Ravens Expected to Engage in Steelers Shootout

The Baltimore Ravens have struggled to replicate their high-powered offense of old throughout a rocky 2025 campaign, but a critical epiphany they recently made may open up the floodgates for their regular season finale.

Derrick Henry is, in fact, best used as a workhorse. It's the brand of football he's convincingly built for himself over nearly a decade of record-breaking running back play, but his team has been oddly conservative with their Henry deployment on a team in which guaranteed scorers are harder to come by than ever.

It wasn't until Week 17, a win-or-go-home matchup against the Green Bay Packers, where they finally let him loose. They were without Lamar Jackson as he recuperated from a contact-based back injury he suffered in the prior game, leaving backup Tyler Huntley to keep the game simple by handing the ball off to Henry and staying out of the way as the power back notched 216 yards and four touchdowns.

Baltimore Ravens Running Back Derrick Henry — Baltimore Ravens running back Derrick Henry (22) runs for a touchdown during the second quarter of their game against the Green Bay Packers Saturday, December 27, 2025 at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wisconsin. | Mark Hoffman / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

That 41-point win wasn't enough to convince the betting companies that they'll pull off such a high-scoring feat, though, especially as the question as to which quarterback will start for the Ravens looms over their final days of practice.

Doubting Those Who've Yet to Earn Trust

A rematch against the Pittsburgh Steelers, one that will determine which team will win the division and clinch a last-second playoff spot, is expected to be another typically low-scoring affair for these two rivals. The Ravens are inconsistent and the Steelers are hampered, with neither of these AFC North underachievers looking like an obvious favorite.

"This opened at 43 and was immediately steamed south for several reasons," ESPN's contributors explained in siding with the 41.5 points under. "For starters, did you see how Pittsburgh looked Sunday without DK Metcalf? Six total points on 4.5 yards per play against a Cleveland Browns defense that surrendered 31 points at home to the Tennessee Titans back on December 7."

"To make matters worse, Steelers tight end Darnell Washington sustained a broken arm in Sunday's loss to the Browns. Worth noting is the fact that the last 11 meetings between the Steelers and Ravens have produced an average of just 34.5 total points per game. Rock fight incoming!"

Aaron Rodgers looked memorably sharp in the last meetup between the two sides, throwing for a season-high 284 yards with plenty of room to spare within his roomy quarterback pocket. But with the suspended Metcalf sapping the already-inconsistent Steelers offense of whatever juice they had, Pittsburgh putting up another six-point duck like they did last week isn't out of the question.

Pittsburgh Steelers Quarterback Aaron Rodgers — Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers (8) fires off a pass during the first half of an NFL football game at Huntington Bank Field, Dec. 28, 2025, in Cleveland, Ohio. | Jeff Lange / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Even with the stakes being higher than ever, don't expect everyone to suddenly rise to the occasion after several months of both former contenders failing to justify more impressive labels.

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