While the Pittsburgh Steelers look to advance to the Super Bowl on Sunday, the Ravens have begun thinking how they can move past their AFC North rival next season.
Since John Harbaugh took over as coach, nearly one-third of the Ravens' losses have come against the Steelers and two of their past three seasons have ended in the Steel City.
The latest setback was a 31-24 playoff loss at Pittsburgh where the Ravens unraveled in the second half and a 14-point halftime lead vanished.
"I can't say that they've outplayed us dramatically in any game, and I think we've outplayed them most of the times we've played them," Harbaugh said. "Yet we've won two out of eight because we've allowed them to make the plays that have turned the game. And we're going to have to find a way to get that solved."
Despite the Steelers dominating the series recently — six of the Ravens' 19 losses the past three seasons (including playoffs) are against Pittsburgh — it's been a closely contested rivalry.
In the eight games played over the past three seasons, Pittsburgh has outscored the Ravens, 147-134. In the last three losses to the Steelers, the Ravens have either held a lead or have been tied in the fourth quarter.
"We're close," owner Steve Bisciotti said. "They don't take us lightly. So, we've got their attention. They make the extra play. That's what championship teams do. We're not there yet. They are."
One extra play came when Pittsburgh safety Troy Polamalu stripped Joe Flacco in the fourth quarter on Dec. 5. That set up the game-winning touchdown with 2:51 left in a 13-10 loss to the Steelers.
Another one came when Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger converted a third-and-19 in the fourth quarter with a 58-yard pass last week. That led to another Pittsburgh game-winning touchdown with 1:33 remaining in the Ravens' 31-24 playoff loss.
"They have those two Super Bowl trophies in the last five years, so they have the confidence," Bisciotti said. "Does confidence beget success? Yeah, it does in a lot of situations. We've got to get there. When we get there, we're going to be more confident."
Pittsburgh is set to play in its 15th AFC championship game — the most by any team since 1970 — and has won five AFC North titles in the division's nine-year existence. The Ravens have won two AFC North titles and have finished second to the Steelers three times.
In addition to the disparity in titles, Harbaugh acknowledged there is another in the number of playmakers.
"I think it has to do with the way they're built, and they've got some veteran guys that have been doing that for a long time," Harbaugh said. "We've got some of that. If you look at a lot of the games we've won, it's been [free safety] Ed Reed and [inside linebacker] Ray Lewis making those kind of plays."
Harbaugh added, "I think we'll continue to build that on the offensive side. They've probably got a little more on both sides of the ball right now. I mean, their defense, they've got two outside linebackers and a safety that just come up with plays. And they've got a quarterback that creates plays. And I think that's where we're going. That's what we're trying to build, and we'll get there."
Those defensive playmakers for Pittsburgh have been a factor in many of the Ravens' 14 turnovers in those six losses, including three in a third-quarter meltdown in last week's playoff loss.
"You can't turn the ball over," Harbaugh said. "And I think the key with the Steelers is. They do a great job of forcing errors and by taking advantage of those forced errors. And you can't give them the game. When we've won, we haven't done that. And when we've lost, we've basically done that."
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