Mike Tomlin and the Pittsburgh Steelers love to make things harder than they have to be. They could have secured the AFC North crown and a playoff spot last week, but a three-win Cleveland Browns team led by Shedeur Sanders was too much to ask for. Now, Pittsburgh has its back against the wall in a Week 18 game against the Baltimore Ravens that is do-or-die. Losers leave town while the winner gets to represent their division in the playoffs.
As Coach Tomlin would say, it’s time to cut those eyelids off. Pittsburgh can’t blink in the face of adversity in this game. If they do, they will get booed off their own field after blowing the division lead. Their record doesn’t indicate it, but the Ravens are too good a team to slip up against. They have stars on both sides of the ball that can make a game-changing play at any moment. It won’t be easy, but the Steelers have to find a way in Week 18.
Lamar Jackson will be back for Sunday Night Football, but that doesn’t mean he’s entirely healthy. Nobody is healthy at this point in the NFL season. The Steelers’ pass rush needs to make sure Jackson feels them in Week 18. He is 3-6 in his career against Pittsburgh with nine passing touchdowns and 10 interceptions. If they want a chance, Pittsburgh has to force turnovers that can generate points. Jackson doesn’t like playing in the Steel City. Hit him early and often.
Derrick Henry has been turning it up down the stretch. It is prime Tractorcito season. Last week, Henry ran the ball 36 times for 2016 yards and four touchdowns. He has eclipsed 100 yards on the ground in three consecutive games. Henry ended the Steelers’ season last year in the Wildcard round with 26 carries for 186 yards and two touchdowns, and now he has a chance to end their season again. It’s impossible to erase Henry, but Pittsburgh has to find a way to limit him on Sunday.
Someone on the Steelers offense has to step up in Week 18. D.K. Metcalf isn’t there to shoulder the load. Last week, Pittsburgh’s offense looked pitiful without him, but they will have to find a way with the season on the line. If Calvin Austin III plays, expect him to be WR1 with a heavy side of Pat Freiermuth targets. Adam Thielen and Marquez Valdes-Scantling will need to contribute this week. The Steelers defense can handle itself, but it’s the offense that fans should worry about this week.
The Steelers have to leave everything on the field on Sunday night. If they don’t, they won’t live to fight another day. A loss could send Aaron Rodgers into retirement without ever giving him one last chance to kiss a sticky Lombardi Trophy. That would be wrong. They say the best word in sports is “Game 7″ and this is the football version of that. Tomlin called it the AFC North Championship Game in his weekly press conference. This game should be treated as if it were a playoff game. It’s do-or-die.
Regardless of what happens on Sunday Night Football, Roger Goodell and the NFL got exactly what they wanted. The last game of the 2025 NFL regular season is a winner-take-all slugfest in the AFC North between two teams that hate each other’s guts. When these two get in the ring, throw out the record books. It’s Steelers versus Ravens live from Acrisure Stadium on Sunday night, and it’s for all the marbles.
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