BALTIMORE RAVENS
(Sunday, Dec. 20, 1 p.m. at Acrisure Stadium; and Week 18 TBD at M&T Bank Stadium)
Series (including playoffs): Steelers 38-27
Last meeting: Steelers 26, Ravens 24 (2025 season at Pittsburgh)
Coaching: HC: Jesse Minter; OC: Declan Doyle; DC: Anthony Weaver; STC: Anthony Levine
2025: 8-9, second in AFC North Division (16th total offense; 24th total defense)
The Ravens matched three other teams with an NFL-high six Pro Bowlers last season, but were the only team of those four not to have made the playoffs. Off to a shaky 1-5 start, thanks in part to a myriad of injuries to quarterback Lamar Jackson, the Ravens righted the ship after a bye week by winning five in a row. The streak ended with division losses to the Bengals and then the Steelers, but the Ravens had a chance for redemption the last week of the season. At home against the Steelers, the Ravens needed a win for the division crown, but instead missed a 44-yard field goal on the final play of the game. The loss not only cost the Ravens the division title, but also the playoffs and a winning record. They parted with their coach of 18 years, John Harbaugh. He was replaced by Minter, the defensive coordinator for the Chargers the last two seasons.
Key returnees
* S Kyle Hamilton was named to the Pro Bowl and first-team All-Pro after finishing second on the team with 105 tackles. It was the fourth-year pro's third Pro Bowl and All-Pro selection.
* ILB Roquan Smith led the Ravens with 130 tackles and was named to his third consecutive Pro Bowl. It was the eighth-year pro's fourth Pro Bowl selection.
* WR Zay Flowers led the Ravens with a career-high 86 receptions and 1,211 receiving yards, and tied for the team lead with 5 receiving TDs. He was named to the Pro Bowl for the second time in his three NFL seasons.
* ILB Teddye Buchanan started 13 games and finished third on the team with 93 tackles in being named to the All-Rookie Team. The fourth-round draft pick out of California tore an ACL last December and missed the final three games.
Key losses
* C Tyler Linderbaum signed a blockbuster deal with the Raiders in free agency after the fourth-year veteran was named to his third consecutive Pro Bowl. Losing Linderbaum could be a massive blow to the Ravens' interior.
* TE Isaiah Likely signed a three-year deal with the Giants in free agency. Likely was the first of four starters (along with one reserve) to follow Harbaugh to the Giants.
* FB Patrick Ricard signed a two-year deal with the Giants in free agency. The 300-pound former two-way player ranks among the very best at his position in the NFL, so it's another critical blow to the Ravens' running game. Last season ended with Ricard's sixth Pro Bowl.
* P Jordan Stout signed a three-year deal with the Giants in free agency. Stout led the NFL in net punting average (44.9) and was named to the Pro Bowl and first-team All-Pro.
Offseason additions
* OLB Trey Hendrickson was signed away from the Bengals in free agency. Hendrickson, who turns 32 in December, signed a four-year contract after Maxx Crosby's failed physical following a trade with the Raiders. Hendrickson battled a hip/pelvis injury last season after back-to-back 17.5-sack seasons.
* G John Simpson was signed away from the Jets in free agency with a three-year contract. Simpson will replace Daniel Faalele at guard as the Ravens reconfigure the interior of their offensive line. Faalele signed a one-year contract with the Giants. Simpson led all NFL offensive linemen last season with 106 penalty yards.
* FS Jaylinn Hawkins signed a two-year contract after intercepting four passes for the Patriots last season. The Ravens prefer playing three safeties and Hawkins allows them to move Hamilton closer to the line of scrimmage.
* TE Durham Smythe was signed away from the Bears on the second day of free agency. The blocking tight end follows new Ravens offensive coordinator Doyle from Chicago.
Days 1 & 2 draft picks
Round 1: G Vega Ioane, Penn State, will likely take over for Andrew Vorhees at guard to continue the overhaul along the interior. The powerful, 320-pound Ioane was called a "prototypical guard for physical run schemes" by NFL.com draft analyst Lance Zierlein.
Round 2: OLB Zion Young, Missouri, was first-team All-SEC with 6.5 sacks and 16.5 tackles for loss last season. Young gives the Ravens another young pass-rusher – along with last year's second-round pick Mike Green – to develop behind Hendrickson and Tavius Robinson. The Ravens' 30 sacks last season were the third-fewest in the league.
Round 3: WR Ja'Kobi Lane, Southern California, is a 6-foot-4 red-zone specialist who will compete with fourth-round pick Elijah Sarratt of Indiana for work behind Flowers and Rashod Bateman.
Familiar face
Skylar Thompson is competing to be the Ravens' No. 3 quarterback behind Jackson and Tyler Huntley. Thompson was the Steelers' proverbial "fourth arm" at training camp last season, but played so well in the preseason (41 of 50 for 498 yards, 4 TDs, 1 interception, 126.5 passer rating) that he was one of four QBs to make the roster. Thompson, though, suffered a hamstring injury in a September practice and was placed on the reserve/injured list for the remainder of the season. As a free agent, Thompson was signed by the Ravens on May 26.
Matching up with the Steelers
The team with the best average yards per carry in the league last season (5.3) will potentially have its offensive identity shifted with the loss of its interior line, All-Pro lead-blocking fullback, and the aging of Derrick Henry (32). The Ravens even have a new coaching staff, so perhaps they won't be the same Ravens. They did, though, draft a block of granite in the first round in Ioane. He'll play one guard spot, Simpson will play the other, and a couple of free agents who were reserves with their respective teams last season are slated to compete at center. The Ravens' special teams are also in question with the loss of Harbaugh, who came up the coaching ranks as a special teams coach/coordinator. He took his prize punter with him to New York while the kicker remains Tyler Loop, he of the missed 44-yarder to win the division. The defense's biggest acquisition is a 31-year-old pass-rusher coming off an injury. Aside from Hendrickson, the question on defense is the health of former Pro Bowl tackle Nnamdi Madubuike, who suffered a neck injury in the second game and missed the remainder of last season. Similar to Broderick Jones of the Steelers, Madubuike is "trending in a great direction," according to Minter this spring.
