Next opponent: Even resting stars, Ravens can dash Steelers' hopes

This is it. It all comes down to one final game. The Steelers need a win and a little bit of help in Week 18 in order to avoid another season without a playoff berth. But, outside of the scenarios that have to play out in Pittsburgh's favor, the Ravens are standing in the Steelers' way, and would love nothing more than to keep their archrival out of the playoffs.

Here's a snapshot of what the Ravens bring into Week 18:

BALTIMORE RAVENS

Record: 13-3
Standing: First, AFC North
Last result: Won over Dolphins, 56-19

THE TREND

Simply put, there isn't a hotter team in football right now. Led by MVP candidate Lamar Jackson, the Ravens have steamrolled their way to the AFC's No. 1 seed and their first AFC North title since winning back-to-back division championships in 2018-19. Not only has Baltimore won six straight games, they also own the league's best point differential at +210. Steelers fans may or may not want to hear this, but the Ravens are the class of the NFL this season.

As if a 13-3 record wasn't impressive enough, the Ravens have flat out embarrassed some of the best teams in the league throughout the season. They walked all over the NFC North champion Lions in a 38-6 victory back in Week 7. They dismantled the Seahawks two weeks later, 37-3. Over the past three weeks, the Ravens beat the Jaguars by 16 points, defeated the NFC West champion 49ers, 33-19, and walked all over the Dolphins last week, a team that's playing for the AFC East championship in Week 18.

The only teams that have beaten Baltimore: The Colts back in Week 3, and needed overtime to do so, the Browns in a narrow 2-point victory, and ... the Steelers back in Week 5, thanks to several critical drops by Baltimore receivers and a late touchdown pass from Kenny Pickett to George Pickens.

With the Ravens having already wrapped up the top seed in the AFC, John Harbaugh will rest Jackson and a few other key players in Week 18. Though, that doesn't mean the Steelers will have an easy go of it just because the Ravens' best player will be on the sideline.

THE QUARTERBACK

With Jackson sitting out the season finale, the Ravens' offense will be led by Tyler Huntley, who is no slouch as far as backups go.

Huntley is a more than capable quarterback for the Ravens, as he has plenty of playing experience with this team. Jackson missed five games last season due to injury, which paved the way for Huntley to appear in six games, starting four of them. In those games, Huntley completed 67% of his passes for 658 yards, two touchdowns and three interceptions, while adding 137 yards and a touchdown running the ball. Believe it or not, Huntley even earned a Pro Bowl nod in 2022.

With Jackson staying healthy all season, Huntley hasn't contributed nearly as much in 2023. Pretty much, he's been a guy to come in late in games when the Ravens are already blowing teams out, just to kill time. But, he has taken advantage of those snaps, completing 6 of 9 passes for 57 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions in four total appearances, including this one last week:

Regardless of your opinion of Huntley and whether or not he actually deserved a Pro Bowl selection last season, one thing is certain: He knows how to play within the Ravens' system. That system is a bit different this season under new offensive coordinator Todd Monken, but Huntley plays with a similar skill set compared to Jackson. The playbook won't have to be dumbed down for him.

Even so, the Steelers would much rather face Huntley. Just as they've done previously, the Steelers will defend Huntley in a similar fashion that they've handled Jackson. And, it's worked thus far. In three games against the Steelers, Huntley has completed only 59.4% of his passes for 359 yards, one touchdown and three interceptions. Huntley still can hurt Pittsburgh on the ground, as he's run for 127 yards on 28 carries in those games, but it's still a better alternative than facing Jackson.

THE OFFENSE

Given his history of running an Air Raid offense, Monken's hiring as offensive coordinator raised some questions on how much Baltimore would deviate from such a run-heavy system.

However, Monken didn't completely overhaul of what the Ravens did previously. Running the football, predominantly using gap concepts, is still a significant part of Baltimore's offensive identity. As a result, the Ravens boast the NFL's No. 1 rushing offense, averaging 159.7 yards per game on the ground. Jackson is a big part of that, but Baltimore running backs still carry the majority of that workload. The trio of Gus Edwards, Justice Hill and Keaton Mitchell have combined for 319 carries, 1,545 yards (4.8 yards per carry) and 18 touchdowns. And, just this week, the Ravens also added Dalvin Cook to the mix after the Jets released the former Minnesota running back.

