The feelings regarding the Steelers 18-16 victory over the Ravens at Acrisure Stadium on Sunday afternoon are mixed.

Some fans are all “A win is a win,” while others are concerned with the style points.

As for the style points factor, I would agree if it wasn’t Pittsburgh vs. Baltimore. I mean, I thought things would be different this time. I assumed the Steelers’ offense, under the guidance of Russell “Let Russ Cook” Wilson, would be able to take advantage of Baltimore’s pass defense. I also expected Lamar Jackson, the reigning NFL MVP and a weapon who has won the prestigious award twice in his first six full seasons, would finally be able to solve Pittsburgh’s defense.

We saw neither theory become a reality on Sunday. Instead, what we witnessed between the two clubs was what we often do. It doesn’t matter if it’s Ben Roethlisberger vs. Joe Flacco, Devlin “Duck” Hodges vs. Robert Griffin III or Mitch Trubisky vs. Anthony Brown.

It’s always ugly with these two teams. The Steelers and Ravens are like a toxic yet very passionate couple. They know they shouldn’t make a scene at a cocktail party, but they do it anyway.

Common sense and logic are not welcomed at the party.

Take Sunday’s game, for example. The Steelers accrued just 93 first-half yards, yet, they went into the locker room leading by a score of 9-7. Baltimore tallied 180 yards in the first half and should have and likely would have had a commanding lead if not for two lost fumbles and two missed field goals by the once-deadly Justin Tucker.

Pittsburgh more than doubled its yardage total over the final two periods but could only muster three more field goals by Chris Boswell, the Tucker Tucker used to be. Why? The Steelers just don’t have enough fire-power to finish, outside of receiver George Pickens. Also, execution in the red zone left a lot to be desired. One of Pittsburgh’s second-half drives reached the Ravens nine but ended with a short field goal by Boswell. The other made it as far as the Baltimore five; with the good guys leading by a score of 15-10, it looked like it would be the final nail in the coffin as the game clock ticked to under 10 minutes remaining in regulation. But the Steelers and Ravens simply love them some drama, and a Wilson lob into the end zone that appeared to be intended for the 6’7″ Darnell Washington sailed right over his head as if he was expecting a much smaller fellow to be standing behind him. There was, but his name was cornerback Marlon Humphrey, who intercepted that sucker.

You probably felt like a sucker for assuming this drive would end with no worse than an eight-point advantage. You know what they say about people who assume? Speaking of which, the Steelers/Ravens rivalry being what it was, you probably assumed Jackson and Co. would march right down the field and score a gut-wrenching touchdown with precious seconds remaining.

The possession started out looking like it would end just that way until rookie linebacker Payton Wilson stuck his arm in Justice Hill’s business and came away with an interception that no first-year player would ever have any business securing outside of a game involving these two AFC North foes.

The Steelers parlayed this reversal of misfortune into Boswell’s sixth field goal of the day and the eight-point advantage everyone assumed they would have moments earlier.

Did you breathe a sigh of relief at that point? I can’t blame you if you did. After all, Pittsburgh’s defense had limited the Ravens offense to a total of 51 yards over its first three second-half possessions. However, since every game between these two opponents is supposed to come right down to the wire, it only made sense that Baltimore sliced right through T.J. Watt and Co. like a hot knife through butter on a nine-play, 69-yard drive that ended when Jackson connected with receiver Zay Flowers on a 16-yard touchdown with 1:06 remaining.

Of course, the Ravens went for two, and, of course, it failed–when has a critical two-point attempt been successful in this rivalry?

Of course, the Ravens still had all three of their timeouts remaining, and, of course, Tucker was standing on the sidelines, just waiting to redeem himself with a game-winning field goal.

Also, of course, Justin Fields, who was actually utilized multiple times on Sunday, slid a yard too early on a second-and-10 run that would have iced the game. Were you breathing into a paper bag as the offense lined up for third and one? Did you pop that bag in celebration when running back Najee Harris picked up the necessary yardage to finally secure another close victory against the Ravens?

You should have celebrated. The Steelers improved to 8-2, a record that I certainly didn’t envision before the season and even during the 4-2 start. It just feels different now with Wilson as the starting quarterback. I realize he didn’t have his greatest day on Sunday, but why should he walk away from this rivalry looking prettier than the dozens of combatants who have participated in it over the years?

No, Sunday’s 18-16 win wasn’t a thing of beauty, and the Steelers didn’t play their best. But Baltimore is a good team, and good teams often make other good teams look ugly–even during a win.

A win isn’t always a win for your Pittsburgh Steelers, but it usually is when it happens against the Baltimore Ravens.

Especially when a lot is riding on the outcome.