The Steelers’ T.J. Watt didn’t bother dressing up the truth about Pittsburgh’s latest challenge in Week 14 when Pittsburgh marched with a 6-6 record.
Facing the Baltimore Ravens isn’t about surprises to Watt, who is playing his 9th season with the Steelers. Instead, it is more about surviving a head-on collision with a team that knows you as well as you know them.
“We know these guys, they know us… Everybody knows what you’re going to get. It’s just hard-nosed football,” Watt said, laying out exactly what awaits in Baltimore, per X-post shared by BlitzBurgh.
The problem for Pittsburgh is simple. Their defense hasn’t been playing to its standard. Missed tackles, inconsistent pressure, and late-game breakdowns have repeatedly put them in difficult spots.
So far this season, the Steelers have allowed 24.1 points per game, giving up 247.4 net passing yards per game to opponents, and yielding 117.7 rushing yards per game. These numbers paint a clear picture.
Pittsburgh’s secondary is leaking big plays. Secondly, the unit is struggling to get off the field, and thirdly, even with TJ Watt producing at an elite level, the defense as a whole hasn’t been consistent enough to support a playoff push. TJ Watt has made only seven sacks this season, which is similar to his rookie year in 2017, when only four games remained in the regular season.
On Sept. 14, Watt had opened up about the Steelers’ struggles, saying that the defense looked awful. But the picture hasn’t changed yet.
At 6–6, the Steelers are hanging onto postseason hopes that get shakier with every loss. They definitely need a statement game on Sunday afternoon (ET) that shows they can still dictate terms defensively instead of reacting to opponents.
What is the Steelers vs Ravens History?
A rivalry as familiar and demanding as Steelers-Ravens is the perfect test. And T.J. Watt knows it. Familiarity cuts both ways. Both teams recognize tendencies, reads, and personnel. That makes everything.
The Steelers and Ravens have met 63 times since 1996, with Pittsburgh leading the series 36–27, including 33–25 in the regular season and 3–2 in the playoffs. Despite the slight edge, the rivalry is known for its razor-thin margins, with many games decided by one score.
From the hard-hitting days of Ray Lewis vs. Ben Roethlisberger to today’s matchups featuring T.J. Watt and Lamar Jackson, the identity hasn’t changed. In the latest matchup last year, on Jan. 11, 2025, the Ravens defeated the Russell Wilson-led Pittsburgh Steelers and ended the season.
So, if Pittsburgh wants a safe path into the playoff picture in 2025, its defense and offense (led by Aaron Rodgers and DK Metcalf) need to show up with urgency and the kind of physical edge this rivalry was built on. Let’s see what happens today.
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