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Steelers vs Ravens: Mike Tomlin’s Last Win and the Story of Three Kicks and One Basement

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Mike Tomlin’s final win as head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers came on Sunday, January 4, 2026, when the Steelers defeated the Baltimore Ravens 26-24 at Acrisure Stadium.

  • It was a game worthy of story and song.

The win didn’t just clinch the AFC North for the Steelers, giving Tomlin his 8th division title. Mike Tomlin’s final win also created an unspoken yet palpable symmetry with Chuck Noll’s final playoff victory.

And that symmetry resonated across 37 years and brought together the two games through three kicks and one basement….

Mike Tomlin and Cam Heyward embrace following the 2025 Steelers win over the Ravens.

Mike Tomlin and Cam Heyward embrace at Acrisure. Photo Credit: Steelers.com Taylor Ollason

The Stage: The Basement @ Wendy Lane

I learned the game of football in my parents’ basement on Wendy Lane in Aspen Hill, Maryland. This basement hosted my formative Steelers moments.

I watched the ’78 AFC Championship and Super Bowl XIII there. A year later, by the time sat there and watched John Stallworth run 60 Prevent Slot Hook and Go to clinch Pittsburgh’s 4th Lombardi in Super Bowl XIV, the Steelers had been Super Bowl Champions for 60% of my life – I believed my older siblings when they told me Queen wrote “We Are the Champions” for the Steelers.

So…. Watching Steelers playoff games the Wendy Lane Basement figured to be a staple of growing up. I was wrong.

I’d have to wait until the 1989 Steelers confronted the Houston Oilers in the Astrodome to watch my next playoff win. It wouldn’t be until 2026 that I’d see my next Steelers “playoff game” in the Wendy Lane Basement.

This is the story the latter two games.

Characters: 1989 and 2025 Steelers, the ’89 Oilers and the ’25 Ravens

The 1989 and 2025 Steelers squads were vastly different. Yet during the season Steel City Insider’s Jim Wexell pointed out several similarities:

  • No one expected either team to contend for anything
  • Both Chuck Noll and Mike Tomlin faced withering criticism from fans and pundits
  • Both teams had been left for dead multiple times during their seasons – each time both rallied

The 1989 Oilers and 2025 Ravens followed similar arcs.

In the preceding seasons both the Oilers and Ravens had alternated between suffering upsets by the Steelers and inflicting humiliating defeats upon them. Both team entered their respective seasons as Super Bowl favorites, only to struggle once the games started.

The casts don’t align perfectly.

Mike Tomlin and John Harbaugh share a bond of mutual respect. Jerry Glanville actively disrespected everyone. Noll regarded Glanville with well-deserved contempt.

Finally, both Steelers offenses struggled to find their footing. Too often both needed bail outs by their kickers, Gary Anderson and Chris Boswell.

First Halves: Obstructed View Due to Delay of Game

The Wendy Lane Basement isn’t the only constant tying the two games together for this scribe, the other is delay of game.

…’89 Steelers kicked off at 4:00 pm on Saturday December 31st. St. Elizabeth’s was holding a double-header anticipatory mass taking care of both Sunday and the Solemnity of Mary Holy Day of Obligation. My parents may have been typical Pittsburghers, but no Steelers playoff game was getting in the way of going to mass.

“Tape it” they responded to my protests. Ah, but you couldn’t tape a game on a VCR and then catch up in progress they way you can with a DVR today – yes, you kids are spoiled.

Tim Worley scores a touchdown in the 1989 Steelers upset over the Oilers in the Astrodome.

Tim Worley gets the Steelers on the board. Photo Credit: Steelers.com

So I missed most of the first half, only tuning in on the radio in the car on the way home just in time to hear Jerry Olsavsky’s blocked punt that set up Tim Worley’s touchdown….

  • The Steelers-Ravens started late also started late for me.

I wanted to watch the game without disrupting dinner, so I set the DVR, shifted my phone to airplane mode and enjoyed the meal. After dinner, I helped my parents set up the upstairs TV to get Netflix – which took some time.

By the time I decended into the Wendy Lane Basement to tune in for the opening kickoff, the first half was ending in real time, but I was blissfully oblivious to anything that had happened – or would be to come.

I watched the first half alone with my wife checking in occasionally, as the ’25 Steelers offense duitfully followed the template it laid for itself during the season – it struggled settling for a lone 57 yard Chris Boswell field goal for its only points.

Nick Herbig sacks Lamar Jackson in the 2025 Steelers win over the Ravens at Acrisure Stadium.

Nick Herbig sacks Lamar Jackson. Photo Credit: Alyisa Rubin, Steelers.come

Yet sacks by Nick Herbig and Derrick Harmon snuffed out promising Ravens’ drives.

…All good storytellers weave foreshadowing into their tales. Foreshadowing is particularly potent when its wielded by authors of football games. The 1989 Steelers offense sputtered for most of the first half, while the defense held the Oilers in check, limiting them to 2 Tony Zendejas field goals.

Merril Hoge runs through the middle of the Oilers defense as Bubby Brister watches and Tunch Ilkin blocks in the 1989 Steelers AFC Wild Card Upset of the Houston Oilers.

Merril Hoge storms through Houston’s defense. Photo Credit: RVR Photos, Imagn Images via Athlon Sports

Yet, late in the 2nd quarter, Tom Moore’s unit stitched together its first long drive, highlighted by Merril Hoge blasting through the middle of Houston’s defense on a 49 yard run and punctuated by a Gary Anderson field goal just after the two-minute warning….

The ’25 Steelers came alive in the 2nd quarter’s final three minutes, marching 89 yards down the field. They came close to tying the game, but Baltimore scuttled a Kenneth Gainwell goal line run as time expired.

The 2025 Steelers had opted to go for it all and closed their first half down by 10-3, their 1989 predecessors elected to kick and took a 10-6 lead into the locker room.

3rd Quarters Then and Now

We got home at half time, allowing me to tune in for the beginning of the third quarter. I sat in the Wendy Lane basement alone, eating Pizza Hut Pizza and drinking a diet Minute Made Orange Soda. In 2026, my wife had been upstairs during the first half, but joined me for the second.

…The third quarter of the 1989 AFC Wild Card game resembled the first two – a tight, defensively dominated battle featuring with Gary Anderson and Tony Zendejas exchanging field goals.

