Ravens vs. Steelers staff picks: Who will win Sunday’s Week 13 game in Pittsburgh?

Here’s how The Baltimore Sun sports staff views the outcome of Sunday afternoon’s Week 13 game between the Ravens (8-3) and Pittsburgh Steelers (5-5-1) at Heinz Field:

Jonas Shaffer, reporter

Ravens 27, Steelers 20: Heinz Field is not the fortress it has been in years past. The Cincinnati Bengals and Las Vegas Raiders won handily in Pittsburgh, and the Detroit Lions got a tie. Lamar Jackson and Ben Roethlisberger both need bounce-back games, but the Ravens’ line is far more trustworthy at this point, and their are receivers arguably more talented. If T.J. Watt can’t play Sunday, the spine of this slumping Steelers defense gets even weaker.

Mike Preston, columnist

Ravens 24, Steelers 17: This used to be a hard-hitting rivalry, but let’s just call it a rivalry now. Both teams used to rely on defense, but that’s not the case anymore. Regardless, the Ravens have quarterback Lamar Jackson, who will make more plays than his counterpart, veteran Ben Roethlisberger. The Steelers can’t throw deep and can’t rush the passer. If the Ravens can pound the football, this game could be a blowout in Baltimore’s favor.

Childs Walker, reporter

Ravens 30, Steelers 20: The Ravens have not lit the NFL world on fire in recent weeks, but they have rarely entered a game against the Steelers with so many matchup advantages. They will look to grind out long drives against a surprisingly fallible Pittsburgh defense and limit Ben Roethlisberger to underneath strikes. Lamar Jackson cannot be as bad as he was in Week 12, and if he plays well against a front seven that might be without T.J. Watt, the Ravens could roll.

Ryan McFadden, reporter

Ravens 24, Steelers 14: I can’t imagine Lamar Jackson will be as bad as he was against the Browns. Jackson and the running game have a chance to take advantage of the Steelers’ defense if star pass rusher T.J. Watt is unable to play. Time has officially caught up to Ben Roethlisberger, so the Ravens’ defense won’t have to worry about too many big plays down the field.

C.J. Doon, editor

Steelers 21, Ravens 20: Call this a gut feeling, and nothing more. The Ravens are lucky to be 8-3. How else do you explain winning on an NFL-record 66-yard field goal as time expires or beating an AFC North rival despite throwing four interceptions? Division matchups are often a great equalizer, and the Steelers are a proud team coming off a humiliating loss to the Bengals. The Ravens have advantages across the board, but you know the old saying about rivalry games and record books. Lamar Jackson is just 2-2 in his career against Pittsburgh with a 59.2 passer rating, by far his worst against any opponent. Coach Mike Tomlin somehow finds a way to beat John Harbaugh in their 30th meeting.

Tim Schwartz, editor

Ravens 24, Steelers 14: The Ravens are bit of a mess offensively right now, but they’re heading into a favorable matchup with a Steelers defense that gave up 34 points to the Bengals and allowed Joe Mixon to run for 165 yards and Tee Higgins to finish with 114 receiving yards. This isn’t the Steelers from yesteryear, and without outside linebacker T.J. Watt, who is on the COVID-19/reserve list, is there anything there that keeps the Ravens up at night? There’s always a chance Ben Roethlisberger turns back the clock and has a big game, but I think it’s more likely Baltimore’s defense continues its trend and has a dominant performance while Lamar Jackson and Co. figure things out.