Alongside the formidable running game, Monken still deploys plenty of concepts that hunt for explosive plays. That doesn't only include shots downfield, but finds ways to stress defenses laterally to create space for his playmakers. When he was healthy, world class tight end Mark Andrews was an obvious and dangerous threat, but rookie receiver Zay Flowers has emerged as the biggest playmaker in the passing game:

The Ravens only rank 21st in passing offense with an average of 219.8 yards per game. However, the Ravens are averaging 8.0 yards per attempt this season, which ranks third in the NFL. Jackson's done a phenomenal job distributing the ball to Flowers, Rashod Bateman and Odell Beckham Jr., and Isaiah Likely has done a great job filling in since Andrews went down with a season-ending injury, catching 28 passes for 380 yards and four touchdowns.

All in all, this Ravens offense has taken off in its first year under Monken. Baltimore boasts the second-highest scoring offense in the NFL with 29.6 points per game. Even with Huntley at quarterback, slowing down this offense won't be an easy task.

THE DEFENSE

Of course, it's impossible to talk about the Ravens and not talk about defense. Despite initial concerns about their performance, particularly in the face of injuries, this defensive unit has showcased itself as one of the league's best.

Heading into the final week of the season, the Ravens rank sixth with 195.6 passing yards allowed per game, rank second with only 4.6 yards per play and lead the NFL with 57 sacks and 16.4 points allowed per game. Three different Ravens have at least eight sacks this season, but Justin Madubuike is enjoying a breakout season with 13 sacks of his own:

Obviously, the Ravens have some household names on their defense, highlighted by Roquan Smith and Patrick Queen as perhaps the best off-ball linebacker duo in the league. However, the success on defense really has been a collective effort in every aspect. Jadeveon Clowney and Kyle Van Noy are strong up front on the edges, and Kyle Hamilton and Geno Stone might be the best safety duo in the league as Hamilton was given a deserving Pro Bowl nod and Stone ranks second in the NFL with seven interceptions.

The Ravens' success in shutting down the passing game is indicative of how well they've been able to fight through injuries. All-Pro cornerback Marlon Humphrey has been limited to 10 games this season. The same goes for safety Marcus Williams, who's also played only 10 games. Yet, the Ravens rank third in the NFL with 18 interceptions and lead the league with 29 takeaways.

If there's one area to exploit, it's the Ravens' run defense. While they rank a respectable 13th with 106.6 yards allowed per game, they're giving up 4.5 yards per carry, which is sixth-highest clip in the league. In addition, the Ravens are getting shredded on the ground when they don't load the box, allowing 5.7 yards per carry when they have a light box. In Week 5, the Ravens defended the Steelers with more loaded boxes than they're averaging this season. But, doing that again could play into what the Steelers want to do throwing the ball, as Mason Rudolph has done a great job of stretching defenses with intermediate and deep throws since taking over at quarterback.

THE SPECIAL TEAMS

Everything on special teams with the Ravens begins and ends with Justin Tucker. The five-time All-Pro has been the most accurate and dangerous kicker for a long time. However, curiously enough, of Tucker's five misses this season, four have come from 50-plus yards. Devin Duvernay handles both the kick and punt return duties, and more dangerous in the latter. He's averaging 12.6 yards per return on punts with a long of 70 yards.

THE INJURY REPORT

• Lamar Jackson, QB (coach's decision) -- Nope, he's not injured. With the No. 1 seed in the AFC wrapped up, Harbaugh's opting to rest his best player. Jackson is ruled out of Saturday's game.

• Marlon Humphrey, CB (foot) -- Humphrey dealt with a calf injury earlier in the season and was unable to finish Sunday's win over the Dolphins due to aggravating it. Resting Humphrey in Week 18 will give him extra time to recover with the bye. Easy decision for Baltimore.

