As Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin walked off the field Sunday after a 19-13 come-from-behind win over the Tennessee Titans, he looked at the camera and blew a kiss.
It was Tomlin’s way of saying the Steelers (7-6-1) aren’t dead yet. No matter how many times they’re written off, they survive. Pittsburgh won’t die, no matter how old quarterback Ben Roethlisberger looks or how poorly its defense is playing.
It’s the same with the Ravens. Despite a slew of injuries to top players — including quarterback Lamar Jackson, the most explosive player in the NFL — the Ravens keep grinding, whether it’s against a top team like the Green Bay Packers or a struggling one like the Detroit Lions.
So there is a good chance that when the Ravens play Pittsburgh in Baltimore on Jan. 9 in the regular-season finale, it will be for the AFC North title. It seems to fit the script, especially as far as the Ravens are concerned. They like drama. They like suspense. They want to keep their fans living on the edge.
And what better way for this to play out than to have Roethlisberger — who is reportedly planning to retire — play the last regular-season game of his career against his archrival in Baltimore? The plot would have been better if it were in Pittsburgh, but now Big Ben becomes the villain. They make movies out of this type of stuff.
Ever since Baltimore re-entered the NFL for the 1996 season, the AFC North has evolved into a two-team race between the Steelers and the Ravens. Since 2002, Pittsburgh has won nine AFC North titles compared to six for Baltimore. The Bengals have won it four times, but they haven’t been a factor since coach Marvin Lewis left after the 2018 season.
Cincinnati (8-6) is currently in first place in the division by virtue of its 41-17 win against the Ravens (8-6) on Oct. 24. In that game, the Bengals dominated as quarterback Joe Burrow threw for 416 yards and two touchdowns. But it’s hard to buy into Cincinnati, which hosts the Ravens on Sunday. Despite having the least amount of injuries in the division and the most talent, the Bengals just aren’t tough.
Every time they appear to be ready to go on a significant roll and gain separation in the division, they lose to the New York Jets or the Chicago Bears. That shows a lack of mental toughness.
All three contenders in the AFC North have tough remaining schedules. After playing the Ravens, the Bengals finish with a home game against the Kansas City Chiefs (10-4) and a road game against the Cleveland Browns (7-7). Pittsburgh travels to Kansas City and hosts Cleveland before closing out with the Ravens, while Baltimore hosts the Los Angeles Rams (10-4) on Jan. 2 between games against the Bengals and Steelers.
The Bengals aren’t ready for this kind of grind, but Baltimore and Pittsburgh have been in this situation so many times. Those teams have tradition and championship trophies. Most importantly, they have standards, expectations and depth, which is why they’ve been able to keep winning regardless of circumstances.
The Ravens aren’t afraid to play the Bengals on Sunday. In fact, they want the rematch. Both the Steelers and the Ravens are reflective of their cities and their coaches. Both teams are from blue-collar, hard-working towns. A few years ago, before the Steelers ran onto the field up in Pittsburgh, Tomlin came down through the tunnel shadow boxing.
On Thanksgiving night in 2013, Tomlin tried to trip the Ravens’ Jacoby Jones on a kickoff return down the left sideline. If it had worked, it would have angered every fan in Baltimore, but instead it only added to the rivalry.
Few NFL coaches work officials harder on the sideline than the Ravens’ John Harbaugh, and he likes to gain his own advantages, too, even if it means bending the rules. In 2016, the Ravens were fined $500,000 for having a padded practice before training camp. In 2018, they were fined $200,000 for improper use of headset-equipped helmets by multiple players during games in the preseason.
That’s life in the NFL. As the old adage goes, if you ain’t cheating, you ain’t trying. In Baltimore and Pittsburgh, their mottos are the same: You might beat them, but you won’t outwork them.
That’s why it seems only fitting that the two teams play each other for the AFC North championship. Besides the rivalry itself, Roethlisberger will be playing his last regular-season game. The Steelers will play hard for the old man, much like they did in the second half earlier this year when they scored 17 fourth-quarter points to beat the Ravens, 20-19.
The Ravens will be at home. They’ve had to fight, scratch and scream all season to win games because of the injuries that would have trainwrecked the season for most teams. But that’s not who they are.
Forget Cleveland and Cincinnati. Bring on the Ravens, Steelers and Big Ben one more time.
It’s the perfect ending to a crazy season.
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