The ’89 Steelers offense looked every bit as the unit that finished 28th in the NFL, the defense, led by stars such as Rod Woodson, Greg Lloyd and Carnell Lake kept a lid on the Oilers high-octane offense.

Gary Anderson closed the third quarter in 1989 with a 30-yard field goal, putting Pittsburgh up 13-9…

My wife got to see a different Steelers offense in the third quarter. Aaron Rodgers led a methodical, workman-like drive featuring tough runs by Jaylen Warren supplemented by a deep pass to Adam Thielen that set up Connor Heyward’s Steel City Shove touchdown.

Connor Heyward scores a touchdown during the 2025 Steelers win over the Ravens at Acrisure.

Connor Heyward ties the game on the Steel City Shove. Photo Credit: Taylor Ollason, Steelers.com

Three plays later, T.J. Watt intercepted Lamar Jackson. The Steelers reached Baltimore’s 2, but had to settle for a Boswell field goal.

The ’89 Steelers closed their third quarter holding a 13-9 lead, the ’25 Steelers closed their third period with a 13-10 lead.

Bubby Brister an Derek Hill during the 1989 Steelers AFC Wild Card upset of the Houston Oilers at the Astrodome.

Bubby Brister. Fixing to come unglued…. Photo Credit: Steelers.com

The first 45 minutes of both games had been pretty quiet in the scoring department, but to paraphrase Bubby Brister’s comments made in a different context – both offenses were fixing to come unglued.

4th Quarter Fireworks

…Gary Anderson opened the 4th quarter for the ’89 Steelers with a 48-yard field goal that, quite frankly, split the uprights dead center with at least 10 yards to spare. But that only gave the Steelers 7 point lead, and Warren Moon was cocking Houston’s “Red Gun Offense” preparing to fire.

The Houston Oilers of the late 80’s had a wealth of talent that’s impossible to assemble in the free agency era, featuring 2 if not 3 starter-capable running backs and four or 5 Pro Bowl caliber wide receivers.

Rod Rust’s 1989 Steelers defense had gone toe-to-toe with them for 3 quarters, but Moon and the Oilers found the end zone five minutes into the 4th quarter.

But as ESPN’s Tom Jackson was wont to say, “You can’t hope to stop Houston’s offense, you can only hope to contain it.” Technically, the Steelers defense was still “containing” Houston’s offense, but the Oilers had just tied the game….

Similarly, the ’25 Steelers defense had contained the Ravens offense for the first 45 minutes. This is signfigant:  In the 2024 playoffs, the Ravens hadn’t just beaten the Steelers, they’d ridiculed them, calling into question the franchise’s core defensive philosophy.

If Mike Tomlin and his staff learned anything from that debacle it was this: Never let Derrick Henry or Lamar Jackson reach the 2nd level.

Midway through the 4th quarter, the Ravens had a 3rd and 4 – the Steelers defense sold out to stop the run, and Jackson made them pay with his arm, hitting Zay Flowers for a 50-yard touchdown, putting Baltimore up by 4 with 8:42 remaining.

  • Coincidentally, or not, my wife had left the basement, missing the entire series.

She returned in time to see Jaylen Warren rip off a 15 yard run, and a deep, 31-yard strike to Pat Freiermuth that set up another Kenneth Gainwell goal line run that this time hit pay dirt, putting the Steelers up by three.

…After the Oilers tied the game, the Steelers offense lost 3 yards on first down and then threw 2 incompletions, going three and out. Worse yet, Harry Newsome shanked his punt, giving Houston the ball at Pittsburgh’s 38. Despite a false start by Mike Munchak, Warren Moon only needed 5 plays to find Ernest Givens in the end zone to give the Oilers a 7-point lead with just six minutes remaining.

The 1989 Steelers could neither contain nor stop the Oilers offense it seemed….

After Gainwell’s TD, my wife stepped out of the Wendy Lane Basement to check on the laundry. Coincidentally, or not, the Ravens quickly found themselves in a 3rd and 1. Again, the Steelers sold out to stop the run. Again, Lamar Jackson burned them through the air, hitting Zee Flowers for a 64-yard touchdown.

With 2:20 remaining, the Ravens were up by 7. From the laundry room my wife heard and encouraged me not to give up hope.

…With 6:10 remaining, the Bubby Brister and 1989 Steelers offense authored a drive worthy of Bradshaw before him or Roethlisberger after him.

Driven by a belief-in-self that bordered on naiveté and with gritty plays by Louis Lipps, Tim Worley, an amazing reverse by Dwight Stone, Brister moved the team down the field. With 1:03 remaining, he looked to Merri Hoge twice, once for 8 yardrs and another for 1 and the tying touchdown.

Merril Hoge scores the tying touchdown for the Steelers against the Oilers in the 1989 AFC Wild Card playoff game at the Houston Astrodome.

Merril Hoge crosses the goal line with the tying touchdown during Pittsburgh’s stunning 1989 playoff upset of Houston in the Astrodome. Photo Credit: Twitter

“Did the Steelers win?” my mom asked from upstairs. “No, mom, but they tied the game.”

The Oilers offense was still dangerous, yet on 3rd and 5 they were only at their 25, when Greg Lloyd appeared to have won the game, with a strip-sack, fumble recovery and touchdown on Warren Moon.

“Did the Steelers win?” my mom asked again.

Alas, they did not.

The Steelers had too many men on the field. Houston had one more chance, but Moon’s next pass to Haywood Jefferies fell incomplete. The 1989 Steelers would have to win this one in overtime….

When my wife returned from the laundry room, she asked if the Steelers had scored. I said, “I don’t know, I’m waiting for you to watch.” Yes, the game had been over for at least an hour, but I wasn’t taking any chances.

There’s a reason why Mike Tomlin wanted and waited for Aaron Rodgers, and the world saw it in the final two minutes of the Steelers-Ravens game at Acrisure. Rodgers moved the team deftly, hitting on 3 of 4 passes getting the Steelers to Baltimore’s 26 with just over a minute to go.

In the huddle, Calvin Austin and Rodgers agreed that they’d seen something from Ravens corner Chiode Awuzie. Austin ran a hitch and go route and sure enough Awuzie slipped when Austin feigned breaking off his route, a few steps later he was in the end zone, putting the Steelers up by 2.

Calvin Austin catches to go ahead touchdown pass during the 2025 Steelers regular season finale win over the Ravens. As fate would have it it was the last touchdown of the Mike Tomlin era.

