Steelers: The Athletic names the "must-watch" game on the 2023 schedule
The Pittsburgh Steelers will have to wait nearly four months before they can strap their chinstraps and play football that has actual meaning, but preparation is never overrated. So when the Steelers' 2023 schedule was released, I went over the list of matchups with a fine tooth comb, analyzing the dates, teams, and everything in […]
The Pittsburgh Steelers will have to wait nearly four months before they can strap their chinstraps and play football that has actual meaning, but preparation is never overrated.
So when the Steelers' 2023 schedule was released, I went over the list of matchups with a fine tooth comb, analyzing the dates, teams, and everything in between to determine the most important games of Pittsburgh's 2023 season.
Well, in a recent piece for The Athletic, the beat writers for each team were polled and asked to name the game most worthy of the must-watch label on every team's schedule. It seems we have a similar contest in mind:
To put it succinctly, it’s the Steelers and Ravens in the season finale. If you don’t think this game is going to mean something to the Steelers, the Ravens or both, then you haven’t followed the rivalry that closely over the past quarter century. This will be the third time in five years that the Steelers and Ravens played against each other in the season finale. It is not out of the realm of possibility that whoever wins this game makes the playoffs and whoever loses is out. — Mark Kaboly
I had a related viewpoint on the matchup as soon as it was revealed on schedule release night. This contest will bring the best out of everyone inside the walls of both organizations. Here's what I had to say upon initial reaction:
Game with the Highest Stakes: Week 18: @ Baltimore Ravens (TBD)
You would have to go through a ton of history to find the last time the Steelers and Ravens played and the stakes weren't high, but a week 18 matchup in Baltimore against a bitter rival like the Ravens takes the cake.
Even in down years, these two franchises play each tough. But coming out of an offseason where Lamar Jackson has signed a five-year extension with the Ravens, and a Steelers team looking to take the next step, this game has all the makings of the next classic game in the historic rivalry.
Now just to play devil's advocate, there is a chance that one of, if not both of these teams are out of the playoff race come the last week of the season. But let's pretend they are in a fight for the last wildcard spot, in a winner take all spot for the playoffs. Who wouldn't sign up for that?
