Ravens OC Wants Payback vs. Steelers

The Baltimore Ravens have struggled against their arch rival recently.

Jul 27, 2024; Owings Mill , MD, USA; Baltimore Ravens offensive coordinator Todd Monken walks the field during the afternoon session of training camp at the Under Armour Performance Center, Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images / Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images

The rivalry between the Baltimore Ravens and Pittsburgh Steelers remains one of the best in the NFL, but it's been a surprisingly one-sided affair as of late.

Since 2020, the Steelers have won seven of the past eight meetings, including both last season by identical 17-10 scores. The Week 18 game in Baltimore didn't mean much as the Ravens, who already locked up the AFC's top seed, rested their starters for the playoffs. On the other hand, the Week 5 game in Pittsburgh was one that got away from the Ravens, as they blew a 10-0 lead and shot themselves in the foot throughout the game.

On Sunday, the Ravens return to Acrisure Stadium for the first time since that game, and offensive coordinator Todd Monken wants to make up for last year's shortcomings.

"I think, when it comes to divisional rivalries, and depending on how far they go back or the meaning of them ... Sometimes [they're] one-sided rivalries, where you get beat down so much [that] it's a rivalry to you, but you've got the hell beat out of you for so long that the other team doesn't see it that way; that's not as much fun," Monken said Thursday.

"But if it means a division, if it means winning a conference championship, if it means bragging rights in a lot of ways, or it goes back a little bit further, then sure, then it does mean something. I hope it does to our players; I hope it does. It means trying to win the division. That's the first way to get in the tournament [and] the first way to try to win a world championship. And we owe them one. We didn't play very good last year on the road. [We] gave that away. They did a hell of a job, but we didn't play our best."

Last year, Monken was still finding his footing as the Ravens' offensive coordinator and it showed. Baltimore made several mistakes throughout that game, including turning the ball over on downs just before half when they were in field goal range, Lamar Jackson throwing an interception in the end zone immediately after his team recovered a muffed punt and more.

Now with a year and a half of experience, Monken's offense is running like a dream. The Ravens lead the league in total, rushing and scoring offense and rank third in passing, with Jackson and Derrick Henry playing some of the best football of their careers.

Facing a stingy Steelers defense will always be a challenge, but a motivated and angry Ravens offense is a dangerous one.

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