Calvin Austin catches the go ahead touchdown and the last touchdown of Mike Tomlin’s last win with the Steelers . Photo Credit: Karl Roser, Steelers.com

“Did the Steelers win?” my dad inquired from upstairs. “No, but they’re ahead.” They were. But 1:00 minute still remained.

3 Kicks 37 Years Apart Find Each Other in One Basement

…The ’89 Steelers won the toss to start overtime. That gave them a decisive advantage because the NFL had sudden death overtime in those days.

Unfortunately, the Steelers offense only managed a single one-ard run by Merril Hoge and two incomplete passes. Worse yet, Harry Newsome, the team’s rookie of the year just three years earlier and then regarded as one of the NFL’s best, shanked another punt, this one going for just 26 yards….

Chris Boswell is one of the NFL’s best kickers. Time and time again, he’s delivered under pressure to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat for Mike Tomlin and the Steelers. An extra point should be automatic. And for Boswell, it normally is.

Except this time it wasn’t.

A Raven got a hand on it and the kick hooked to the right, falling outside the cross bar. That left the Steelers with a 2 point win; Baltimore now only needed a field goal to win.

And the two time NFL MVP had almost a full minute and 3 timeouts to put his team in position.

…Taking over at Pittsburgh’s 45 meant the Oilers were almost in field goal range. Jerry Glanville opted to play it safe, sending out a split backfield instead of the Red Gun. Running back Lorenzo White got the ball and broke to the weak side.

As he reached the line of scrimmage Tim Johnson and Greg Lloyd made contact – White wasn’t going to turn the corner and the Steelers would “contain” him on this carry. But future Hall of Famer Rod Woodson had other ideas, breaking his coverage and shooting towards White:

 

As the video courtesy of Steel City Star illustrates, Woodson didn’t contain the Oilers offense, he stopped it. Cold.

Just as he’d done at the end of the 2nd quarter, Merrill Hoge took the next carry and exploded through the Oilers front seven dragging defenders with him.. Hoge “only” gained 11 yards, but he brought bringing the Steelers to Houston’s 35.

Tim Worley tacked on two more yards, but then the drive stalled. Chuck Noll had a choice – attempt a 50 yard field goal or punt….

The Steelers special teams did the Ravens another favor – they allowed a long return, giving Baltimore the ball at midfield. The Steelers defense held – for the first 3  plays. Then, on 4th and 7, Jackson found  Isaiah Likely for 26 yards, who reached the Pittsburgh’s 24. A kneel down put them back to the 26 – the clock ticked to two seconds; the Steelers with no timeouts could only watch and wait.

…I think it was Tunch Ilkin who said that Noll initially started to send out the punt team but Rod Rust warned him off saying his defense was too winded and to try the field goal.Video doesn’t support that, as the kicking team took the field immedately.

The only thing Jerry Glanville could do, was to try to psych Gary Anderson out. He called a time out. Gary Anderson waited calmly, deciding to dedicate his forthcoming kick to his ailing father…

Tyler Loop came to Baltimore tasked with the role of replacing Justin Tucker, the NFL’s best kicker. He needed to make a 44 yard field goal. He’d been perfect from under 40 during the season and 8 of 9 from between 40 and 49 yards.

…When the timeout expired George Stewart’s special teams got into formation, snapped the ball, Gary Anderson’s foot hit the ball, it sailed straight ahead and split the uprights with 10 yards to spare.

With Harry Newsom holding, Gary Anderson kicks the game-winning overtime field goal for the Steelers against the Oilers in the 1989 AFC Wild Card playoff game at the Houston Astrodome.

Gary Anderson’s overtime field goal completes the 1989 Steelers’ stunning playoff upset of the Oilers at the Astrodome. Photo credit: Richard Jackson, US PRESSWIRE

“Yes!” “Yes!” “Yes!”

“Did the Steelers win?” my mom asked from upstairs, “YES!” “Gary Anderson made the field goal in overtime!” After starting the seaosn losing thier first two games 92-10, and suffering 3 shutouts, the 1989 Steelers had just gone into the Astrodome and upset the Oilers, fulfilling Bubby Brister’s promise to “Shock the world….”

Sitting in the adjacent couch, my wife assured me, “Its not over sweetheart.” 6000 miles and an hour and a half before, Sarah watching her first Steelers game end-to-end in the town of Maschwitz , in the Province of Buenos Aires, told Gustavo, “El Dr. De Acero” “…Bueno, si lo tyuo puede fallar, esto tambien puede fallar,” [If your kicker missed, so can theirs.]

 

Loop got a good snap, and his foot made good contact with the ball – it clearly had the length and began with the trajectory, but then hooked wide right — its almost as if the Terrible Towel twirling knocked it off course.

“Yes!” my wife cheered. “Did the Steelers win?” my dad inquired from upstairs.

“Yes they won, Baltimore missed the kick!”

Mike Tomlin celebrates while Keeanu Benton looks on after the 2025 Steelers season-ending win over the Ravens

Mike Tomlin celebrates his final win with the Steelers. Photo Credit: Jared Wickerham, Steelers.com

In a year when most experts assured us he was doomed to suffer his first losing season and perhaps even finish last in the AFC North, Mike Tomlin had just won the division.

And that’s the story of how three kicks in one basement spread out over 37 years unite 2 Steelers wins.

Denouement: Chuck Noll’s Last Playoff Win, Mike Tomlin’s Last Win

“This team is headed up” explained Chuck Noll during the playoffs. Although they lost the next week in Denver — coming within a bad snap and a dropped pass of upsetting the eventual AFC Champions — Noll’s logic seemed sound. But the only thing Noll would climb up was Walton’s Mountain – his decision to hire Joe Walton to replace Tom Moore proved to be a critical mistake.

He went 16-16 over the next two seasons and retired. The ’89 Steelers upset at the Astrodome was Noll’s final playoff victory.

Mike Tomlin’s Steelers would host, wait for it, the Houston Texans the next week in Pittsburgh, losing 30-6. The game was actually closer than the lopsided score suggests – the Steelers defense did a tremendous job limiting the Texans who logged 2 defensive scores and their offense added a garbage time touchdown in the 4th quarter.

  • The Steelers offense lacked a WR No. 2 and their line needed another year of maturity.

Be that as it may, a day later, Mike Tomlin decided it was time to hang it up.

