The Pittsburgh Steelers won an old fashioned AFC North battle on Sunday against the Baltimore Ravens. It was a huge win for Head Coach Mike Tomlin and his team, and it granted the organization a little bit of breathing room in the divisional standings for the time being. It is nearly impossible to believe that eight of the last nine contests between the rivals have ended with a Steelers victory, but that's the current reality. John Harbaugh can't seem to figure out Pittsburgh recently, and a lot of the credit has to go to Tomlin.
There has been plenty of discussion surrounding the Steelers' 18-16 win and one of the respected voices to speak up about the matchup was former quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. The legendary signal-caller faced off against the Ravens countless times over the course of his career and he understands what it's like to play in one of the NFL's fiercest rivalries.
On the most recent episode of his podcast, Footbahlin with Ben Roethlisberger, he made a very simple assessment regarding the recent games between the two organizations. Tomlin is simply in Harbaugh's head.
"To be honest, I really think that Mike Tomlin is cooking in Harbaugh's kitchen, He's all up in here," Roethlisberger stated pointing at his head. "I just think that Tomlin is out-coaching him."
Roethlisberger made a motion of a circle several times next to his head, which was getting at the fact that Tomlin is in Harbaugh's brain and running circles around him. He credited a late-game decision to Tomlin, and then compared him to arguably the greatest coach of all-time in Bill Belichick.
"It's not just Tomlin," added Roethlisberger. "It's not just head [coach] and head [coach], but you know, taking that timeout before the two-point conversion at the end of the game to see what they're in... I just think the way that Coach [Bill] Belichick used to out-coach certain teams, it feels like that's what [the Steelers] are doing to [the Ravens]."
The comparison is fair, as Tomlin has owned Harbaugh of late. Given the rivalry's history, it's quite impressive that the Steelers have been able to win eight of the last nine close matchups. Pittsburgh is closing in these games one way or the other, while Harbaugh's team hasn't been able to get the job done.
The two teams will face off once again in Week 16 on a Saturday. A lot can happen over the course the next month or so, but the division is now handily under Pittsburgh's control. There is no reason why anyone should expect Harbaugh and co. to outperform the Steelers until it actually happens again. The utter dominance of late is nearly impossible to ignore, which is why Roethlisberger's comments make sense.
Noting that Tomlin is cooking in Harbaugh's kitchen is saying directly that one individual currently owns the other. The numbers don't lie and an 8-1 record for Tomlin dating back a couple of years speaks for itself. Another layer of this is the Ravens not being able to figure out why or how the Steelers consistently shut down Lamar Jackson. This can also be tied back into coaching. Baltimore has no clue how to consistently unleash its best player against Pittsburgh.
Steelers' 2nd Game Against Baltimore In 2024 Could Be Absolutely Massive
There's a possibility that Pittsburgh is still in the running for the AFC's number one seed and first-round bye in the playoffs once Week 16 rolls around. Even if that's not a possibility, the AFC North could be clinched in the second matchup between the two organizations. There is a lot of business to be taken care of by both teams until that game commences, but it's pretty exciting looking at a standalone game on a Saturday in Week 16 potentially being for the AFC North title.
