BALTIMORE -- The Steelers are accustomed to playing big games against the Ravens. But typically, they are big games for both teams.
Not so this time around.
The Ravens? They've already clinched not only the AFC North championship, but the top seed in the AFC playoffs with their 13-2 record.
The Steelers? At 8-7 and losers of their past two games, they're still alive for the postseason, but need a win or tie against the Ravens and a loss by the Titans (8-7) against the Texans (10-5) as the easiest path to the playoffs.
At least that's how the Steelers are approaching things.
“The only scenario that matters is if we win,” defensive end Cam Heyward said. “That's how I see it. I'm not looking for anybody else to do the job. I know we've got to look for help but the job's got to get done in here.”
The Steelers also can back into the postseason with a loss and a loss by the Titans and win by the Colts. But they don't want to get in that way. They want to win.
With everything clinched, the Ravens will make things a little easier. John Harbaugh announced Monday that quarterback Lamar Jackson, guard Marshal Yanda, safety Earl Thomas, running back Mark Ingram and defensive tackle Brandon Williams won’t play. And that could be just the tip of the iceberg for the Ravens.
Even if that's all the Ravens that will sit in this game, it's significant. Jackson is the easy frontrunner for NFL MVP, having accounted for 43 touchdowns, 36 passing and seven rushing. Ingram has 15 touchdowns, including 10 on the ground.
Together, they have had a hand in 53 of the Ravens' league-best 62 touchdowns this season.
Even the Steelers' popgun offense this season has scored more than the nine touchdowns the Ravens' remaining skill players have this season that don't involve Jackson or Ingram.
“The main thing is winning the next game," Ravens coach John Harbaugh said. "It’s always been that way for us: All hands on deck, all focus on the next game. This is the next game and it also is the Steelers. You never want to downplay that because we have so much respect for them. We know what kind of game it’s always going to be and always been. That’s what we’re looking forward to.”
That's the expectation for the Steelers, who have been struggling, especially offensively, having scored just eight offensive touchdowns in their past seven games. They've managed to go 4-3 in those games, but know that even a watered-down Ravens roster will be a tough matchup with rookie Devlin Hodges making his sixth start of the season.
Hodges won his first three starts but has lost the past two, getting pulled last week in a 16-10 defeat against the Jets in favor of Mason Rudolph after throwing two interceptions early. But Rudolph suffered a season-ending shoulder injury in the second half, so it's back to Hodges this week.
"It’s definitely a must-win," Hodges said. "We have to win the game and see what other things happen. We’re focused on us and focused on what we’ve got to do to win the game."
Even if the Steelers don't make the playoffs, something that is beyond their control, they'd still like to finish what has been an interesting season with a victory.
And the Steelers have won 11 consecutive regular season finales, including some situations where they have been resting starters to get ready for the playoffs.
"They're a good franchise, so it really doesn't matter," said Steelers guard David DeCastro. "We've been in that situation before and won. We'll get their best shot."
THE ESSENTIALS
• When: 4:25 p.m.
• Where: M&T Bank Stadium
• Radio: 102.5 WDVE, ESPN Pittsburgh
• Satellite: SiriusXM 225, Internet 826
• Forecast: 54 degrees, 40 percent chance of rain
• Lots open: 12:25 p.m.
• Will call open: 2:25 p.m.
• Gates open: 2:25 p.m.
• Boxscore: NFL Game Center
• Odds: MyBookie.AG
THE INJURY REPORT
Steelers: RB James Conner (quad, out), C Maurkice Pouncey (knee, out)
Ravens: RB Mark Ingram (ankle, out), WR Marquise Brown (illness, questionable), TE Mark Andrews (ankle, questionable), CB Jimmy Smith (NIR, questionable), CB Marcus Peters (chest, questionable), S Earl Thomas (NIR, questionable)
THE KEY VARIABLE
The Steelers' path to victory this season has been a simple one. Take care of the football. Play good defense and special teams. When they do that, they've won.
When they haven't, well, the results have been less favorable.
"It is very specific how we have to engineer victory in the current state that we are in and possession of the ball and taking care of the football is such a significant component of that," Mike Tomlin said. "We understand that, we understand how we need to engineer victory. We understand the consequences of not taking care of the football and that is why we work in the manner in which we do."
The main issue has been at quarterback. Hodges has thrown six interceptions in his past two starts, forcing passes into tough spots. The 50-50 passes he threw earlier in the season now seem to all be falling into the hands of opposing defensive players.
"You can’t not play aggressive," offensive coordinator Randy Fichtner said of Hodges. "You have to try and score. If you’re not trying to score, you probably won’t. There is going to have to be situations where we have to catch a short ball and make a guy miss and run the distance and score or we will have to throw it over someone’s head."