I didn’t watch either of then ensuring games in the Wendy Lane Basement. I saw the 1989 Steelers playoff loss to the Broncos at my sister’s apartment in White Marsh, Maryland. I watched the ’25 Steelers playoff loss to the Texans at Hibernia Bar in New York City.

  • Would the outcomes have changed had I watched either in the Wendy Lane Basement?

We’ll never know. But I do know one thing: IF either game had come down to a final kick, I’d have liked our chances….

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Steelers Report Card for Win Over Ravens – End of Semester Sprint Edition

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Taken from the grade book of a teacher crossing his fingers in hopes that the end of the semester sprint has started, here is the Pittsburgh Steelers Report Card for the win over the 2025 Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium.

Alex Highsmith, Derrick Harmon, Steelers vs Ravens

Alex Highsmith shut down Derrick Harmon. Photo Credit: Jared Wickerham, via Steelers.com

Quarterback
Aaron Rodgers grabbed the “no long passes for a month” bull by the horns and tossed a 52 yarder to open the day. He launched several more long and intermediate passes throughout the afternoon, finishing 23 of 34 for 284 yards and one touchdown. Things trailed off in the 4th quarter, and that brings his grade down, but Rodgers’ performance was the difference in the game. Grade: A-Steelers, Report Card, grades,

Running Backs
It was rough sledding on the ground for the Steelers. Jaylen Warren had 8 carries and only 13 yards. Kenneth Gainwell did “better” getting 15 yards and a touchdown on his 4 carries. Kaleb Johnson 4 yards on 2 carries. However, Gainwell had 6 catches for 27 yards, while Warren had 3 catches for 49 yards including a 38 yarder that he took to the house. Connor Heyward had 2 yards. Grade: C

Tight Ends
Darnell Washington had 1 catch for 12 yards and then left the game with a concussion. Pat Freiermuth had 2 catches for 9 yards. Jonnu Smith had zero catches on one target. Grade: C-

Wide Receiver
D.K. Metcalf exploded for 7 catches for 148 yards – this is exactly why the Steelers brought him to Pittsburgh. Calvin Austin turned a Go Ball on 3rd and 5 into a 31-yard gain on the final TD drive. Ben caught one pass for 13 yards that jump-started a drive. New comers Adam Thielen and Marquez Valdes-Scantling only had 2 targets, but in Tony Romo’s estimate, they commanded the attention of the defense in ways that Roman Wilson had been unable to do. Grade: A-

Offensive Line
It was a Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde effort for the Steelers offensive line. The line’s inability to create any sort of space to support a running game is simply appalling. It may have been the unit’s worst run blocking effort all year. On the flip side, have we ever seen a Steelers quarterback have that much time to throw against a Ravens’ defense – on the road no less. Grade: C

Defensive Line
The sample size is large enough. Keeanu Benton looks like he has it in him to be a decent to good defensive lineman, but he’s not a true nose tackle. He was moved too early and too often against the Ravens. Yahya Black continues to look good in the absence of Derrick Harmon. Cam Heyward led the group in tackles and made all sorts of contributions that don’t show up on the stat sheet. Grade: D

Linebackers
The Steelers defense, lost on the stat sheet. The linebackers had a role in giving up so much rushing yardage. But they also had a role in the defense’s ability to contain Derrick Henry without stopping him. Look no further than Cole Holcomb leading the team in tackles despite entering the game as an injury replacement. Beyond that, T.J. Watt and Nick Herbig both helped pressure Lamar Jackson into critical third down incompletions. The real star was Alex Highsmith. He had 3 tackles for a loss, including a critical goal line stop of Henry that forced a field goal, hit Lamar Jackson twice and ended the game with a sack. Grade: B-

Secondary
The Baltimore Ravens third down efficiency was 38% which is just a tick above average for them. That’s also about two ticks above average for the Steelers defense. The secondary accounted for one interception by James Pierre and two end zone pass breakups. More importantly, they helped force field goals on multiple occasions when no one was open on third down. That’s a little discussed difference. Grade: B+

Special Teams
Chris Boswell was perfect on his kicks. The Steelers return coverage was solid, never allowing Baltimore to gain an extra advantage. Corliss Waitman boomed off punts averaging close to 50 yards. Pittsburgh’s return game was sound. Grade: B

Cam Heyward, Mike Tomlin, Aaron Rodgers, Steelers vs Ravens

Cam Heyward, Mike Tomlin & Aaron Rodgers walk off in triumph. Photo Credit: Chaz Palla, Tribune-Review

Coaching
Arthur Smith did not shy away from changing, incorporating two new receivers into his offense – clearly something had to change. He also decided to be aggressive early and often, throwing several deep strikes. Truth be told, he’d tried to do that in the last two games, without success.

  • They were successful against the Ravens, and that was the difference.

Ditto the solid pass protection from a line playing his 4th string right tackle – the Ravens may not have much of a pass rush, but the Steelers line won the battle it was supposed to win.

Commentators are already jumping on Teryl Austin for allowing the Ravens to pad their stats.

Those gaudy number might make Fantasy Football owners happy, and the Steelers clearly cannot allow that to continue, but judge performance by Reality Football metrics and you’ll that the Steelers defense forced field goals in 3 critical situations and made several other crucial third down stops.

To quote the late, great Craig Wolfley, losses like the last one against the Bills have the potential to be “Chess Grater” games.

  • Mike Tomlin did not allow that to happen.

Pittsburgh was far from perfect against Baltimore. But the Steelers were aggressive, focused, hungry while playing with the intensity you’d expect with the division title on the line. Credit Mike Tomlin for that. Grade: B+

Brandin Echols, Zay Flowers, Steelers vs Ravens

Brandin Echols knocks a touchdown pass away from Zay Flowers. Photo Credit: Chaz Palla, Tribune-Review

Unsung Hero Award
He batted away a pass to Zay Flowers in the end zone on Baltimore’s first trip to the Red Zone to force a field goal. After the Steelers scored a touchdown, he sacked Lamar Jackson on third down to force a punt. For those plays and for an afternoon of end-to-end solid play, Brandin Echols wins the Unsung Hero Award for the Steelers 2025 win over the Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium.

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Rodgers Lets It Rip: Steelers Beat Ravens 27-22, Reclaim AFC North

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The Pittsburgh Steelers entered Baltimore’s M&T Bank Stadium as a struggling squad. Sure, they were “tied” for the AFC North lead with a 6-6 record. But they were reeling, behind the numbers, having lost 5 of their last 7.

