SCOUTING THE RAVENS

Last meeting

Ravens beat Steelers, 34-17, on Dec. 21 in Baltimore.

Key matchup

Ravens TEs Mark Andrews/Isaiah Likely vs. Steelers ILBs/DBs

Over Baltimore’s past six games, Andrews and Likely have combined for nine touchdowns, including one TD catch in each of those games for Andrews. Both scored during the Dec. 21 game against the Steelers, each of the touchdowns evolving into a flashpoint regarding the Steelers defense’s issues with communication and assignments.

Likely has three touchdowns in his past five games against the Steelers; Andrews has 48 receptions in 11 career outings against them.

Key injuries

The Ravens will be without No. 1 wide receiver Zay Flowers because of a knee injury suffered last week, but change-of-pace running back Justice Hill will return to the lineup after missing the past two games because of a concussion suffered in the game against the Steelers.

Steelers starting cornerback Donte Jackson is expected to return after missing two of the past three games because of a back injury. Starting right guard Mason McCormick is listed as questionable after suffering a broken left hand during last week’s regular-season finale.

Series record

Steelers lead 36-26 (including 3-1 in the postseason).

Series notes

This is the first Ravens-Steelers postseason game played in Baltimore. Each of the previous four — during the 2001, 2008, 2010 and 2014 seasons — were played at what is now called Acrisure Stadium. … The Steelers did, however, play a December 1976 divisional playoff game in Baltimore — at the old Memorial Stadium against the Colts. The Steelers won that one 28-10. … The Steelers won the first three playoff games against the Ravens (including the 2008 AFC championship game) but lost in the 2014 wild-card round. … In the regular-season series, the Steelers had won eight of nine before the defeat three weeks ago. … This is the fourth playoff meeting between Steelers coach Mike Tomlin and the Ravens’ John Harbaugh. Only one coaching tandem has matched up in the postseason more often in NFL history: the Steelers’ Chuck Noll and the then-Oakland Raiders’ John Madden, whose teams played each other each year between 1972-76. … The Steelers are 9-8 against the Ravens in primetime games but have lost six of the past nine such meetings. The teams have never played at night in the playoffs.

Notable

The Steelers have a five-game postseason losing streak, having most recently won a playoff game Jan. 15, 2017 against the Kansas City Chiefs, 18-16, in the divisional round. … Since 2017, the two franchises are a combined 2-10 in playoff games. … This is the Steelers’ seventh playoff game played at night, tying the Green Bay Packers for the second-most in NFL history. … The Steelers have lost six of their past eight games played on wild-card playoff weekend. … After this weekend, Cleveland will be the only current division rival at which the Steelers have never played a postseason game. … For the second time in the Harbaugh tenure, Baltimore is in the playoffs six times over a seven-season span. The only stretch since he was hired in 2008 for which that would not apply is when the Ravens missed the playoffs three consecutive years 2015-17. … This marks the 13th occasion in which the Steelers will play a team in the playoffs after meeting them twice during the regular season. Though the Steelers are 10-2 in the postseason under such circumstances, they have lost two of the past three occurrences (to Baltimore in the 2014 season and the Cleveland Browns in the 2020 season). … The Steelers are 6-2 all-time when facing an opponent in the playoffs that it split against during the regular season.

Fantasy tip

In seven career playoff games, Baltimore’s Derrick Henry averages 104.6 rushing yards per outing and has four rushing touchdowns — plus, a touchdown pass (during a January 2020 game against the Ravens, while he was playing for the Tennessee Titans).

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