Steelers' Mike Tomlin Previews Ravens Playoff Matchup

The Baltimore Ravens face their arch rivals for the third time this season.

Nov 17, 2024; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin (left) and Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh (right) shake hands after the game at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images / Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin knows the challenge ahead of him in Saturday's Wild-Card Round game against the rival Baltimore Ravens.

After a 10-3 start, the Steelers dropped their final four regular-season games to fall to the No. 6 seed in the playoffs. In the same time frame, the Ravens have been arguably the hottest team in the league as they won their final four regular-season games to take the AFC North and the No. 3 seed from under the Steelers' nose. In the midst of both streaks, Baltimore defeated Pittsburgh 34-17 at home on Dec. 21, its first win in the rivalry since 2021.

Now, just a few weeks later, the two teams meet again in the same venue. The Ravens are favored to win once again, and Tomlin can see why.

"It's no surprise they're one of the hottest teams in football," Tomlin told reporters Monday. "It's about No. 8 (Lamar Jackson) and No. 22 (Derrick Henry) for us. Lamar's play has been spectacular. There's been very little negativity on their tape in general during the second half of the season."

Despite having a winning record in each of his 18 seasons in Pittsburgh, Tomlin has caught some heat recently. Not just due to the Steelers' late-season collapse, but because the team hasn't won a playoff game since the 2016 season. Tomlin is well aware of that criticism, and believes it falls on him rather than his players.

"What you mentioned is my story, it's not the collective's story," Tomlin said. "Many of those guys involved do not tote those bags. I happily tote those bags. But it's not something I'm going to project on the collective.

"We've been in too many battles and had too much success to be fragile in that way. We can certainly hate our recent performances and the outcome, but I don't think it reflected on how we feel about ourselves."

There are very few NFL rivalries as intense as Ravens-Steelers, and with this being the first-ever playoff meeting in Baltimore, Tomlin expects M&T Bank Stadium to be rocking on Saturday night.

"I expect it to be a hostile environment," Tomlin said. "I welcome that to be quite honest with you. It's important that we smile in the face of that."

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