The Steelers left Baltimore after beating the Ravens 27-22, having improved their record to 7-6 and reclaimed the sole lead atop the AFC North.

In many ways, this was a typical Steelers-Ravens contest, Yet, this game added its own, unique aspects. And its no secret as to why the Steelers walked away with a win: Its because the rivalry’s newest participant, Aaron Rodgers, played his best football of the season.

Aaron Rodgers, Steelers vs Ravens

Aaron Rodgers Runs it In. Photo Credit: Jared Wickerham, Steelers.com

Same Concept. New Quarterback. Different Result.

When Aaron Rodgers arrived in Pittsburgh last spring, the burden of proof of answer the “How much does he have left in the tank” question lay squarely on his shoulders. During August and September, Rodgers answered the question in the affirmative.

No, he wasn’t Aaron Rodgers of old, but he was a lot better than anybody the Pittsburgh Steelers had fielded at quarterback in a long, long time. But the month of November was not kind to Aaron Rodgers. His play slipped, and with it so did an already shaky offense.

Then he broke his wrist and Mason Rudolph played well enough in relief to raise questions as to whether Number 2 deserved an extended look.

Sometimes the best remedy for breaking an athlete out of a slump is to have him starethe dragon straight in the face.

After Ben Roethlisberger had struggled for a few games in 2020, Mike Tomlin attempted to do just that on the road at Paul Brown Stadium on a cold December night.

If you’ll remember, on the first play from scrimmage James Washington had his man beat on the deep down on sidelines, Roethlisberger rolled out, and underthrew Washington so badly the DB couldn’t get back fast enough to grab a gimmie interception.

The play was so bad this scribe wondered if we hadn’t just seen the football equivalent of Ali-Holmes.

D.K. Metcalf, Alohi Gilman, Marlon Humphrey, Steelers vs Ravens

D.K. Metcalf opens the game with a 52 yard catch. Photo Credit: Karl Roser, Steelers.com

Mike Tomlin prides himself on being a football historian. Fortunately, he believes in letting his players write their own stories, because Arthur Smith opened the action by sending D.K. Metcalf deep down the sidelines.

  • 52 yards down the field, Rodgers hit Metcalf in stride, putting Pittsburgh in the Ravens’ Red Zone.

There, Rodgers hit Metcalf again, for 7 yards, advance Pittsburgh to Baltimore’s six.
Three carries from Jaylen Warren, Kenneth Gainwell and Connor Heyward netted 4 yards.
So Rodgers ran it in himself.

Pittsburgh was only up 7 to 3, but they’d set the tone for the game: We would see a different Steelers offense this afternoon.

Rodgers Lets It Rip

One deep pass does not an offensive transformation make. But being able to strike downfield sure does change the complexion of the game.

Rodgers connected again with Metcalf for 28 yards to open the 2nd quarter setting up Chris Boswell’s first field goal. After James Pierre’s interception of Lamar Jackson, Rodgers combined passes to Ben Skowronek, Metcalf and newcomer Adam Thielen to get the Steelers into scoring position.

From there, after a questionable penalty on a field goal attempt gave the Steelers another shot at scoring, Kenneth Gainwell ran it in from 6 yards out.

The opening drive of the second half has been a nightmare for the Steelers all season long. Aaron Rodgers opened this one with a 41 yard hook up with Metcalf. The drive stalled forcing the Steelers to settle for another Chris Boswell field goal, but this was a welcome change no less.

After the Ravens responded with a touchdown, Rodgers and the Steelers offense rebounded on the next drive, as Jaylen Warren took a 4 yard dump off pass and ran untouched for 38 yards to put Pittsburgh up by 27 points.

When the dust settled, Aaron Rodgers had passed for 284 yards – that won’t impress Fantasy Football owners, but the reality is that his ability to move he offense down the field with his arm was the difference maker for Pittsburgh.

Steeler Uneven in Trenches, Yet Hold Their Own

IF you looked at the statistics instead of the scoreboard for this game, you’d quickly conclude that the Ravens pulled off a mini-replay of their playoff ridiculing of the Steelers.

  • Derrick Henry managed just under 100 yards rushing
  • Keaton Mitchell added another 76 on the ground
  • Lamar Jackson ran for 43 yards and a touchdown alone
  • Combined Warren, Gainwell, Heyward, Rodgers and Kaleb Johnson rushed for 34 yards

Yet, this game added a new element in the trenches not typical of Steelers-Ravens match ups.

Sure, Darnell Washington, Andrus Peat, Malik Harrison all left the game with concussions, so there’s no doubt that physicality that’s so deeply embedded in Steelers-Ravens lore was present.

  • But there were elements that the stat sheet failed to capture.

No, the Steelers did not succeed in stopping the Ravens running attack, but they did contain it, outside of Mitchell’s 55 yard run. By the same token, while the Ravens rushed well, they never imposed their will. That’s true in large part because, while Baltimore set up several 3rd and manageable situations, the Steelers stopped them.

And the Steelers stopped them because T.J. Watt, Nick Herbig and Cam Heyward brought pressure on Jackson forcing numerous 3rd down incompletions.

  • An inverse dynamic held sway on the other side of scrimmage.

The Steelers offensive line put in an atrocious afternoon of run blocking. Yet Aaron Rodgers had more time to throw than any other Steelers quarterback of recent memory has ever enjoyed — and Rodgers took full advantage.

Play to the Whistle and Good Things Will Likely Happen

The Baltimore Ravens of course, briefly re-took the lead late in the fourth quarter. With 2:47 remaining Lamar Jackson hit Isaiah Likely from 13 yards out. Although Joey Porter Jr.  dislodged the ball, the refs signaled touchdown.

 

The instant replay official thought different.

The play was close. Had the touchdown been upheld, it would be hard for Pittsburgh to complain. Regardless, Porter’s commitment to playing through the whistle was indicative of the collective focus that the Steelers displayed in beating Baltimore.

Alex Highsmith, Cameron Heyward, Lamar Jackson Steelers vs Ravens,

Alex Highsmith ends the game by sacking Lamar Jackson. Photo Credit: Karl Roser, Steelers.com

As it was, the Ravens had 3 shots more shots from inside Pittsburgh’s Red Zone. The penultimate one ended with Alex Highsmith dropping Derrick Henry for a 3-yard loss. The Steelers failed to run out the ball, giving Baltimore one more shot.

