Nov 27, 2013 4 min read

BALTIMORE – The Steelers and Ravens have played a number of big games over the past decade, including a pair of playoff matchups both won by the Steelers.

But rarely have they played what amounts to an elimination game in the regular season, much less one in Week 13 on Thanksgiving night.

That’s what is on tap tonight when the Ravens (5-6) host the Steelers (5-6) in a game that could make it very difficult for the loser to make the postseason.

Since starting the season 0-4 and then 2-6, the Steelers have taken on one-game-at-a-time mentality. It’s clichéd, but it has worked. Pittsburgh has won its last three games to move into a six-way tie for the sixth and final spot in the AFC playoff race.

“We’re looking forward to this one game because that’s all that matters and that’s the only thing we can control,” said Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, who has a 10-5 record against the Ravens.

“The focus is on this. There’s no hot streak. There’s no win streak.”

The Steelers have won their last two against the Ravens, including an improbable 23-20 victory last December in Baltimore over the eventual Super Bowl champions. Charlie Batch started that game in place of Roethlisberger, who was nursing a shoulder injury, and threw for 276 yards and a touchdown.

The Ravens know all about getting hot at the right time. They stumbled down the stretch last year, with that loss to the Steelers starting a streak that saw them lose four times in their final five regular-season games. But they pulled things together in the postseason and won four straight games to win the franchise’s second Lombardi Trophy.

“You’d like to think that teams that have been in this situation before can at least have the wherewithal to stay calm and play within themselves and not let the moment be too big,” said Baltimore quarterback Joe Flacco. “It really comes down to what kind of team you have, and I think the best one will end up prevailing at the end.”

While the Steelers have been surging of late, the Ravens have stumbled. Following a 3-2 start, the Ravens have lost four of their past six. But Baltimore is also 4-1 at home and is coming off a 19-3 thrashing of the New York Jets.

Neither team expects anything close to a blowout. Eight of the previous 10 meetings have been decided by three points or less.

“It’s two proud football teams, proud franchises in the same division, same conference, and we know each other,” said Steelers defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau. “It’s alarming when you look at the scores, how many three-point games there have been. I think there’s every reason to anticipate that this will be a three-point game. That’s the way we play.”

The games have often been remarkable for their big hits, though many of those have now been outlawed by the league.

“I remember guys getting whacked coming across the middle,” said Baltimore running back Ray Rice when asked about his favorite memories of Steelers-Ravens rivalry games. “Those hits were brutal.”

Roethlisberger has been at the center of several of those big hits, though the Steelers have done a better job of protecting him of late. After being sacked 31 times in Pittsburgh’s first nine games, he’s been sacked only once in the last two games.

That coincides with Pittsburgh’s more extensive use of the no-huddle offense.

“It makes our job easier,” said guard David DeCastro. “It keeps Ben cleaner, which is always the goal, and lets him do what he does – pick apart defenses.”

That will be put to the test by the Ravens. Baltimore’s defense has 37 sacks, including three of Roethlisberger in the first meeting.

If the Steelers can keep Roethlisberger upright, they have a chance of staying alive in the playoff race. If not, they will have put themselves in a precarious spot.

“Every game gets bigger and bigger as you win them,” said DeCastro.

The Steelers have 51 plays of 20 or more yards, the fourth most in the NFL. … Rookie Le’Veon Bell leads the Steelers with 455 yards rushing and Rice leads the Ravens with 450. Bell had a season-high 93 yards rushing on 19 carries in the first game against the Ravens. Rice had 45 yards on 15 attempts. … Linebacker Terrell Suggs has 14 1/2 sacks in 20 games against the Steelers, his most against any opponent. … Roethlisberger has a 37-11 career record against AFC North opponents, including 18-5 on the road.