PITTSBURGH (AP) — Mike Tomlin and John Harbaugh have spent nearly two decades staring across the sideline from each other.
At some point, there's going to be a last time. There's a sense that the 40th meeting between them might be it.
On the surface, Sunday night's showdown between the Pittsburgh Steelers (9-7) and Baltimore Ravens (8-8) is for the AFC North title, fitting for two rivals that have played ping-pong with the division crown over a span
of nearly two decades.
Yet the outcome might have significant ripple effects for a pair of clubs that haven't consistently looked like playoff-worthy teams over the last four months.
“I think both teams have their warts,” longtime Steelers defensive tackle Cam Heyward said. “But both teams have a chance to play their best ball late. And I would like to be the victor in that.”
Tomlin's 19th season in Pittsburgh has been uneven. A month ago, fans at Acrisure Stadium were calling for his job.
In fitting Tomlin style, the Steelers responded by ripping off three straight victories — starting with a win at Baltimore on the first Sunday of December. And in fitting Tomlin style, Pittsburgh let a chance to wrap up the division slip away during a three-hour pratfall in the muck at Cleveland last weekend.
The Ravens appeared buried after an injury-plagued 1-5 start. They got it together enough to briefly join the Steelers atop the division, only to stumble yet again before an emphatic victory at Green Bay last weekend.
Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson plans to play after missing that game with a back injury, though it's fair to start wondering where the marriage between the two-time MVP and the only head coach he's ever known might be heading should Baltimore miss the playoffs.
Harbaugh, wrapping up his 18th season with the Ravens, understands the conversation even if he wants no part of it.
“All that stuff makes it all kind of interesting and kind of fun and real,” he said. “It’s sports, and that’s how sports are. And I think that’s part of the intrigue of it all, so I feel really honored to be a part of that.”
Pittsburgh hasn't won the division since 2020 and hasn't advanced in the playoffs since 2016. The Steelers have stressed repeatedly over the last 11 1/2 months the need to put an end to their six-game postseason losing streak.
The notoriously tunnel-visioned Tomlin, whose future beyond the end of this season has become the topic of what to this point remains idle speculation, declined to zoom out on what the fallout might be should the Ravens walk off the field as AFC North champions.
“The winner goes on,” Tomlin said simply.
And the loser will start an offseason that threatens to be more eventful than usual.
The Ravens are trying to become the first team to win the AFC North three times in a row.
“I’ve known that for a while. It was a surprise, but then not a surprise when I thought about it for about five seconds, because it’s so darn competitive,” Harbaugh said. “It’s a big deal, but it’s a game. It’s like any big game. There’s a lot riding on it, and there’s a lot to earn, but you have to go play a winning football game.”
The AFC North began in 2002. Baltimore won back-to-back division titles in 2011 and 2012, as well as in 2018 and 2019 — but couldn't make it three straight either time.
Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers has been solid if not spectacular in his first — and perhaps only — season in Pittsburgh.
The 42-year-old four-time MVP has thrown 23 touchdown passes and seven interceptions and had possibly the best game of his 21st season four weeks ago at Baltimore, where he threw for 284 yards and a touchdown while also rushing for a score.
Rodgers won't decide on whether he has a 22nd year in him until the offseason. He nudged the door open this week, saying he thinks he'll have an option or two if he wants to run it back.
For now, he's trying to relish playing meaningful football, something that didn't happen during his two injury-marred seasons with the New York Jets.
“I’ve been a part of the locker room the last couple of years where I get to December and you start talking about your offseason plans, where you’re going to be, your travel plans,” he said. “That’s not a whole lot of fun. You want to be in here talking about the game, talking about meaningful snaps, talking about doing something special. And it starts with this week against Baltimore.”
Derrick Henry ran for 216 yards and four touchdowns last weekend at Green Bay, carrying the ball a career-high 36 times. The 31-year-old Henry doesn't appear to be slowing down.
“I just know when it’s time to go to practice on Wednesday, I’m ready to go,” he said. “I just do my regular recovery, get my body back under me and be ready to go practice on Wednesday.”
Henry ranks third in the NFL with 1,469 yards rushing this season.
The Steelers will be without suspended wide receiver DK Metcalf, who will serve the second half of the two-game ban he received for making physical contact with a fan in Detroit on Dec. 21.
Outside linebacker T.J. Watt, however, is hopeful to return after missing three games while recovering from surgery to repair a partially collapsed lung. Watt has collected 17 of his 115 career sacks against the Ravens.
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AP Sports Writer Noah Trister in Baltimore contributed to this report.
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