With slim hopes of a playoff spot on the line for both teams in Week 18, the Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Ravens will clash in a heated divisional battle at M&T Bank Stadium.

Ravens desperate to halt end-of-season slide

Whichever team comes out on top will need some help from fellow AFC teams to earn a playoff berth, but a loss in this Week 18 AFC North showdown guarantees the loser's season is over.

The Ravens (8-8) last confronted the Steelers at Heinz Field in Week 13 and lost 20-19, after Baltimore went for a win in regulation on a two-point conversion attempt that fell incomplete.

That defeat began a streak of five losses for the Ravens, who owned an 8-3 record and the top seed in the AFC through 11 games this season.

Injuries to defensive playmakers and star quarterback Lamar Jackson, who has missed the past three games with an ankle issue, have halted Baltimore's momentum.

On Sunday, the team once again fell by one point, this time to the NFC West-leading Los Angeles Rams.

The Ravens opened with a strong defensive performance, as safety Chuck Clark intercepted Matthew Stafford and ran into the end zone near the end of the first quarter.

Clark intercepted Stafford again on the next drive, and Tyus Bowser forced the quarterback to fumble on a sack to start the second half.

With a 16-7 lead entering the fourth quarter, Baltimore looked positioned for a win, until the Rams turned up their high-powered offense and got a pair of scores from running back Sony Michel and receiver Odell Beckham Jr., who caught a seven-yard pass in the end zone with 57 seconds remaining.

Baltimore suffered its third one-point defeat in its last five games, as a result.

Backup quarterback Tyler Huntley finished with 197 yards on 20-of-32 passing and ran for 54 yards in his third career start, while Devonta Freeman led the team with 76 yards rushing.

Tight end Mark Andrews also set a single-season franchise record for receiving yards (1,276), after he hauled in six catches for 89 yards.

Steelers win for Big Ben

In what was likely Ben Roethlisberger's final game at Heinz Field, the Steelers feasted on the hobbled Cleveland Browns in a 26-14 victory against their division foe.

While Roethlisberger was the main focus of the evening, his performance was far from memorable. The 39-year-old completed 24 of 46 passes for 123 yards and one touchdown, and threw an interception to close out the first half. 

Luckily for Big Ben, Pittsburgh's defense and rookie running back Najee Harris stepped up to ensure he ended on a high note at his home stadium.

Defensive Player of the Year frontrunner T.J. Watt recorded four of the team's nine sacks of Baker Mayfield, and is one sack shy of tying Michael Strahan's single-season record (22 1/2), set in 2001.

Mayfield was held to 185 passing yards, was intercepted twice, and at one point, he threw 10 straight incomplete passes.

Running back Nick Chubb, who was dealing with a rib injury, was just as ineffective. He totaled 58 rushing yards on 12 carries against the Steelers' second worst run defense in the league.

Steelers and Ravens betting trends

• Pittsburgh is 0-4 ATS in its last four games following a straight-up win
• Baltimore is 8-3 ATS in its last 11 home games
• The Over is 4-1 in Pittsburgh's last five games as an underdog
• The Under is 4-0 in Baltimore's last four games as a favorite
• The road team is 7-3 ATS in the last 10 meetings between these teams
• The Under is 5-2 in the last seven meetings in Baltimore
• The underdog is 21-7-3 ATS in the last 31 meetings

Ravens will get revenge

Pittsburgh's pass rush put on a similar display of dominance against Baltimore in Week 13, as the defense sacked Jackson seven times, including 3 1/2 sacks by Watt.

It was also Watt who hurried Jackson's pass to Andrews on Baltimore's potential game-winning two-point conversion attempt.

Even with the strong defensive effort, the Ravens held the advantage in total yards and time of possession through the first three quarters of the game.

The Steelers ran for just 85 yards against the league's No. 1 rushing defense (84.8 yards per game), but Roethlisberger racked up 236 passing yards and found Diontae Johnson for two fourth-quarter scores.

With the bitter taste of losing to a rival on a last-second play, the Ravens will look to improve upon their mistakes and come away with the win they nearly walked away with in Week 13.

Jackson is questionable to return in Week 18, but Huntley has proven to be an efficient replacement in his absence.

Both quarterbacks can run the ball well and will be able to extend plays, if they can evade pressure from Watt and the Steelers' pass rush.

With their home crowd behind them, the Ravens will snap their prolonged losing streak and hope the pieces fall into place to secure their fourth consecutive postseason berth.

Score prediction: Ravens 24, Steelers 21

NFL Week 18 pick: Over 41.5