But Hodges has to do a better job of deciding when to make those downfield throws and when to check it down. An aggressive player by nature, he's gotten himself into trouble the past two weeks by forcing things downfield despite having other options open short.
Part of the Steelers' winning formula has been to realize it's not necessarily a bad thing to punt. Or to make sure you can get at least a field goal attempt from Chris Boswell, who has missed just two all season.
"We want to get out there, score and put points on the board whether it is a touchdown or a field goal," Hodges said. "We want to put points on the board every time we touch the ball and we know our defense is going to make plays. Obviously, you can’t win if you don’t score, so we want to score."
The Steelers have scored more than 20 points just once in their past seven games after doing so six times in their first eight.
One of those games over 20 points was in a 26-23 overtime loss to the Ravens at Heinz Field Oct. 6. Boswell had three field goals in that game.
It was a game the Steelers could have won. And it was a game in which Hodges saw his first NFL action, entering in the third quarter in place of Rudolph, who left with a concussion.
"He’s a guy that can extend plays with his feet, move around in the pocket, and we have to get after him," Ravens defensive coordinator Wink Martindale said.
Hodges completed 7 of 9 passes in that game but also scrambled twice for 20 yards, including a big third down run.
He knows he just has to keep moving the ball, not turn it over and play better than he has the past two weeks for the Steelers to have a chance to win.
"I definitely want to try and take a step back and remember that, hey, this is my job and enjoy it, have fun," Hodges said. "Obviously, there is a professional side, you have to be locked in. But you have to make sure, at the same time, I am enjoying the game that I love so much and just having fun. "
THE HISTORY LESSON
The 1993 Steelers were, um, offensively challenged. They scored less than 20 points nine times during the season, including six times in their final seven games.
But they could play defense, led by NFL Defensive Player of the Year, Rod Woodson.
Still, the Steelers went into their final game of the season at 8-7 and in second place in the AFC Central, well behind the 12-4 Houston Oilers.
They also needed a win and some help to earn a spot in the postseason heading into their final game against the Browns, who would pack up two years later and move to Baltimore to become the Ravens.
But then-Browns coach Bill Belichick's defense confounded the Steelers in the first half, as Cleveland grabbed a 9-3 lead by virtue of three Matt Stover field goals compared to just one for Gary Anderson.
That's when Greg Lloyd spoke up with an impassioned halftime speech, telling his teammates -- namely the offense -- that they weren't doing their part.
"I told them if anyone wanted to quit, they'd have to answer to me," Lloyd said after the game. "Ain't no (expletive) in this locker room big enough to (expletive) with me. They were (expletive) with my money."
Lloyd was referring to his playoff money.
It seemed to work. With the defense shutting the Browns down in the second half, the Steelers got a second Anderson field goal to cut the lead to 9-6 in the third quarter.
Then, Neil O'Donnell, who was sacked seven times in the game, threw a 14-yard touchdown pass to tight end Eric Green to make it 13-9. Anderson later nailed a 26-yard field goal to give the Steelers a 16-9 win t0 get the Steelers to 9-7, matching the Broncos and Dolphins with that record.
The Broncos and Steelers wound up making the postseason, with the Steelers edging the Dolphins for the sixth, and final spot, based on a win over Miami earlier in the season.
O'Donnell threw for 226 yards and the game's only touchdown, as Green caught six passes for 65 yards. Leroy Thompson, subbing for an injured Barry Foster, had 91 yards rushing on 26 carries to power the ground game.
Vinny Testaverde was sacked three times, including once by Lloyd, and threw for 249 yards. Mark Carrier had four catches for 118 yards. But the Browns managed just 61 yards on the ground as they finished 7-9.
THE MAIN MATCHUP
Regardless of who is on the field for the Ravens offense this week, the goal will for the Steelers will be a simple one -- stop the running game.
The Ravens have rushed for 3,073 yards this season and enter this game 93 yards short of the NFL record for rushing yards by a team in a season set by the Patriots in 1978.
So they might even be more run heavy than usual, though that has certainly been the way the Steelers' past two opponents have attacked them. Both the Bills and Jets have run the ball heavily, even though they haven't necessarily done so successfully.
The thinking is that because the Steelers are struggling to score, running the ball minimizes potential damage that can be done by the league's most opportunistic defense. As a result, the Steelers have forced just three turnovers in their past two games.
"The last two games, teams have played us kind of weird. They have played us not to lose," linebacker Bud Dupree said. "They’ve been trying hard to not allow us to make splash plays so they can stay in the game. I feel like they’re just saying, ‘Play it close to the vest and not allow the defense to make a big play.’ We can’t allow them to score at all. We gave up that one early touchdown last week. We can’t allow them to score at all. We’ve got to not allow that to happen."
