ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. – Eight of the past 10 seasons, it's been like this. These two teams competing for the division championship, often with it all coming down to the occasion of the second of the annual home-and-home series. And as happened a couple of times, also at stake was the site of a third meeting in a particular year, that coming in the playoffs, because when the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Baltimore Ravens both are good at the same time it usually takes one to eliminate the other.
But first, there was this. The Steelers had to survive the Buffalo Bills, and they did. Barely. Luckily. Yet they did, 19-16 in overtime by the grace of Steve Johnson's fingers and Shaun Suisham's toes.
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In a few days, the Steelers and Ravens will line up and do what they always do to each other when it comes to December and the AFC North title is still to be decided. But for that to be what it can be for them, the Steelers had to come here and handle the Bills.
On to Baltimore.
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