After going head to head against their arch-rivals in a game they have historically lost almost 80 percent of the time as of late, the Baltimore Ravens finally accomplished their most pressing goal: defeat the Pittsburgh Steelers.

I know, crazy, right? Despite being one of the most successful teams in the NFL, the Ravens had lost eight of their last nine games to the Steelers up to this point, making the challenge of securing a playoff spot all the more perilous. And yet, despite losing Justice Hill to an injury and Lamar Jackson throwing a pick near the endzone that could have spelled disaster, the Ravens secured the win, guaranteeing that they will be playoff-bound come January in one spot or another.

Asked how it felt to secure his 12th win in 17 seasons after the game, Harbaugh let out a two-word declaration before digging into it a bit deeper.

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ā€œIt's huge,ā€ Harbaugh said via NFL.com. ā€œI rejoice in the fact that we made the playoffs, because it's tough to do, it's really hard to do. Look around the league at how hard it is to do. I'm so proud of these guys. And we have goals, the first goal is to win the next game, we say. So everything we do all year is to win the next game. The second goal is to make the playoffs. The third goal is to win the division, the AFC North. And then the final goal is to win the championship, the Super Bowl. We got two of them tonight, we won the next game, and we made the playoffs.ā€

As things presently stand, the Steelers and Ravens are tied for the best record in the AFC North with two games left to play. While both teams are guaranteed a spot in the playoffs and could still win the division, depending on how things shake out, the Steelers have a much harder schedule moving forward, with a game against the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 17 and the Cincinnati Bengals to close out the regular season. The Ravens, by contrast, are set to face off against a Houston Texans team without Tank Dell and a Cleveland Browns team that will probably have Dorian Thompson-Robinson under center.

Could the Ravens secure the AFC North pennant for the second time in a row? Or will they come up short to Pittsburgh once more, having to make their Super Bowl push from a wildcard spot? Could the two teams end up playing each other in the playoffs, marking the rare third game between the two teams in a single elimination showdown? While only time will tell, one thing is clear: the Ravens are going to the playoffs one way or another, which guarantees at least one more game after the culmination of the 18-week regular season.