Samuel Njoku: Ravens Have Much At Stake Against Steelers in Week 17

Lamar Jackson missed his third straight game in Week 16 against the Falcons as he continues to recover from a PCL strain.

OWINGS MILLS, Md. — The Ravens enter the final two games of the regular season with a huge question mark at the most important position in all of professional sports.

Lamar Jackson missed his third straight game in Week 16 against the Falcons as he continues to recover from a PCL strain. Baltimore was able to overcome his absence and secure a playoff berth. 

The Ravens always enter an NFL season with one goal regardless of the roster.

Win the AFC North.

The @Ravens are preparing for an aggressive Steelers defense, led by three of the league's fiercest players — T.J. Watt, Cameron Heyward and Alex Highsmith. #RavensFlock https://t.co/0H2eQoYTln

— Todd Karpovich (@toddkarpovich) December 29, 2022

That task has proven difficult this year as currently, the Cincinnati Bengals sit one game ahead of them in the standings. Baltimore currently holds a victory over Cincinnati, which makes their week 18 showdown a potential division title game.

The Ravens find themselves in a bit of a dilemma heading into week 17. They have a physical showdown with the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday Night Football. 

Depending on the outcome of the Bengals/Bills showdown, their matchup with Pittsburgh is a must-win game. Baltimore doesn’t have the luxury of awaiting the results of the Bengals game as that contest takes place on a Monday.

Luckily for Baltimore, the formula to beat Pittsburgh doesn’t necessarily require the services of Jackson. 

They can lean on what gave them the edge during the last meeting. A stifling defense and a plethora of J.K. Dobbins running the football. But if you ask Dobbins, his success isn’t squarely on his shoulders.

"First of all, the O-line definitely; they are the most important reason,” stated Dobbins on Wednesday. “It was my first game back from my knee scope, so I think that kind of gave us a little bit of energy to go out there and do what we did.”

What they did was run for 215 yards against one of the best run defenses in the NFL. They’ll look to duplicate that performance on primetime television against a relentless Steelers front seven.

"It's a physical front,” said Ravens rookie center Tyler Linderbaum. “Out of all the teams we've gone against this year, it's one of the more physical fronts. The things they throw at you, the style they play, and the guys they have makes it a difficult front to go against. But at the end of the day, you've got to focus on the Ravens, focus on what we can control, and I think we did a good job of that the first game; we've just got to carry it over to this next game."

If they are able to carry it over to the next game, they’ll be fighting for the AFC North title in Week 18. 

If they fail, this could be the last game at M&T Bank Stadium until next season.