The Pittsburgh Steelers were fast out of the gates before their success rate plummeted, while the Baltimore Ravens had a chilly start before heating up.
The two bitter rivals are in the same spot — a 6-6 record, tied atop the AFC North — entering Sunday’s divisional showdown in Baltimore.
The Ravens were a shaky 1-5 before their bye and then rattled off five straight victories. The last four came after Lamar Jackson’s return to health, but then Baltimore was soundly beaten 32-14 by the Cincinnati Bengals on Thanksgiving.
Pittsburgh was 4-1 before sliding downward. The Steelers were shamed 26-7 at home by the Buffalo Bills last Sunday for their fifth setback in seven games.
Adding to the importance level is that the two teams meet again in Pittsburgh in Week 18.
Their most-recent clash came in the AFC wild-card round of last season’s playoffs when the host Ravens beat the Steelers 28-14. Derrick Henry rushed for 186 yards and two touchdowns.
In this meeting, Baltimore is interested in getting its offensive back on track. The Ravens possessed the ball for just 21-plus minutes and committed five turnovers (four fumbles, one interception) in the stunning loss to Cincinnati.
Jackson, a two-time NFL Most Valuable Player, committed three of the turnovers.
“I do think you’re going to have an off-day sometimes,” Baltimore coach John Harbaugh told reporters. “That’s not something that you take lightly for sure. Listen, Lamar doesn’t take it lightly more than anybody. No player on this team takes it lightly.”
Henry is 69 yards away from becoming the fourth player in NFL history with at least 1,000 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns in seven different seasons. LaDainian Tomlinson did it a record eight times while Emmitt Smith and Adrian Peterson each did it seven times.
Pittsburgh is coming off a skidding effort in which it gained a season-low 166 yards against the Bills. The Steelers also allowed a season-worst 249 rushing yards.
Four-time MVP Aaron Rodgers isn’t overly concerned about the poor showing.
“The difference between a great performance and a subpar performance is very thin most of the time,” Rodgers said. “It’s just little details in the play or the execution, so I think that’s part of it. When you have a great game, it’s never as good as you think it was, and when you struggle as an offense, personally, it’s never as bad as you think it was.”
Rodgers is dealing with a broken left wrist sustained Nov. 16 against the Bengals. The injury caused him to miss a loss to the Chicago Bears and he struggled throughout against the Bills.
Rodgers was a season-worst 10-of-21 passing for a season-low 117 yards.
Rodgers said the injury is getting better, but he didn’t participate in practice on Wednesday.
“It’s definitely healing,” Rodgers said. “I appreciate the extra day off. I love to practice, so I hate missing practice, but, dealing with what I’m dealing with, it helps to get another day without any pounding on the bones in there.”
The Steelers claimed receiver Adam Thielen off waivers. The 35-year-old has 693 career receptions in 12 seasons.
Meanwhile, Baltimore gave tight end Mark Andrews a three-year extension worth a reported $39.3 million on Wednesday. Andrews is the franchise’s all-time leader in receptions (473), receiving yards (5,862) and touchdown catches (56).
“I just feel incredibly blessed … to be a part of such an amazing organization throughout these last eight years,” Andrews said.
Jackson (ankle) and cornerback Nate Wiggins (foot) were limited in practice Wednesday when zero Ravens sat out.
In addition to Rodgers, outside linebacker T.J. Watt (toe), linebacker Patrick Queen (glute) and defensive tackle Derrick Harmon (knee) missed practice. Harmon will miss his second straight game.
The Steelers have won eight of the past 10 regular-season meetings between the teams.