On third and one, with the Ravens at Pittsburgh’s 30 with nine seconds left, Cameron Heyward flushed Jackson from the pocket, and Alex Highsmith brought him down as time expired, as the Steelers left the field at M&T Bank Stadium with the AFC North lead.

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Ravens Ridicule Steelers 28-14 in AFC Wild Card, Extend Pittsburgh’s Playoff Losing Streak

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The Pittsburgh Steelers playoff losing streak continues the Baltimore Ravens ridiculed them 28-14 at M&T Bank Stadium on Saturday night, as Mike Tomlin drops to 0-6 in the postseason since Chris Boswell booted them to their last playoff victory on a cold night in Kansas City, so long ago.

The pitch forks are out in Steelers Nation, understandably so given that the difference in the game was far more dramatic than the score suggests.

One need not dig deep to understand this latest playoff loss: The Baltimore Ravens won because they are a far more talented team who is peaking at just the right time.

Derrick Henry, Minkah Fitzpatrick, Elandon Roberts, Steelers vs Ravens

Derrick Henry leaves Steelers defense in the dust. Photo Credit: Chaz Palla, Tribune-Review

Steelers Had to Be Perfect. They Were Anything But

In the run up to the game, Steel City Insider’s Jim Wexell cited the 2005 Steelers and their playoff upset of the Indianapolis Colts. That ’05 team snuck into the playoffs, knocked off a Bengals team, and then went to Indy as 10 point under dogs.

  • Wexell thought the same thing could happen in Baltimore.
  • A lot of other non-homers seemed to believe.

Personally, I thought the metaphor to be a stretch – that ’05 offense had 4 Hall of Famers on it (yes, I AM counting Hines Ward.) That’s at least 3 if not 4 more than this offense has. But, that being said, the ’05 did leave a template for upsetting a team with superior talent:

Be perfect.

  • Three plays illustrate just how unperfect the Steelers offense was against the Ravens.

Russell Wilson took the very first snap and immediately fired off in Pat Freiermuth’s direction.  Freiermuth was open, right at the first down marker. The ball hit him in the hands. Hitting the man who has been the team’s most reliable receiving threat right off the bat made sense. It would have started the offense off on the right foot.

Imperfect Moment 1: Instead, Pat Freiermuth dropped the ball.

The Steelers punted 5 plays later, and the Ravens responded with a 13 play seven minute plus drive that put them up 7 nothing. After that, the teams traded punts.

After forcing a rare Ravens put, the Steelers started off smartly, getting 8 yards on two Najee Harris’ carries. Afterall, this offense is built around using the run game to set up “manageable third downs.”

Wilson again looked to Freiermuth again.

Imperfect Moment 2: He caught the ball but only got 1 of 2 yards the Steelers needed needed.

The Ravens responded with another 13-minute, nearly 8 minute drive that put them up 14-0, with just 4:02 left the first half. And that’s when the Steelers seriously teased everyone, if only for a second.

After earning a first down, the Steelers faced a 3rd and 8. Mike Tomlin sent out Justin Fields. The Ravens were caught flat-footed and burned a timeout. Russell Wilson came back out and hit George Pickens for an apparently 49 yard moonball.

The field had been flipped, Pittsburgh was in perfect position to halve the score before the half.

Imperfect Moment 3: But Pickens pushed off, got flagged for offensive pass interference.

So it was on third and 18, Wilson managed to find Pat Freiermuth, who only managed to gain 9 yards. As you remember from school, 50% = a failing grade. And then some.

If the Steelers were to have any chance of upsetting the Ravens, they needed to be perfect. Instead they were the opposite.

Rob Mr. Henry to Pay Mr. Jackson? NOT!

Going into the game Lamar Jackson had already rushed for more yards than any other NFL quarterback. Yet previous few of those came at the expense of the Pittsburgh Steelers. The only game where he broke double-digits in rushing attempts was the 2019 game, when Mason Rudolph and Delvin Hodges almost gave him a run for his money.

  • Perhaps that lulled Mike Tomlin and Teryl Austin into a fall sense of security.

Because the Steelers defensive plan was to focus on stopping Derrick Henry, even if that meant allowing Jackson some daylight to run with the ball. And T.J. Watt would have been credited with maybe a half dozen tackles of Henry for losses following fake handoffs.

  • That opened the door for Lamar Jackson to scramble 81 yards on 15 carries.

Credit the Ravens for executing false handoffs to perfection – they fooled both the Steelers and the Amazon Prime camera crews time and time again. With Jackson and Henry the Ravens had a one-two claw attack that the Steelers could never counter – the plan to give up a little to Jackson to shut down Henry failed miserably.

If you’re going to willingly let Jackson make some scrabbles, you have to deliver on stopping Henry.

In case you’re taking notes at home, Derrick Henry ran for 186 yards.

Real 2nd Half Rally? Or Garbage Time Glory

When the Steelers went into the locker room down 21 nothing at the half, losing a point differential of at least 35 points appeared to be in the offing.

Van Jefferson, Steelers vs Ravens

Van Jefferson catches a 30 yard touchdown. Photo Credit: Chaz Palla, Tribune-Review

  • Yet, the Steelers “only” lost by 2 touchdowns.

Did the Steelers make a game of it? Or is that just garbage time glory? It says here that they made a go of it, kinda sorta at least.

The Steelers forced a punt after the opening kickoff in the second half. That punt left the Steelers on their own two. A run to Jaylen Warren yielded 1 yard followed by an incomplete pass.

  • Here Russell Wilson dug deep and hit Calvin Austin for a 29-yard completion.
  • Later he hit Mike Williams on a 37-yard moonball.
  • 2 plays later, on 3rd and 10 he hit Van Jefferson for a 30-yard touchdown.

3 plays later, Derrick Henry gouged the center of the Steelers defense for 44 yards, restoring Baltimore’s 21 point advantage.

But the Steelers weren’t done. Russell Wilson put together another workman like drive, and hit George Pickens for a 30-yard touchdown.

  • The Steelers defense then did what it was supposed to do – it forced a Ravens 3 and out.

With just over full quarter left to play, the Steelers had a real shot at contesting this outcome – if they could only score a touchdown on this drive. The Steelers moved the chains once but, on third and 8, as it has so many times during this losing streak, the receivers couldn’t get open, the line couldn’t protect Wilson long enough, and he got sacked.

The Steelers defense actually forced another punt, but the offense turned over on downs.

