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Ravens fans will have to practice patience to see the next era of major rivalry

The Ravens don't play the Steelers until Week 15...
ByEamon Cassels|
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Jan 29, 2026; Owings Mills, MD, USA; Jesse Minter at press conference at Under Armour Performance Center. Mandatory Credit: Lexi Thompson-Imagn Images
Jan 29, 2026; Owings Mills, MD, USA; Jesse Minter at press conference at Under Armour Performance Center. Mandatory Credit: Lexi Thompson-Imagn Images | Lexi Thompson-Imagn Images

The Baltimore Ravens and Pittsburgh Steelers are one of the best rivalries in the entire NFL. With both teams making coaching changes during the offseason, this rivalry will enter a new era this year. In the last iteration of this rivalry, John Harbaugh and Mike Tomlin set a modern-day NFL record for most meetings between two coaches. 

However, fans will have to wait a bit to see the Jesse Minter-Mike McCarthy version of this rivalry. As the Ravens and Steelers don't first play each other until Week 15, before once again closing out the season with a Week 18 showdown.

While this is a long wait for one of the most anticipated games of the year, this rivalry always gives us great games, so it could very well prove to be worth the wait.

The Baltimore Ravens should have an edge over the Pittsburgh Steelers

It's worth noting that the team's coaching changes occurred in vastly different circumstances; the Ravens fired Harbaugh after a dreadful 8-9 season, while Tomlin stepped down from his position. Furthermore, while the Ravens' hiring of Minter was praised as a fantastic move, the reception of McCarthy was not as popular.

Tomlin didn't have much playoff success in the past decade, but he was an amazing floor raiser who never had a losing season. While McCarthy has loads of experience to me, this seemed like an unnecessary move to please Aaron Rodgers, and his last two jobs with the Dallas Cowboys and Green Bay Packers didn't end well. 

This, paired with the Ravens upgrading their defense by adding Trey Hendrickson, should give them a clear advantage. Still, a lot can change between now and December, and the Steelers can never be counted out against the Ravens. It's also worth noting that they did get a much-needed second receiving option alongside DK Metcalf by trading for Michael Pittman. 

Lamar Jackson hasn't had a ton of success against the Steelers throughout his career, holding a 4-8 overall record, though one of these wins was in the playoffs. Hopefully, with a new coaching staff, Lamar is able to turn around his fortunes and pick up two big wins against Baltimore's top rival.

In any event, these two games down the stretch of the season will be vital. Even if the division isn't on the line as it was last season, it's fair to expect that these two end-of-season games will have some level of playoff implications for at least one of these teams.

This will only add to the stakes of these two crucial late-season games. Talk about a fun way for the next era of the Ravens-Steelers rivalry to begin, and if it's anything like the last era, we are in for an absolute treat. 

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