By Teresa Varley/Steelers.com
The Steelers take on the Baltimore Ravens on Saturday in a key AFC North matchup at M&T Bank Stadium. A Steelers win will earn them the AFC North title, as they are 10-4 and the Ravens are sitting at 9-5. The Ravens know the challenge they are facing, especially after losing to the Steelers, 18-16, in Week 11.
“We’re heading into the challenge this Saturday against Pittsburgh,” said Coach John Harbaugh. “A very important game for a lot of reasons, and we’re going to need to be at our very best. “They’re an excellent football team. We’re ready for the challenge.”
The Ravens weighed in on multiple topics, including losing eight of the last nine games they played against the Steelers.
Coach John Harbaugh on the challenges of facing the Steelers on a short week:
“It’s a challenge for both teams. We’re both playing on the same deal. We both played Sunday, and we’re playing each other on Saturday, so that’s just it.
“You adjust the schedule. It’s a little shorter game-planning type of an operation than you would have, but we play each other enough where I don’t think that’s a problem for either team.
“Guys have to do a great job of taking care of themselves and getting ready for the game that it’s going to be in terms of their bodies and making sure they get the game plan right. We want to get our football right. That’s what we want to do. We want to prepare to the best of our abilities, so we can go out there and play our best and be on point in that game just like we do every week really.
“It’s really not different from any other week. So, we’re ready to do that, and we’re excited for it.”
Quarterback Lamar Jackson on if it bothers him that he has struggled against the Steelers:
“Losing, in general, bothers me, not the team really. Just got to find a way to get a ‘dub.’ It’s going to be a home game, so we’ve just got to execute at home, find a way to win.”
Tight end Mark Andrews on why the Ravens haven’t experienced much success against the Steelers lately:
“Just for us, it’s doing our job and not beating ourselves. They are a well-coached team. They do things the right way. They manage the game well. So, for us, it’s just being efficient, doing our job and moving forward with the game.”
Wide receiver Zay Flowers on why the Ravens have had trouble with the Steelers in the past:
“I don’t think it’s trouble. I think we always have turnovers, missed kicks, stuff like that during the game, so if we just eliminate those, because we move the ball downfield, I know you’ll see that. We move the ball downfield. We get across the 50. We just have to take care of the ball, make kicks and try to put the ball in the end zone.”
Cornerback Marlon Humphrey on if it bothers him the Steelers have won eight of the last nine games:
“I didn’t know that it was eight out of the last nine until the last game, but it bothers me. When I found out, it was surprising, but I know the guys in the locker room, we want to win this rivalry. Eight out of the last nine – it’s not a good number at all. So, the focus has to be at a premium this week, and it’s going to take a lot to get that back on our side, but you want to be able to beat your rival.”
Harbaugh on how much the loss to the Steelers earlier this season eats at him because it was a ‘winnable’ game:
“I’ve watched that game a number of times now, actually in the last week. We got ahead with the bye week and everything, and I watched it again (Monday).
“There’s so much to learn from that game, there’s so much to learn from all of the games, really, but at the same time, every game is different. Even though they seem like they’re the same, the scores are about the same. I’m talking about over 17 years and even beyond that, but every game is different.
“You try to learn from it and try to (see) where we’re at, where they’re at. What we need to do to win this game, play our best football. That’s what we’re focused on.”
Andrews on what the Steelers defense does to present a challenge:
“They’re physical, they’re athletic, they work hard, they’ve got effort. They do a lot of things well, so, for us, it’s bringing it. We know that they’re going to be able to do that, so just being physical and do our job. That’s all that matters.”
Flowers on the Week 11 loss to the Steelers and losing to them eight out of the last nine games:
“I didn’t even know that, but we’re going to worry about this game. Try to get this win and move forward.”
Harbaugh on why the Steelers have been a challenge for Lamar Jackson and what they do to limit him:
“They’ve created plays against us. They’ve had sacks. They’ve had some timely sacks, some timely turnovers and timely stops. They’ve managed to do that, and that’s what it is. That’s what winning games is. They’ve done a good job of that.”
Flowers on how much Jackson wants to beat the Steelers:
“He wants to beat everybody just about the same. So, I get a sense of that every week. Every team we play, he’s like, ‘Let’s blow them out. We don’t even want to play with them. Let’s just go out and do what we got to do and get out of here.’ I feel like he (has) that same energy for every game. He’s locked in in the same way no matter who we’re playing.”
Safety Kyle Hamilton on how much losing eight of the last nine games to the Steelers bothers players:
“Obviously, we want to win every game, especially when we play the Steelers, but I don’t think people really think about it too much. Every game is mutually exclusive, and just because we lost the last game, that has nothing to do with this game. That’s not a good stat, not a good side of history to be on, so we’re going to come out on Saturday and try to change that.
“Obviously, we’ve lost eight of the last nine, but I don’t think we’re going into this game like, ‘We can’t lose nine out of 10.’ We’re just trying to win this one game and take it one week at a time, and I know you all hear that a lot from us, but it’s really true. We have one-week lives, kind of, and last week, we were all about the Giants and got that win. Now, we’re all about the Steelers, and whatever comes next, comes next, but obviously, we’re trying to get a win this week.”
Flowers on what the Steelers do to make things difficult:
“Nothing. They don’t really do (anything) that really stresses me, if I’m being honest. You have some games, and that (Week 11 game) ended up being that game, so we’ll figure it out when we get there. This week, we’ve got them, so I’m looking forward to that.”
Hamilton on Steelers fans traveling well and his message to Ravens fans:
“I think Ravens fans travel pretty well to Pittsburgh, too, as well. It is our stadium, it’s a home game for us, and I think it’s a big advantage playing any team, especially Pittsburgh. I don’t think people really talk about it enough. I think Ravens fans have done a great job just staying in it and supporting us, criticizing us, obviously, too, but we criticize ourselves and hold ourselves to a high standard, and I think that is fair because of the franchise in and of itself and what it’s become at this point, one of the more winningest franchises in the league. We’re always in the mix every year, so I expect them to be rowdy, expect them to be loud, and I hope we get a win for them.”
