By Jeff Zrebiec, Mike DeFabo and Tobias Bass
The Baltimore Ravens have made the race for the AFC North crown a bit more interesting after a 34-17 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers on Saturday night.
Baltimore, which dropped eight of its last nine games against Pittsburgh entering Saturday, clinched a playoff spot with the victory. The two teams are tied atop the division at 10-5 entering the final two weeks of the regular season.
The Ravens’ dynamic backfield was on full display starting with quarterback Lamar Jackson as he continued his MVP campaign, completing 15 of 23 passes for 207 yards, three touchdowns and one interception.
Derrick Henry rushed for 162 yards and became the fifth player in NFL history with four-plus seasons of 1,500-plus rushing yards alongside Barry Sanders, Walter Payton, Eric Dickerson and Edgerrin James.
In the fourth quarter, Pittsburgh had a chance for a comeback but Ravens’ star corner Marlon Humphrey picked off Russell Wilson to crush any momentum Pittsburgh tried to muster up.
Baltimore will face the Houston Texans on Christmas and host the Cleveland Browns to end the regular season. Pittsburgh will host the Kansas City Chiefs on Christmas followed by the Cincinnati Bengals on Jan. 5.
Although Baltimore and Pittsburgh share the same overall record, the Steelers hold the tiebreaker in the AFC North via conference record (7-3 to 6-4), so if both teams win out, the Steelers still win the division.
Ravens finally force Steelers to make the key mistakes
The Ravens’ biggest issue in their recent struggles against the Steelers is they were making too many mistakes and not making the key play at the key time. That changed in a big way Saturday when it was the Steelers making the key mistakes.
The two biggest plays of the game were arguably Ar’Darius Washington’s forced fumble of Wilson in the second quarter as the Steelers quarterback had gotten inside the Baltimore 5 on a scramble. The Ravens scored on the ensuing possession. After Jackson’s fourth-quarter interception deep in Pittsburgh territory squandered a scoring opportunity, Humphrey picked off Wilson and returned it 37 yards for a touchdown.
It had previously been the Ravens making the crushing mistakes in this matchup. On Saturday, it was the Ravens’ defense forcing them. — Jeff Zrebiec, Ravens beat writer
Ravens ride Derrick Henry exactly as they should
Henry didn’t score a touchdown for the third consecutive game, but he set the tone for the Ravens. There’s been a ton of attention on why the Ravens haven’t relied on Henry, the bruising back, even more on big games. On Saturday, they made their intentions clear.
He touched the ball on eight of their first 13 offensive plays. Henry finished with 162 rushing yards on 24 carries. He also caught two balls for 27 yards. Henry wore a banged-up Steelers defense down and was a big reason Baltimore took over in the fourth quarter. — Zrebiec
Steelers’ short-handed defense struggles to contain Ravens
The Steelers entered Saturday’s game missing three defensive starters (safety DeShon Elliott, cornerback Donte Jackson and defensive lineman Larry Ogunjobi). Early in the game, they lost a third when cornerback Joey Porter Jr. went down with an ankle injury.
That’s not a great formula to defend one of the NFL’s most dynamic offenses. After limiting Henry to just 65 yards in the first meeting, the powerful running back eclipsed the 100-yard mark. The challenges defending the run illuminated just how much value Elliott has brought to the defense.
Meanwhile, in the secondary, miscommunications were common. It appeared a miscommunication left Isaiah Likely wide open in the first half. It seemed the Steelers’ secondary wasn’t on the same page on Mark Andrews’ touchdown, either. — Mike DeFabo, Steelers beat writer
Russell Wilson’s turnovers loom large
The Steelers’ depleted defense was going to have its hands full and needed quarterback Wilson to play one of his best games as a Steeler. While Wilson completed 22 of 33 passes for 217 yards, two touchdowns, two turnovers proved costly.
With the score tied at 7 early in the second quarter, Wilson scrambled for a 19-yard gain that moved the ball inside the 5-yard line. However, Washington delivered a blow to dislodge the football and the Ravens recovered. They proceeded to drive 96 yards for a go-ahead score.
Later in the fourth quarter, the Steelers trailed 24-17 and it appeared the Ravens were poised to stretch their lead to two scores after Henry ripped off a long run. But with the ball on the 11-yard line, Jackson threw an interception to Minkah Fitzpatrick, his first since Jan. 1, 2023, that gave Pittsburgh new life.
Just two plays later, Wilson’s pass intended for tight end MyCole Pruitt was well behind his target. Humphrey intercepted the pass and returned it 37 yards to give the Ravens a 31-17 lead. The pick-six undid any chance of a comeback. — DeFabo
Now what for Pittsburgh?
After losing back-to-back games against the Eagles and Ravens, the Steelers still have the chance to win the AFC North and host a playoff game. But the road gets much tougher after Saturday’s letdown. If the Ravens win out, Pittsburgh will need to beat the Kansas City Chiefs and the Cincinnati Bengals to win the division. — DeFabo
Required reading
(Photo: Rob Carr / Getty Images)
