The Pittsburgh Steelers square off against the Baltimore Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium in Maryland on Thursday, Nov. 28, for the third and final Thanksgiving Day NFL showdown. Both the Steelers and the Ravens are 5-6, and trail the Cincinnati Bengals by two games in the AFC North standings. The longtime rivals will be fighting for their lives, being among four other teams in the AFC with identical records, all of whom are still in contention with the conference's second wild-card berth. Scroll down to the end of the page to check out a live stream link of the action when it kick off at 8:30pm ET.
Both teams know that the season is virtually on the line for them this Thanksgiving. "Stipulations are high," Ravens tight end Ed Dickson told the Baltimore Sun about the upcoming showdown. "We're battling. It usually seems like it always plays out to be like this [where] we'll be playing that other team for the division. But we want to worry about one game at a time. We've got to have great mental practice this week and go out and play Pittsburgh on Thanksgiving."
The Ravens have spent much of the year trundling from stadium to stadium, without working up much of a head of steam. They put in a terrible first half against the New York Jets on Sunday, though they were able to pull out a 19-3 win, and their Wildcat offense seemed more inspired than usual. QB Joe Flacco, who had a solid game, had receiver Jacoby Jones to rely on, too - Jones had four receptions for 103 yards, including a 66-yard touchdown late in the third quarter.
Pittsburgh, on the other hand, had an atrocious start to the year, but lately are surging, with three straight wins behind an offense that looks newly inspired and a defense which has gotten back the aggression typically associated with Steelers teams. They've been looking like actual playoff contenders. If they fall on Thanksgiving tonight to the Ravens, it might be in great part due to injuries their squad has sustained. They'll be missing nose tackle Steve McLendon, who sprained his right ankle in a win over the Browns, and may be without defensive end Brett Keisel and outside linebacker LaMarr Woodley (foot and calf injuries, respectively) for a third consecutive game. Rookie safety Shamarko Thomas is also questionable with an ankle injury. "What they're capable of doing tomorrow is going to be significant," coach Mike Tomlin told ESPN of the injured players. "Obviously their participation and how their body responds to practice participation will be our guide in terms of roles or whether or not we allow those guys to participate at all." Tune in to CBS or click here to watch the game live when it kicks off at 8:30pm on Thanksgiving.
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