Sometimes that is easier said than done. Though the Steelers are fourth in the NFL in total and scoring defense in addition to being first in takeaways and second in sacks.
But completely shutting down teams in today's NFL isn't reality, even though it's the goal each week.
Some offensive help would certainly be appreciated, however. Falling behind doesn't allow the Steelers to rush the passer, and if the Steelers can't rush the passer, the turnovers aren't as likely to come.
And for the Steelers, that starts up front with team MVP T.J. Watt and Dupree on the outside, along with Heyward inside.
The Steelers need four sacks as a team to match their team record of 55. Watt and Dupree need two sacks combined to match the team record of 26.5 as a duo set by James Harrison and LaMarr Woodley in 2008, while two sacks from Heyward would give the team its first trio with double digits in sacks.
"Those two edge guys, you are talking about two of the best edge players in football right there," Harbaugh said. "I think (Dupree) and Watt have done a great job on the edge. The front led by Heyward, (Javon) Hargrave is playing at his highest level, the two inside backers, you’ve got a young, fast guy flying around (Devin Bush), he is really learning how to play, then you have Vince (Williams) playing downhill like he always does, blitzing. (Mark) Barron coming in there in the packages."
The Ravens are intent on not allowing that group to affect the game.
And at just 93 yards short of the NFL record, they want to get there badly, even without Jackson and Ingram, their two leading rushers sitting out. Robert Griffin III is a threat to run at quarterback and the Ravens have a bevy of backs to send at the Steelers.
"To beat this team, we’re going to have to run the ball well," said Gus Edwards, who will handle most of the running back duties. "If we run it for 93 yards, I think that would be good. Everybody has a great mindset right now. Guys are going to step up, and we’re focused on winning more than anything. But to have the record would be nice, as well.”
THE QUOTES
• "They're what you call a ‘That Dude Defense.’ They have that dude and that dude and that dude and that dude." -- Griffin on the Steelers' defense
• "I think that is the cool thing about Bud and my relationship is that we will watch the games on Sunday and Monday, and we will say, “Did you see this move? Let’s try it this week and see if we can do it.” Just constantly pushing each other and trying our best." -- Watt on his relationship with Dupree
• "Yeah, you can be aggressive — just throw it to the right person. That’s it. ‘Duck, c’mon man, we’re not playing duck-duck-goose. Throw it to the right person, Duck. Let’s get it.’” -- Steelers receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster
THE TEN DATA POINTS
• Barring Benny Snell rushing for more than 129 yards, James Conner will lead the Steelers with 464 rushing yards. That's the lowest total for the team since Don Shy led the Steelers with 341 yards in 1967.
• The Steelers will not have a 1,000-yard rusher or receiver for the first time since 2012, when Mike Wallace led the team with 836 receiving yards and Jonathan Dwyer had 623 rushing yards.
• Rudolph's 1,765 passing yards are the fewest to lead the Steelers since Mike Tomczak did so with 1,625 yards in 1999.
• Minkah Fitzpatrick enters the game tied for the league lead in takeaways with seven (5 interceptions, 2 fumble recoveries). Patriots' cornerback Stephon Gilmore also has seven (6 interceptions, 1 fumble recovery).
• The Steelers are 11-1 under Tomlin in regular season finales.
• The Steelers have held nine opponents under 300 total yards this season, including its past six in a row. Only the 49ers (10) have more.
• The Steelers are tied with the 49ers and Patriots for most games holding opposing offenses under 200 passing yards with 10.
• Devin Bush has 97 tackles this season, two more than Cole Holcomb of the Redskins for the most among rookie defensive players.
• Griffin is 0-2 in two career starts against the Steelers, having thrown three touchdown passes with one interception, but also fumbling three times.
FANTASY CORNER
Thanks DK Metcalf. A big zero from the Seahawks rookie ruined an otherwise solid week, as I got solid outings from Patrick Mahomes, DeAndre Washington and Tyler Boyd for a score of 132.14. Here's this week's lineup on the Sunday slate on DraftKings.
Quarterback: Carson Wentz ($6,100) -- The Giants' secondary has been trash and Wentz and the Eagles need a win here to clinch the NFC East title. He should be good.
Running backs: Aaron Jones ($8,200), Miles Sanders ($6,800) -- Regular readers here know that I've been on Jones all season as a play. He's usually worked out and now Jamaal Williams is iffy this week against the Lions. Giddyup. Sanders plays for the same reason as Wentz. A big, meaningful game for the Eagles against a bad defense.