Bitter Defeat Reinforces Brutal Reality

The loss to the Ravens didn’t reveal anything new about the Pittsburgh Steelers that we hadn’t seen in the last month and frankly probably should have known since the summer – this is a team with a 9 or 10 win ceiling.

But the loss did reinforce the reality that a sharp delta continues to separate the Steelers from the NFL’s true championship contenders.

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Ravens Beat Steelers 28-14 in AFC Wild Card at M&T Bank Stadium

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The Pittsburgh Steelers playoff losing streak continues the Baltimore Ravens ridiculed them 28-14 at M&T Bank Stadium on Saturday night, as Mike Tomin drops to 0-6 in the postseason since Chris Boswell booted them to their last playoff victory on a cold night in Kansas City, so long ago.

The pitch forks are out in Steelers Nation, understandably so given that the difference in the game was far more dramatic than the score suggests.

One need not dig deep to understand this latest playoff loss: The Baltimore Ravens won because they are a far more talented team who is peaking at just the right time.

Derrick Henry, Minkah Fitzpatrick, Elandon Roberts, Steelers vs Ravens

Derrick Henry leaves Steelers defense in the dust. Photo Credit: Chaz Palla, Tribune-Review

Steelers Had to Be Perfect. They Were Anything But

In the run up to the game, Steel City Insider’s Jim Wexell cited the 2005 Steelers and their playoff upset of the Indianapolis Colts. That ’05 team snuck into the playoffs, knocked off a Bengals team, and then went to Indy as 10 point under dogs.

  • Wexell thought the same thing could happen in Baltimore.
  • A lot of other non-homers seemed to believe.

Personally, I thought the metaphor to be a stretch – that ’05 offense had 4 Hall of Famers on it (yes, I AM counting Hines Ward.) That’s at least 3 if not 4 more than this offense has. But, that being said, the ’05 did leave a template for upsetting a team with superior talent:

Be perfect.

  • Three plays illustrate just how unperfect the Steelers offense was against the Ravens.

Russell Wilson took the very first snap and immediately fired off in Pat Freiermuth’s direction.  Freiermuth was open, right at the first down marker. The ball hit him in the hands. Hitting the man who has been the team’s most reliable receiving threat right off the bat made sense. It would have started the offense off on the right foot.

Imperfect Moment 1: Instead, Pat Freiermuth dropped the ball.

The Steelers punted 5 plays later, and the Ravens responded with a 13 play seven minute plus drive that put them up 7 nothing. After that, the teams traded punts.

After forcing a rare Ravens put, the Steelers started off smartly, getting 8 yards on two Najee Harris’ carries. Afterall, this offense is built around using the run game to set up “manageable third downs.”

Wilson again looked to Freiermuth again.

Imperfect Moment 2: He caught the ball but only got 1 of 2 yards the Steelers needed needed.

The Ravens responded with another 13-minute, nearly 8 minute drive that put them up 14-0, with just 4:02 left the first half. And that’s when the Steelers seriously teased everyone, if only for a second.

After earning a first down, the Steelers faced a 3rd and 8. Mike Tomlin sent out Justin Fields. The Ravens were caught flat-footed and burned a timeout. Russell Wilson came back out and hit George Pickens for an apparently 49 yard moonball.

The field had been flipped, Pittsburgh was in perfect position to halve the score before the half.

Imperfect Moment 3: But Pickens pushed off, got flagged for offensive pass interference.

So it was on third and 18, Wilson managed to find Pat Freiermuth, who only managed to gain 9 yards. As you remember from school, 50% = a failing grade. And then some.

If the Steelers were to have any chance of upsetting the Ravens, they needed to be perfect. Instead they were the opposite.

Rob Mr. Henry to Pay Mr. Jackson? NOT!

Going into the game Lamar Jackson had already rushed for more yards than any other NFL quarterback. Yet previous few of those came at the expense of the Pittsburgh Steelers. The only game where he broke double-digits in rushing attempts was the 2019 game, when Mason Rudolph and Delvin Hodges almost gave him a run for his money.

  • Perhaps that lulled Mike Tomlin and Teryl Austin into a fall sense of security.

Because the Steelers defensive plan was to focus on stopping Derrick Henry, even if that meant allowing Jackson some daylight to run with the ball. And T.J. Watt would have been credited with maybe a half dozen tackles of Henry for losses following fake handoffs.

  • That opened the door for Lamar Jackson to scramble 81 yards on 15 carries.

Credit the Ravens for executing false handoffs to perfection – they fooled both the Steelers and the Amazon Prime camera crews time and time again. With Jackson and Henry the Ravens had a one-two claw attack that the Steelers could never counter – the plan to give up a little to Jackson to shut down Henry failed miserably.

If you’re going to willingly let Jackson make some scrabbles, you have to deliver on stopping Henry.

In case you’re taking notes at home, Derrick Henry ran for 186 yards.

Real 2nd Half Rally? Or Garbage Time Glory

When the Steelers went into the locker room down 21 nothing at the half, losing a point differential of at least 35 points appeared to be in the offing.

Van Jefferson, Steelers vs Ravens

Van Jefferson catches a 30 yard touchdown. Photo Credit: Chaz Palla, Tribune-Review

  • Yet, the Steelers “only” lost by 2 touchdowns.

Did the Steelers make a game of it? Or is that just garbage time glory? It says here that they made a go of it, kinda sorta at least.

The Steelers forced a punt after the opening kickoff in the second half. That punt left the Steelers on their own two. A run to Jaylen Warren yielded 1 yard followed by an incomplete pass.

  • Here Russell Wilson dug deep and hit Calvin Austin for a 29-yard completion.
  • Later he hit Mike Williams on a 37-yard moonball.
  • 2 plays later, on 3rd and 10 he hit Van Jefferson for a 30-yard touchdown.

3 plays later, Derrick Henry gouged the center of the Steelers defense for 44 yards, restoring Baltimore’s 21 point advantage.

But the Steelers weren’t done. Russell Wilson put together another workman like drive, and hit George Pickens for a 30-yard touchdown.

  • The Steelers defense then did what it was supposed to do – it forced a Ravens 3 and out.

With just over full quarter left to play, the Steelers had a real shot at contesting this outcome – if they could only score a touchdown on this drive. The Steelers moved the chains once but, on third and 8, as it has so many times during this losing streak, the receivers couldn’t get open, the line couldn’t protect Wilson long enough, and he got sacked.

