The Pittsburgh Steelers and the Baltimore Ravens always bring out the best brand of football when they play each other. Each franchise is built with similar fundamentals in mind, such as a strong defense, a reliable running game and consistency within the organization. Despite the fact that they are vicious rivals, their approach to the game of football makes them more similar than different. Former Steelers legend, Rod Woodson recognizes these similarities between Pittsburgh and Baltimore and also knows why.
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Pittsburgh Steelers former cornerback Rod Woodson during his time as a Baltimore Raven, chasing down Pittsburgh running back Amos Zereoue
Steelers And Ravens Believe In The Same Kind Of Football
Woodson was on The Rich Eisen Show on Friday to talk about where the 2023 Steelers are after the downpour of injuries that struck the AFC North quarterbacks. Joe Burrow will be out for the remainder of the 2023 season for the Cincinnati Bengals after a strangely controversial injury to his hand/wrist, and Deshaun Watson won't play again in 2023 now that a new shoulder injury turns out to be a fracture. Even Lamar Jackson got himself a little beat up in Baltimore's Thursday Night Football victory over the Bengals, though he did finish the game.
After going through the plethora of injuries in the division, Woodson spoke on how his time with both teams gave him a unique perspective on how each franchise plays the game of football. It is well-known that when the Steelers play the Ravens, you can almost always count on a throwback brand of football, even if it isn't pretty to watch. These similarities are there because, according to Woodson, each team believes in the same approach, just in their own way.
"When these two teams play each other late in the year, or any time of the year, they're always close games. They're very similar to each other cause I played for both teams. You know, 'the standard is the standard' and 'play like a Raven' are the same motto, just in different colors. That's why the games are always close."
The knee-jerk reaction to a Pittsburgh legend saying that the Steelers and Ravens are that similar to each other is disgust and quite possibly rage, but Woodson is speaking directly from his professional, Hall of Fame experience on both teams. There is a reason why the Ravens always bring the best out of the Steelers; they play football with the same energy. Woodson has personally felt that energy from both sides, so when he says something on the subject, it's generally a good idea to pay attention and trust the source.
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Pittsburgh Steelers edge rusher TJ Watt needs to have the same game-changing impact that Rod Woodson had when he played for the Steelers
Steelers Are Now A Threat In AFC North
After Woodson explained the connections between Pittsburgh and Baltimore, Rich Eisen asked the former Steelers cornerback whether he thought that the divisional quarterback injuries made the Steelers a legitimate threat to take the AFC North.
"I think they are a threat. You always gotta think that any team inside your division who has beat you already is a threat."
With two divisional games looming in Weeks 11 and 12, the Steelers have a prime opportunity to set themselves up in an incredible spot in the AFC North. While the Ravens are still ahead of the Steelers with an 8-3 record, Pittsburgh is the only AFC North team without a divisional loss. That makes the final game of Pittsburgh's 2023 campaign against the Ravens a massive matchup with the potential for both the division and the AFC top seeds on the line.
The Steelers will go up against a Cleveland Browns team that will be missing their incredibly expensive franchise quarterback. Then, they will face the Bengals, who will also be without their talented quarterback. Both matchups were of monumental importance before the injuries struck, but now, with a 6-3 record and a tightly contested AFC playoff race, Pittsburgh may have found their inside track to getting Kenny Pickett his first playoff game experience.
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Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Kenny Pickett has a chance to lead his team to a very improbable playoff run if they can keep their momentum going
Suppose they can string together consecutive wins against divisional opponents. In that case, it suddenly turns from a feel-good story about a resolute head coach leading his troops through difficulty with a genuine chance at a top seed. Regardless of whether you believe that the 2023 Steelers are a true postseason team, here they are with a winning record and the opportunity to keep pace with the Ravens in the AFC North. It seems that the Steelers are out to make believers out of everyone in 2023.
What will the Steelers' record be when the 2023 season comes to a close?
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