Wide receivers: Keenan Allen ($6,100), Odell Beckham ($5,700), Greg Ward ($4,700) -- Allen needs five catches for 100 on the season. Chances are, the Chargers will feed him to get there. Beckham needs 46 yards to get to 1,000, so the same reasoning applies. Ward, meanwhile, is the last healthy receiver in Philadelphia.
Tight end: Dallas Goedert ($4,900) -- With Zach Ertz hurting, Goedert could get the lion's share of the looks in the Eagles' passing game. I'm all in on Philadelphia.
Flex: Kareem Hunt ($5,200) -- Hunt has been in double digits in points every week except last since coming off suspension for the Browns.
Defense: Bears ($2,100) -- Did you see Minnesota's pass protection last week against the Packers? The Bears had six sacks the first time these two teams played.
Dale Lolley (8-7): This is an interesting game in that we've seen the Steelers go into these situations and win when they were the team resting players. That's one reason they have won 11 consecutive regular-season finales. But they also weren't benching 85 percent of their touchdowns against one of the league's stingiest defenses. That's what the Ravens are doing here by sitting Jackson and Ingram. Sure, the Steelers can still lose if Hodges turns the ball over a bunch, but the guess here is that getting benched for the first time in his career last week will have an effect. The Steelers will win a close one. Steelers, 16-13
But it won't matter because despite Bill O'Brien saying that he's playing to win, the guess here is that he winds up resting a couple of key players against the Titans, who will win to keep the Steelers out of the postseason. Titans, 24-20
Christopher Carter (6-9): Back in 2008, I remember a young Roethlisberger learning the lesson that he just needed to avoid turnovers and his team could win any game. Now, Hodges isn't Roethlisberger, but I think he got a better look at what that meant over the past two weeks. The Steelers can afford to be conservative against a Ravens team fielding primarily backups. Their defense can create the turnovers and cause chaos enough to create the big plays to win this game while the Ravens rest most of their stars on both sides of the ball. Steelers, 16-10.
However the Texans have been given an advantage that may hurt the Steelers. They will know the result of the Chiefs' game against the Chargers. If the Chiefs win, which I expect they will, it will lock the Texans into the fourth seed before their game begins. They'll most likely rest star players Deshaun Watson and DeAndre Hopkins, who are one of the most exciting duos in all of sports at times. Without those two, the Titans will find a way to win with A.J. Brown and Derrick Henry leading that offense. Titans, 27-20.
Hunter Homistek (9-6): Remember all the cries to "stop playing it safe" and to "take some shots" with Hodges at quarterback? Well, over the past two weeks, we've learned why taking what's given can be a good thing. The Steelers defense is unquestionably elite, and they'll be hungry to make a (potentially) final statement in Week 17. If Hodges can just *ahem* not kill them, the Steelers will win this one. I think they'll squeak it out in an ugly way behind their best contributor all season: Chris Boswell. Steelers, 15-10
Aaaaaaand Boswell's leg will matter — because the Titans are going to lose. They're 4-2 in their last six, but they've dropped each of their last two, including one to the Texans back on Dec. 15. Now, the stakes were higher in that one, but I don't buy the idea of "coasting" in the NFL. Just as the Ravens will have plenty of fight, so will the Texans against a division rival in the final game of the season. Texans, 28-24
Matt Sunday (9-6): I've played it safe for the last few weeks, but now I'm trying to pick my spots and put Hunter away in this thing ... much like the rival Ravens will be looking to do with the Steelers. Yeah, Ravens won't be putting the same lineup out there that the Steelers basically shut down for the first meeting, but the Steelers are ... just flat out missing most of an offense to begin with. This defense is great, but there is no counterpart. I trust RGIII and company more than I do Duck or Paxton Lynch or whoever tries to run the final push for the playoffs. Ravens (and therefore Sunday), 23-13
Both the Texans and the Titans have been incredible to watch at times this season. The Titans maybe more than the Texans because they've faced more adversity and weren't necessarily expected to be where they are. Both have playmakers banged up, but the Titans having an even limited Derrick Henry gives me zero hope for their offense. He's been a workhorse all year and the wheels finally fell off last week. Henry says he will go, but it won't be good enough. Texans, 30-17
Dejan Kovacevic (8-7): Presuming Harbaugh follows through and rests his key offensive players, no, the Ravens won't score much against a superlative defense eager to make one final statement. But sorry, the specter of these Steelers' offense taking the field against a 13-2 opponent, regardless of circumstance, has to be decisive here. Because it isn't just about Hodges. It's about almost everyone on offense, shy of the two young receivers and an interior lineman -- Diontae Johnson, James Washington, David DeCastro -- being a deep disappointment. Ravens, 23-6
As for Titans vs. Texans, I neither know nor care all that much. Whole thing kind of feels lost already over these past couple weeks. Been fun, but it's soon done.