The Pittsburgh Steelers have high hopes for the 2025 NFL season after a plethora of roster moves occurred following a 2024 Wild Card loss to the Baltimore Ravens. One of the main challenges ahead will be the difficulty of playing in the AFC North. All games are hard-fought, no matter what record each respective team has, so all four organizations, including the Cincinnati Bengals and Cleveland Browns, believe that a division title is within reach. Time will tell which franchise will come out on top, but fans around the NFL always love to tune in when the AFC North has in-division games on the schedule.
Joe Sargent / Getty Images
Steelers Head Coach Mike Tomlin (right) and Baltimore Ravens Head Coach John Harbaugh (left) talk during warmups before the game at Heinz Field on September 30, 2018 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Both Mike Tomlin and John Harbaugh have been around for a quite a while, which is why the two have so much respect for one another. Games between the Steelers and Ravens are often highly-anticipated and then highly-viewed. The contests always feature plenty of hard hits, and players for both organizations come out of them a little bit more bruised than they normally would have after a playing against a different opponent.
This is exactly why health is so critical when these games come around twice per regular season. As all 32 franchises get ready to kick off the important football in just over a week's time, the Ravens set foot on the practice field on Monday. Unfortunately for fans in Baltimore, there were a plethora of impactful individuals that were watching from the sidelines, according to ESPN beat writer, Jamison Hensley.
Notable Ravens not practicing Monday:
— Jamison Hensley (@jamisonhensley) August 25, 2025
TE Mark Andrews
FB Patrick Ricard
TE Isaiah Likely (foot)
CB Jaire Alexander (knee)
CB Chidobe Awuzie
LB Jake Hummel
OLB Adisa Isaac (elbow)
OL Emery Jones (NFI)
S Ar’Darius Washington (PUP) pic.twitter.com/fGlqN3DXn8
As roster cutdowns on Tuesday loom large, it's not ideal for a team practicing the day before to have this many questions marks when it comes to health. Even if many of the listed players are ready to go for the season opener, the Ravens are having important guys miss practice as the final ramp-up for the season begins. That's never a good sign, especially because starting out slow could completely derail any organization's campaign.
AP Photo / Don Wright
Baltimore Ravens Head Coach John Harbaugh (left) and Pittsburgh Steelers Head Coach Mike Tomlin (right) talk on the field prior to a competitive matchup in Pittsburgh, PA.
Having certain personnel such as Patrick Ricard, Mark Andrews and newly-acquired Jaire Alexander on the shelf for a practice in late August could be precautionary, but it also could point to a much bigger issue that is developing. The Ravens haven't been known to be one of the league's healthiest teams in recent seasons, so this report from Hensley signals that there are still some things to work out before the meaningful contests begin.
Ravens CB Jaire Alexander continues to be sidelined from practice. Last week, John Harbaugh said Alexander "had something, just to kind of take care of that knee."
— Jamison Hensley (@jamisonhensley) August 25, 2025
CB Chidobe Awuzie, who is also not practicing, was running full speed on a side field. He looks close to returning.
The injury bug is specifically affecting Baltimore on the defensive side of the ball. While Ricard and Andrews are two playmakers on the offensive end, there are several members of the secondary that remain watching in street clothes. If some of these carry into the regular season, it's possible that the Ravens will be a step behind the Steelers, Bengals and Browns.
Patrick Smith / Getty Images
Ravens Head Coach John Harbaugh throws his hands up in the air in disgust as he shows displeasure after a questionable call from an official during a home game in Baltimore, MD.
Steelers Hoping To Overachieve In Difficult AFC North Division
Pittsburgh is not the favorite to win the AFC North, and is not even the second team listed when it comes to the odds. The Ravens and Bengals are the pair of squads to watch, but the Steelers are hoping to flip that narrative early on. As long as Tomlin's group can stay healthy in the final couple weeks of practice and not have any injury updates that look like Baltimore's most recent one, it's certainly possible for the Steelers to start off the regular season the right way.
Would you be concerned about the Ravens' latest injury update if you were a fan down in Baltimore? Let us know in the comments below!
#SteelerNation
