The Steelers primetime game, on Thanksgiving day, will decide the winner of the AFC North.
Throughout the years, it seems as if the AFC North always comes down to the last game or two of the season. It is pretty safe to say this division is probably the most competitive in the NFL. There have been countless fierce games that come down to the wire, most notably between the Ravens and Steelers.
On November 26, 2020, the Steelers will host the Ravens in what I think is going to be the biggest game of the season. I firmly believe that this game will determine the winner of the AFC North division. The crowd will be electric this game, simply because it is a night game and they know what is at stake.
Whoever wins the first game in this AFC North matchup, on October 25, 2020, will immediately be in the driver seat. The Steelers are only ahead in this rivalry 28-24, so there are obviously no “give me” games in this series.
The fact that this game will be played at Heinz Field is a huge advantage for the Steelers. The head coach, Mike Tomlin, owns a 9-4 record in primetime games at home. Whenever the lights come on and every fan is watching, the team as a whole just seems to turn it up a notch and not crack under pressure.
The Ravens are coming into the season with the easiest schedule in the NFL, while the Steelers are coming in with the second easiest schedule in the NFL. Both of these teams, towards the end of the season, should have fairly similar records. That is why whenever they play on Thanksgiving Day, it should pretty much act as a tiebreaker.
On paper, the Steelers match up very well against the Ravens. They were one of the only defenses that were able to keep Lamar Jackson contained. In his one game against the Steelers last year, he finished with only 161 passing yards, 1 touchdown, 3 interceptions, 70 yards rushing (5 yards per rush when he averaged about 7 throughout the season).
If you are able to keep Lamar Jackson in check, which the Steelers defense definitely has the ability to do, you have a high chance of coming out of the game as the winner. With Ben Roethlisberger coming back healthy, this offense can actually compete with the Ravens defense. I will put my money on Ben, Mike Tomlin, and the Steelers, in a primetime game any day of the week.