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Steelers-Ravens Wild Card Matchup: Two Keys To Victory For Pittsburgh

Will the Steelers come out on top?

The Pittsburgh Steelers have a real chance of moving on to the Divisional Round of the National Football League playoffs, but they do have a tough matchup ahead of them.

Pittsburgh will face off against the AFC North rival Baltimore Ravens on Saturday night with kick-off scheduled for 8 p.m. ET from M&T Bank Stadium.

The Steelers faced off against the Ravens twice this season and won once and lost once. Pittsburgh took down the Ravens on Nov. 17, 18-16. In that game, the Steelers held Lamar Jackson to just 207 passing yards, one touchdown pass, and one interception. They also held Derrick Henry to just 65 rushing yards.

Pittsburgh lost the next clash on Dec. 21. In that game, Jackson had three touchdown passes, one interception, and 207 passing yards again. The biggest difference was Henry who had 162 rushing yards in the game on 24 carries.

If the Steelers are going to win on Saturday, the two biggest keys will be containing Henry and getting George Pickens easy opportunities early. Jackson could win the Most Valuable Player Award again this year, but shutting down Henry would go a long way for Pittsburgh. The Ravens’ offense is completely different if they can’t move the ball on the ground.

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Pickens missed some time and the passing offense has struggled over the last few weeks. If the Steelers are going to win, they need to get the ball moving quickly out of Russell Wilson’s hand. Pickens is the top target but hasn’t quite looked like himself since returning. The Steelers need to get him involved early if they want the offense to get back on track.

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Featured image via Katie Stratman/Imagn Images