If it’s late in season, Steelers must be in Baltimore and stakes must be high

There was no explicit purpose by Montravius Adams to be wearing an Auburn hat and shirt Thursday. He’s just a proud alumnus of ol’ War Eagle.

But it was quite fitting, in at least one way, that the veteran defensive tackle was wrapping up a Pittsburgh Steelers practice week in advance of what has become an annual late-season game in Baltimore.

It’s not the season finale this time, but to Adams these recent Steelers-Ravens games in Baltimore evoke a famous end-of-year rivalry game in which he used to take part.

“It’s like the Alabama-Auburn thing.” Adams said, referencing what is arguably college football’s most intense rivalry. “It’s the end of the year, one of the most physical games of the year, one of the most competitive games of the year, one of the most watched games of the year. It’s always close.

“It’s just a fight.”

The competitiveness and physicality of Steelers-Ravens long has been recognized as the peak of pro football. The NFL and its network partners are drawn to it, and that’s resulted in plenty of primetime and/or stand-alone TV window meetings. And at no other point during the season does the league have more flexibility than the final three weeks.

That in part explains why Steelers-at-Ravens has become something of a holiday season tradition in recent years. Saturday’s 4:30 p.m. kickoff will mark the fourth consecutive season the teams will meet at M&T Bank Stadium after Dec. 20. This year’s is the third straight in a “standalone” timeslot — last year’s meeting was “flexed” to Saturday, the year before’s to “Sunday Night Football.”

“It’s like back in the day when people used to see Mike Tyson and Evander Holyfield — we were all glued in to the TV,” Adams said. “And that’s just how I see this matchup. It’s gonna be one of those. This one, it’s going to be for the division (title). You’re gonna see stuff you’ve maybe never seen before. At the end of the day it’s going to be a good fight.

“It don’t mater sometimes even about (the quality of) the players — it’s just the style of play. And who’s the best team making plays at the end that’s able to finish.”

Each of the past three years, that team has been the Steelers. They took a lead in the second half of each, twice overcoming deficits to do so,and all three were in must-win games for their playoff hopes.

Sunday isn’t an elimination game for either team, but the stakes are still high. The Steelers clinch the AFC North title with a victory. A Ravens win would pull them into a tie for first place with two weeks to go.

“I look forward to every game, obviously, but this is a huge game,” star Steelers edge defender T.J. Watt said. “It’s an important one. Playing in Baltimore is always tough. Playing this opponent is always tough. It always comes down to big plays in the fourth quarter. That was the message (in team meetings this week). And I don’t see this game being any different.”

The weather forecast for Saturday isn’t all that different from the Steelers games in Baltimore on Jan. 9, 2022, and New Year’s Day 2023 or this past Jan. 6 — albeit that most recent game was in a cold, steady rain.

But even if Saturday’s weather isn’t ugly, odds are the brand of football will be characterized that way.

The past three late-season Steelers games in Baltimore have featured a combined total of seven touchdowns as compared to 12 field goals and scores (respectively) of 16-13, 16-13 again and 17-10.

“Every game that we play against them, there’s high stakes,” outside linebacker Alex Highsmith said. “Last year I vividly remember going into that cold, rainy game and getting out of there with a win.”

Steelers backup outside linebacker Jeremiah Moon has good reason to remember last year’s Steelers-Ravens game in Baltimore — but from a relatively unique perspective among those at UPMC Rooney Sports Complex this week.

Moon had a tackle for loss and a forced fumble during that game while playing for the Ravens. Moon joins linebacker Patrick Queen as former Ravens playing for the Steelers.

“There’s a lot at stake,” Moon said. “It goes to show they’re two programs that know how to win and are fighting for the same thing: to be kings of the north. So that’s what we’re looking to go in their home and do.”

That Saturday’s game will feature a pair of high-profile quarterbacks in Russell Wilson and Lamar Jackson is a departure from the past three in Baltimore. Baltimore had backup Tyler Huntley for all three. The Steelers will be on their fourth starting quarterback in four games in Baltimore: Ben Roethlisberger, Kenny Pickett, Mason Rudolph and Wilson.

The 2021 game was the final of 249 in the (regular-season) career of Roethlisberger. His comeback overtime win extended his career one more game by qualifying the Steelers for the postseason. The next year in Baltimore featured the height of the “Fourth Quarter Kenny” phenomenon when Pickett threw a go-ahead touchdown pass in the final minute.

Last season, Rudolph guided the Steelers to a third consecutive win to end the season, allowing them to slip into playoffs.

This season, the Steelers already have clinched a playoff spot. But this edition of the annual holiday-season slugfest in Baltimore has its own stakes.

“This is a chance to get a home game in the playoffs, cement our plans for the future,” said outside linebacker Preston Smith, who joined the Steelers last month. “This is a division game, a division opponent. It’s important for the future. I know this is an intense rivalry. The emphasis is going out there and giving our best performance.”