Ravens, Steelers Wins Set Up Epic AFC North Clash

The Baltimore Ravens and Pittsburgh Steelers' Week 11 matchup will be huge for the division race.

Nov 7, 2024; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Zay Flowers (4) runs after a second quarter catch against the Cincinnati Bengals at M&T Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images / Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images

As it so often does, the AFC North race looks like it's down to the Baltimore Ravens and Pittsburgh Steelers.

Pittsburgh sits atop the division at 7-2, but Baltimore is hot on its tail at 7-3. To get to this point, both teams had to survive tough tests in Week 10, so let's look at how they did so.

First off, the Ravens kicked off the Week with another thriller against the rival Cincinnati Bengals, winning 35-34 on home turf. Baltimore's offense had an uncharacteristically sloppy first half, but came alive in the second half with touchdowns on its last four drives (not counting the kneels at the end of the game). Lamar Jackson was brilliant once more, completing 25 of 33 passes for 290 yards and four touchdowns with no turnovers as he continued to build his MVP case. Derrick Henry also scored yet another touchdown on the ground.

However, Baltimore's biggest flaw was on full display in this game, and that's its atrocious pass defense. Joe Burrow completed 34 of 56 passes for 428 yards and four touchdowns, while Ja'marr Chase terrorized the secondary yet again with 11 receptions for 264 yards and three touchdowns. If the Ravens want to go far in the playoffs, then this issue simply must be addressed.

For now, though, the Ravens are happy to pull out a key divisional victory.

"I'm just so proud of our guys," head coach John Harbaugh said postgame. "Hearts of lions in a game like that, truly, and I'll also say this; we stay humble about it. 'Let him that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord,' and we do that. We understand that we have a lot to work on, but we've very grateful for that win, and we're very grateful for our guys.

Then on Sunday, the Steelers went into D.C. and walked out with a 28-27 victory over the upstart Washington Commanders. It was a back-and-forth game throughout, but Russell Wilson's 32-yard pass to new wide receiver Mike Williams with 2:22 left proved to be the dagger. Wilson then made another huge play to end the game, drawing a Commanders defender offsides with a hard count for a first down.

The defense may have been even more impressive, though, as the Steelers scored three sacks and forced two turnovers. All around, it was a gutsy

"It's a good team win," head coach Mike Tomlin said postgame. "When you're coming into an environment like this, and you find a way to get it done, not only is it a well-earned victory, but there's some real growth associated with it. Knowledge of self, individually and collectively, is a component of this thing as we push through this journey. We learned a little bit about ourselves, hopefully in a positive way today."

With the Bengals at 4-6 and the Cleveland Browns (who were on their bye) at 2-7, it's all but a certainty that one of the Ravens or Steelers will win the division crown. The winner of Sunday's game, the first of two meetings in five weeks, will take the lead in the division, and will go a long way come playoff time.

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