Steelers coach Mike Tomlin senses 'weight' of 1st matchup with Ravens

It took until December for the Pittsburgh Steelers to win a second game in a row. With the Baltimore Ravens looming on the horizon, coach Mike Tomlin doesn’t want his players being satisfied with that modest achievement.

“We can’t wear our hands out patting ourselves on the back,” Tomlin said Tuesday at his weekly press conference.

The Steelers are 5-7 heading into their matchup against the Ravens, who at 8-4 are tied with the Cincinnati Bengals for first place in the AFC North. It is the first of two matchups with the Ravens in a four-week span and will be contested Sunday at Acrisure Stadium.

Although the Steelers are three games out of the division lead with five to play, they are two games out of a wild-card spot. They also are ranked No. 12 in playoff positioning.

“There is a lot of weight on them,” Tomlin said of a schedule that includes three games within the division. “There is a lot of weight on this one.”

The Steelers enter the game having won back-to-back games on the road, defeating the Indianapolis Colts and Atlanta Falcons within a seven-day span.

“That is a significant step,” Tomlin said. “Hopefully it’s a springboard for us as we move forward. Absolutely, we need it to be. The sand is running through the hour glass in terms of us stating a case for ourselves.”

Related:

• Steelers' Najee Harris picks up 4th 'Angry Run' scepter against Falcons
• 5 things we learned: Matthew Wright is a perfect 10, but what is his future with Steelers?
• Derek Watt increasingly becoming bigger part of Steelers’ offense
• Steelers celebrate rare 'Victory Monday' after winning 2nd consecutive game
• With Lamar Jackson injured, Tyler Huntley to get 1st-team reps as Ravens prep to face Steelers

The Steelers have won four in a row against the Ravens since they lost the regular-season finale in 2019 with “Duck” Hodges at quarterback. The last time they faced the Ravens was the final game of the 2021 season with the Steelers getting an overtime win that helped them get into the AFC playoffs as the No. 7 seed.

The Ravens needed a last-minute touchdown to defeat the Denver Broncos, 10-9, and remain tied atop the division lead. Lamar Jackson, a former league MVP and the NFL’s second-leading rusher among quarterbacks, sustained a knee injury and is listed as “week to week” to play against the Steelers.

If Jackson is unavailable — he is expected to miss one to three weeks — the Steelers will face Tyler Huntley for the second time in as many meetings. Huntley started the finale last year and completed 16 of 31 passes for 141 yards, no touchdowns and two interceptions. He also had 72 of the Ravens’ 249 yards rushing in the game.

“They are one of the few teams that have major quarterback mobility that have done a consistent job of making sure that mobility isn’t lost when their starter goes down,” Tomlin said. “They always have quality backups that are capable of delivering the schematics they choose to employ. Quarterback mobility is going to be an issue in this game regardless of who is playing.”

Tomlin expects the Steelers to be relatively healthy for the game. Right tackle Chuks Okorafor, who left the game against the Falcons for one play with a shoulder injury, could be limited in practice this week. Outside linebacker T.J. Watt and defensive tackle Larry Ogunjobi also could be limited. Watt has been bothered by a rib injury in recent weeks.

“You don’t want to just assume that’s behind them,” Tomlin said. “I’m prepared for them to be affected somewhat in the early portions of the week, but not when we lean in on game time.”

Kicker Chris Boswell (groin) and cornerback William Jackson (back) are eligible to come off injured reserve this week.

“We’ll see where those roads lead,” Tomlin said. “I’m not ready to discuss those guys or the potential inclusion of those guys. Let’s see what the work looks like before we start going too far.”

Follow Joe Rutter for more on the Steelers.

Tweets by tribjoerutter