• Malik Harrison, LB (groin) -- Harrison missed time earlier this season due to a groin injury and potentially aggravated it in the Ravens' win over the Dolphins on Sunday. It's also possible the team is being cautious with him. Trenton Simpson and Del'Shawn Phillips will be candidates to see extra snaps in Harrison's absence.

• Odell Beckham, Jr., WR (coach's decision) -- Like Jackson, Beckham earned a "coach's decision" next to his name for Week 18. He'll be rested by Harbaugh in Week 18.

• Daryl Worley, DB (shoulder/ankle) -- The Ravens placed Worley on injured reserve on Friday. Since the Ravens can only play a maximum of four more games, the move will end his season. In a corresponding transaction, Baltimore signed LB Jeremiah Moon to its 53-man roster.

• Kevin Zeitler, G (knee/quad) -- Zeitler was inactive against the Dolphins, and Harbaugh isn't taking any chances with his starting right guard in the season finale either. After being listed as questionable, he was officially ruled out on Thursday. 2021 third-rounder Ben Cleveland will start at right guard.

• Zay Flowers, WR (calf) -- Flowers didn't practice this week, and with Baltimore having already clinched a first-round bye, the rookie wideout is trending toward being made inactive Saturday. Assuming that's the case, the likes of Nelson Agholor, Tylan Wallace, Laquon Treadwell and Malik Cunningham figure to see added snaps with Beckham also having been ruled out.

• Ronald Darby, CB (illness) -- Darby popped up on Baltimore's injury report on Wednesday, and did not practice on that day or Thursday, leaving him with a questionable designation for Saturday. Should Darby play, he'll start in place of Humphrey. If he can't go, that paves the way for more snaps for Damarion Williams and Arthur Maulet.

• Kyle Hamilton, S (knee) -- Hamilton was unavailable for Wednesday's first official practice of the week, returning to a limited workload on Thursday. With how the Ravens are handling their key players, it wouldn't be a surprise to see the team hold the safety out for the regular-season finale against Pittsburgh. However, still wait for 90 minutes prior to kickoff for the official word.

• Arthur Maulet, CB (hip) -- Maulet logged a full practice Thursday after being limited for the Ravens' first two sessions of the week, though that didn't stop the team from giving him a questionable designation for Saturday. With Baltimore already set to rest multiple starters, it's possible that the cornerback also takes a seat for the regular-season finale with Pittsburgh, though that's not entirely certain yet.

• Brandon Stephens, CB (ankle) -- Stephens was able to be a full participant at the Ravens' practice on Thursday after opening the week limited with an ankle issue, so his questionable designation may be due to the team potentially resting him.

• Tylan Wallace, WR (knee) -- Wallace wasn't on the initial injury report to start the week, but was limited on Wednesday and Thursday. He's officially questionable for the game, and the Ravens may need him with Beckham resting and Flowers listed as doubtful to play.

QUOTABLE

"I would say that. [Mason Rudolph] has given them a jolt. He's playing really well; he's standing in there, [and] he’s making throws. He’s delivering the ball down the field outside, inside [and] moving around the pocket well. Obviously, their numbers are way up in the games since he’s been in there, so yes, he’s made a difference for them." -- John Harbaugh on what Mason Rudolph has done for the Steelers' offense

"I believe ‘Snoop’ [Tyler Huntley] can get the job done. We have guys who can go out there and ball out. I have all the faith in my team." -- Lamar Jackson on the Ravens' chances with Tyler Huntley at quarterback

"Anytime you can send somebody home, that’s one reason why you play the game. Like I said, at the end of the day, it’s a rivalry game, so you have to treat that game like you would treat any other rivalry game. With those guys, like I said, they come out [and] try to punch you in the mouth. That’s just the type of game I like, so when you have a team like that, it’s a fun football game. It’s a great football game against two teams who have a ton of respect for each other, but still want to get down and ground them." -- Patrick Queen on if the possibility of keeping the Steelers out of the playoffs motivates him

"[The Steelers] are a physical team, and it’s always a good game. We’ve just got to just score points, and our defense is going to handle the rest." -- Tyler Huntley on what he's taken from his past experiences against the Steelers