it’s going to get any better up north this weekend. The Ravens are healthy again and reinforcements are on the way, and one has to assume quarterback Lamar Jackson will turn things around as he deals with perhaps the worst stretch of his career. I think the Steelers are just what Derrick Henry’s doctor ordered, considering they allowed 249 rushing yards to the Bills last weekend. If Baltimore doesn’t give Henry and Keaton Mitchell at least a combined 25 carries on Sunday, it will come to regret it. The more the merrier. It’s time the Ravens reclaim their identity as the NFL’s most potent rushing attack. This is a good place to start.

Patrice Sanders, FOX45 Morning News anchor

Ravens 27, Steelers 17: This is a battle for first place in the division. Many people counted the Ravens out earlier this season, but they came back and won five straight. Now Baltimore moves past its Thanksgiving loss with an eye on the playoffs, and the only way to get there is to win the AFC North. This is a must-win game.

Have a news tip? Contact sports editor Tim Schwartz at timschwartz@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/timschwartz13. 

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