It was a one-sided affair in the rematch with the Ravens coming out on top. Despite some weird, aggravating defeats, the Baltimore Ravens are playoff bound. They are in the mix and suddenly very much alive for an AFC North title.
The Ravens got an enormous, game-changing pick 6 in the fourth quarter to separate themselves from their arch rival, the Pittsburgh Steelers, in a 34-17 victory on Saturday night, which locked up a postseason berth. The Steelers would have clinched the AFC North with a win on the road, in a hostile environment at Baltimore. Instead, after the Ravens’ win, both teams are tied at 10-5 atop the division standings with two games left on their schedules.
The Ravens still need some help. If the Steelers and Ravens win out, Pittsburgh would take the AFC North crown on the third tiebreaker, which would come down to be a better record against common opponents. But the Steelers have a nearly impossible task only the Buffalo Bills have conquered this season, beating the 14-1 Chiefs on Christmas Day, then close out the season against the Cincinnati Bengals, who have been underwhelming, to say the least, in 2024, but are capable and have the fire power on offense to win at Pittsburgh.
The Steelers have to be kicking themselves. They have had a fantastic season after hardly anyone picked them to go to the playoffs. Their 10 wins, however, could not startle or shake the Ravens. Instead of securing the division crown on Saturday, the Steelers now find themselves in a position where they will have to win out to take the division.
At various times this season, the Ravens have looked unbeatable and looked like they could win it all. They also have losses to teams like the Oakland Raiders and Cleveland Browns. However, if the Steelers cough one up in the final two weeks and the Ravens steal the AFC North crown, they will be in a good spot to make a run in the postseason.
The Steelers played well overall in the first half but made one huge blunder. Russell Wilson ran 19 yards to the Ravens’ 4-yard line and could see the end zone, but he was hit hard by Ravens defensive back Ar’Darius Washington and the ball popped loose. Baltimore recovered the fumble. Instead of first-and-goal at the 4, the Steelers had turned the ball over. It is hard to beat the Ravens giving away points like that, and it would not be the last time a Wilson turnover was a huge momentum swing.
Embed from Getty ImagesThe Ravens got a couple of touchdown passes from Lamar Jackson in the first half, one to Isaiah Likely and the other to Rashod Bateman, who was questionable coming into the game with a foot injury and they led 17-10 at halftime.
“I feel like we’ve been busting our behind all season long, had ups and downs throughout this whole season, but to clinch a playoff against a great team like that, that’s great,” Jackson said. “That means we’re moving in the right direction.”
The Steelers are a tough and ferocious team, fitting the personality of their city and fans, and they stayed in the game. In the third quarter, Cordarrelle Patterson made a spectacular grab in the end zone with a defender draped all over him, maintaining control as he fell in the end zone for a 12-yard touchdown. Even with a turnover inside Baltimore’s 5-yard line, against a very good Ravens team on the road, Pittsburgh had tied it 17-17.
Baltimore got a Mark Andrews touchdown late in the third quarter for a 24-17 lead but like the majority of Ravens-Steelers battles, it was close going into the fourth quarter. The Ravens’ defense came through, swinging a critical game in Baltimore’s favor.
The Ravens’ defense, which has been inconsistent at times this season, came up with a game-changing play that bailed out Jackson after he made a rare mistake.
The Steelers got a massive play on defense early in the final frame that, for the time being, kept their heads above water in the game. After Wilson threw a moon ball deep and incomplete on fourth-and-6, Derrick Henry broke a 44-yard run to the Steelers’ 11-yard line. The Ravens were set up in a spot to go ahead by at least 10 points, but Jackson threw an interception to Minkah Fitzpatrick. Jackson missed an open receiver, Zay Flowers in the end zone, which compounded the error. The Steelers trailed 24-17 with an opportunity to knot it up.
Wilson had monumental mistake a few plays later. On a bootleg to his right, he made a terrible throw, which was easily picked off by Marlon Humphrey. Humphrey had an easy path to the end zone for a 37-yard score. That put the Ravens ahead for good 31-17.
“It was cool to get a pick-6, but clinching a spot in the playoffs, to beat the Steelers, I’m just happy that the guys came in, put in the work, and we just took care of business,” Humphrey said. “I felt that this team has had our number over the years. Just take care of business, man. I felt like the performance we put on wasn’t perfect, but I felt like that’s what we were supposed to do.”
The Steelers are not built to overcome 14-point deficits in the fourth quarter. Pittsburgh punted after falling behind by two scores, then Jackson connected with Flowers on a 49-yard gain that for all intents and purposes, ended the game.
“We didn’t control the run game. We never did. When you don’t, you’ve got to do some splash plays or win the turnover battle in a significant way, and we didn’t do that either,” Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said. “There were some balls on the ground that we didn’t get. Then obviously we turned the ball over going in — it took seven points off the board — and they had a pick-6. The rest is history, as they say.”
The Ravens are one of the most consistent and well-run organizations in the NFL since they came into existence in 1996. They have a two-time MVP quarterback in Jackson who is playing at that level once again, a Hall of Fame running back in Derrick Henry and a defensive unit that has not been great but is showing signs of improvement and capable of keeping the team in the game. And after Saturday, another AFC North title is a reasonable goal again.
Both teams play on Christmas Day to wrap up stretches of three games in 11 days. Pittsburgh hosts Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs on Wednesday and Baltimore travels to Houston to take on CJ Stroud and the Texans.
