Snow Holding Off; Rain, High Winds Expected for Steelers-Ravens

BALTIMORE — The snow is holding off, but the rain and win will make for miserable conditions at M&T Bank Stadium for the Pittsburgh Steelers in their Week 18 game against the Baltimore Ravens.

A wintry mix was forecast for the game, but the precipitation on Saturday is coming down all of rain. But there is a ton of it, with puddles forming in and around the stadium hours before kickoff, and the rain is not expected to let up.

WBAL-TV in Baltimore is predicting several inches of rain throughout the day on Saturday, with a game-time temperature of just above freezing at 35 degrees.

The combination of the heavy rain and the grass playing surface at M&T Bank Stadium could make for tough footing conditions, Ravens coach John Harbaugh said this week.

In addition to the rain, strong winds are forecast for Saturday afternoon and evening, with sustained winds of 15 mph and gusts double that expected.

That could impact the kicking game, though both teams have All-Pro-caliber kickers in Chris Boswell and Justin Tucker. The conditions could also have an effect on the ability of both teams to pass the ball.

The Steelers are familiar with playing in poor conditions in Baltimore. It has rained for several Pittsburgh visits to the Ravens, and the Steelers won the last three of those games.