Steelers vs. Ravens: Weather Signals Classic AFC North Playoff Battle

The Pittsburgh Steelers are gearing up for an all-important Wild Card game against the Baltimore Ravens… and they may want to bundle up. After squandering an opportunity against the Bengals in Week 18 that would have had Mike Tomlin’s team playing in Houston this weekend, the Steelers will be in Baltimore for a do-or-die playoff contest.

Despite their hard-nosed reputation when faced with the elements, the Steelers have not fared well in poor weather games this season. In the first half of the year, Pittsburgh lost a monsoon game on Sunday Night Football against the Cowboys that included 90 minutes of rain delays before botching an opportunity to squash the Browns in a snow-filled stadium in Cleveland.

As you can imagine, the weather isn’t going to be all sunshine and rainbows in Baltimore on January 11, and the Steelers must prove they will be unbothered by the cold this time around.

Steelers will face the winter cold vs. Ravens

According to AccuWeather.com, Baltimore is expecting snowfall from late Friday night into Saturday morning that will total up to three inches. Fortuantely, the snow is expected to stop before the Steelers vs. Ravens Wild Card game kicks off.

On Saturday Night in Baltimore, we can expect just a one percent chance of snow as the evening temperature settles in around 26 degrees. This will be accompanied by 17 mile-per-hour wind gusts and 7 mph sustained west-northwest winds. Baltimore will have a Real Feel of 19 degrees with overnight temperatures dropping to 24 degrees.

Thankfully, the Steelers shouldn’t have to alter their game plans around the field conditions, and any snow that comes in on Friday and Saturday morning should be taken care of by the staff at M&T Bank Stadium before the game. However, the cold is unavoidable—which is to be expected in AFC North playoff football in January.

This time around, Mike Tomlin’s team needs to prove they have what it takes to overcome any conditions. The Steelers are the biggest underdogs in the playoffs for Wild Card weekend, but let’s hope they come out swinging against the Ravens in their revenge game.