Dec 19, 2016 5 min read

PITTSBURGH – The Steelers hadn’t stripped off the layers of clothing they had on under their uniforms following their 24-20 win Sunday in chilly Cincinnati when talk turned to what lies ahead.

There was no 24-hour rule in effect following the victory over the Bengals that eliminated the defending AFC North champions from playoff contention. The Steelers didn’t even take 24 minutes to enjoy the win before turning their attention to the Baltimore Ravens.

“We’re just on to the next game right now and getting ready for Baltimore,” said rookie nose tackle Javon Hargrave.

“I’m ready for these guys,” said right tackle Marcus Gilbert. “Great team, but this is what it all boils down to. We’ve got to move on. Ravens vs. Steelers is classic. It doesn’t get any better than this.”

Anyone who watched the Ravens’ snoozefest win over the Steelers Nov. 6 in Baltimore might disagree.

While the Steelers (9-5) can clinch the AFC North championship with a victory Sunday, and Baltimore (8-6) needs to win its final two games to win the division, neither team looked especially inspired in the Ravens’ 21-14 win at M&T Bank Stadium.

Le’Veon Bell was limited to a season-low 32 yards on 14 carries as the Steelers rushed for just 36 yards. Ben Roethlisberger, coming back after missing a game with meniscus surgery, was ineffective for three quarters before leading the Steelers to two touchdowns in the final nine minutes.

Baltimore wasn’t much better, gaining just 50 rushing yards and scoring one offensive touchdown, that a 95-yard pass from Joe Flacco to former Steelers receiver Mike Wallace in the first quarter.

Flacco had 146 yards on his other 17 completions as the Ravens and Steelers combined for nearly as many punts (19) as first downs (28).

“They played the game of chess with us,” said Gilbert. “We lost the first game. This game is going to be ours. It’s at our field. We have to come out and dominate. I’m looking forward to it. They have great players on both sides of the ball and we do, too.”

The Steelers and Ravens are accustomed to playing big games. They’ve met four times in the playoffs since the Ravens were formed in 1996 when the Browns moved to Baltimore. The Steelers won three of those matchups. The teams have combined for four Super Bowl wins, five AFC championships and 13 division titles.

This season will add a 14th division title to that ledger.

“Whoever wins this game is most likely going to the playoffs,” said Steelers linebacker Ryan Shazier. “We’re just going to go out there and play our football the way we can. Gotta make sure we can’t allow (the Ravens) to have any (big) plays. If we can do that, we should be fine.”

The Steelers haven’t been fine of late against Baltimore. The Ravens have won the past four meetings and six of the past seven. And the Steelers came out of the win over the Bengals with two big injuries. Defensive end Stephon Tuitt suffered a sprained knee and tight end Ladarius Green was placed in concussion protocol.

Tuitt is expected to play against the Ravens while Green, who had two concussions last season playing in San Diego, might be a little more iffy.

The Steelers believe their defense is better prepared to handle the Ravens than it was back in early November. Rookie cornerback Artie Burns was making his first career start against Baltimore and had his first career interception in that game, but also was victimized on the long touchdown pass to Wallace. Fellow rookie Sean Davis has been a force at strong safety after being inserted into the starting lineup five weeks ago.

That coincides with the Steelers’ current five-game winning streak in which the defense has allowed an average 248 yards and 14 points per game. Four of those wins have come on the road, helping the Steelers to a 5-3 record away from Heinz Field.

If they can beat the Ravens and win the division, the Steelers are assured of at least one home game in the playoffs.

“I don’t care how it gets done. If we have one rushing yard or 200 rushing yards, it doesn’t matter,” said Steelers guard David DeCastro. “We just have to get the win.

“If you can’t get up for this one, you’re probably not alive.”

The Steelers’ four-game road winning streak is their longest since 2010. … Bell passed Jerome Bettis for the most yards from scrimmage for Pittsburgh in a player’s first four seasons. Bell has 5,913 yards. Bettis had 5,804 from 1996 through 1999. … Placekicker Chris Boswell’s five field goals from 40 or more yards against the Bengals matched Green Bay’s Mason Crosby as the most in the league in a game since 1960. Crosby did it in 2015. … The game will be broadcast by the NFL Network. In the Pittsburgh market, it also will be available on WPXI. It will not be streamed live on Twitter as other NFL Network games have been this season.