Steelers Legend Explains Advantage Over Ravens

The Pittsburgh Steelers have had the Baltimore Ravens' number as of late.

Dec 5, 2021; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh (left) and Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin (right) talk on the field before their teams play at Heinz Field. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images / Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

The coaching rivalry between Baltimore Ravens head coach Mike Tomlin is the best in the NFL today, but it hasn't exactly been much of a rivalry recently.

Since 2020, Tomlin's Steelers have dominated this rivarly, winning eight of the past nine meetings. It feels like no matter how good the Ravens are playing at the time, they can't seem to beat the team in black and gold.

The worst part is that most of the Ravens' problems are of their own doing, including penalties, turnovers and more. That's unfortunately a reflection of coaching, and everyone knows it.

On the latest episode of his "Footbahlin" podcast, longtime Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger broke down how he believes Tomlin has dominated his adversary.

"I really think that Mike Tomlin was cooking in Harbaugh's kitchen," Roethlisberger said. "I just think that Tomlin's out-coaching him. It's not just Tomlin. It's not just head-to-head, but taking a timeout before the two-point conversion to see what they're in. I just think the way that coach Belichick used to out-coach teams, it just feels like what we're doing to them."

Just looking at Sunday's 18-16 loss in Pittsburgh, it's easy to see how the Ravens are beating themselves. They took 12 penalties for 80 yards, lost the turnover battle three to one and missed two field goals in the first quarter. They also had some baffling decisions, such as on the aforementioned two-point conversion, when they called a designed run for Lamar Jackson with neither Derrick Henry nor Zay Flowers on the field.

It's also important to note that every game between the Ravens and Steelers this decade has been decided by one score, yet Pittsburgh has won all but one of them. Coaching absolutely makes a difference in games that close, and Tomlin has had the clear advantage as of late.

The Ravens will have another shot at the Steelers in Baltimore on Dec. 21, but if Harbaugh and co. don't make the necessary adjustments, it's hard to see the outcome changing.

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