The Steelers defense actually forced another punt, but the offense turned over on downs.

Bitter Defeat Reinforces Brutal Reality

The loss to the Ravens didn’t reveal anything news about the Pittsburgh Steelers that we hadn’t seen in the last month and frankly probably should have known since the summer – this is a team with a 9 or 10 win ceiling.

But the loss did reinforce the reality that a sharp delta continues to separate the Steelers from the NFL’s true championship contenders.

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Steelers Report Card for Playoff Loss to Ravens: Tired of Failing Final Exams Edition

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Taken from the gradebook of a teacher who is tired of seeing students fail final exams, here is the Pittsburgh Steelers Report Card for the 2024 Playoff Loss to the Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium.

Lamar Jackson, Patrick Queen, Steelers vs Ravens

Lamar Jackson throws a touchdown to Justin Hill. Photo Credit: Chaz Palla, Tribune-Review

Quarterback
Russell Wilson was 20 of 29 for 270 yards two touchdowns, no interceptions and no fumbles. He was however sacked 4 times. What stands out more than his numbers was his leadership. The Steelers easily could have folded, but Wilson led them on two touchdown drives and kinda-sorta made a go of it in the 2nd half. Justin Fields threw one incompletion. Grade: CSteelers, Report Card, grades,

Running Backs
Najee Harris ran for 17 yards on 6 carries and caught 3 passes for 41 yards. Jaylen Warren ran for 6 yards on 2 carries an caught 4 passes for 19 yards. The Steelers needed more from their running backs. A lot more. Grade: F

Tight Ends
Pat Freiermuth dropped the game’s first pass and failed to convert a third down twice when the Steelers needed it. Darnell Washington had one catch for 9 yards on 3 targets. The Steelers needed more from their tight ends. Grade: F

Wide Receivers
Led the unit with 5 catches for 87 yards, but his PI penalty was brutal. Calvin Austin had one impressive catch for 25 yards. Mike Williams had a catch for 37 yards and Van Jefferson had 2 for 37 including a touchdown. Grade: C-

Offensive Line
Russell Wilson was sacked 4 times – yes some of those were coverage sacks, but line needed to give him more time. The sample size for their rushing effort is pretty spare, but clearly the line wasn’t pushing Ravens defenders off the ball. Grade: F

Defensive Line
The Ravens had 299 yards rushing. Grade: F

Linebackers
Alex Highsmith can say he sacked Lamar Jackson in the playoffs. It was the only time he was touched all night. Not sure if one of the other LB’s was supposed to be spying Jackson. If he was, he didn’t do his job. Derrick Henry had 186 yards rushing. Grade: F

Secondary
Lmarr Jackson “Only” threw for 21 passes. He completed all but 5 of those. 2 were touchdowns. And he was missing his number one wide receiver. Grade: F

Special Teams
Chris Boswell made all of his kicks preventing any returns – not easy to do on a cold Baltimore night. Steelers punt return coverage was strong. And their return game was respectable. Grade: C

Coaching
Credit Arthur Smith for one thing: His offense may have gone down in flames, but at least he didn’t go down in flames trying to “pound” the rock against a brick wall.

Nonetheless, his offense was completely ineffective until thee second half. And, when Steelers had a shot at making a it a one score game with more than a quarter to go, he could protect his quarterback and they couldn’t convert.

I suppose in some form or fashion the idea of yielding some rushing yards to Lamar Jackson to selling out to stop Derrick Henry made sense. But for it work, the Teryl Austin’s defense had to stop Henry. The defense did 5 tackles for losses (not all against Henry).

  • But when it wasn’t doing that, Henry was running at will.

In hindsight, perhaps some day we’ll look back and say that Mike Tomlin deserves to be credited for managing a 10-7 season with this roster, the way Chuck Noll should have been credited with his playoff appearances of the early 80s.

Cam Heyward, Lamar Jackson, Patrick Queen, Larry OgunjobiSteelers vs Ravens

Cam Heyward was a bright stop for the Steelers. Photo Credit: Karl Roser, Steelers.com

But that day is not today, and Mike Tomlin now has 5 one and done playoff appearances since his last win. Grade: F

Unsung Hero Award
IF there is one player who clearly carried his weight, shook of injury and authored a winning performance with 2 tackles for losses and 10 tackles total, it is Cam Heyward and for that he wins the Unsung Hero Award for the Steelers 2024 playoff loss to the Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium.

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Steelers Report Card for Loss to Ravens: NO More Health Room Passes Edition

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Taken from the desk of a teacher who is tired of writing passes to the health room, here is the Pittsburgh Steelers Report Card for the 2024 loss to the Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium.

Minkah Fitzpatrick, Derrick Henry, Steelers vs Ravens

Minkah Fitzpatrick slows down Derrick Henry. Photo Credit: Chaz Palla, Tribune-Review

Quarterback
Russell Wilson went 22 of 33 for 217 yards and 2 touchdowns. In many ways, he is the reason the Steelers were in this game for 3 quarters. But his fumble took at least 3 points off of the board. And his pick-six effectively ended the game. Grade: DSteelers, Report Card, grades,

Running Backs
Collectively the Steelers running backs only totaled 90 yards rushing, which on the surface appears anemic. However, Najee Harris had his best night in several weeks. He hit holes with authority and made piles fall forward. Cordarrelle Patterson caught his only pass – after bobbling it. Connor Heyward worked effectively as a blocker and caught one pass. The Steelers lost to the Ravens for many reasons. The running backs weren’t one of them. Grade: C+

Tight Ends
Pat Freiermuth caught 3 passes for 16 yards. MyCole Pruitt caught 1 pass for one yard and a touchdown, although he was the target on the pick six. Grade: C

Wide Receivers
With each passing game, Calvin Austin seems to do a little more to step up. On his sideline catch he showed incredible concentration and ball skills to bring in a very low percentage pass. Still, there was a breakdown on the 4th down conversion attempt and that could have been a game-changer. Van Jefferson caught 2 passes for 27 yards and Mike Williams caught 3 for 24. Both men look like they could be effective number 3 or 4 wide outs — this team needs a number 1. Flying under the radar is Ben Skowronek who had 2 catches for 25. Grade: D+

Offensive Line
Russell Wilson was sacked 3 times, hit a total of 6 times and had to take off and run 3 more times. Run blocking was a little better, but overall the Steelers needed the line to dominate up front. It did not. Grade: D

Defensive Line
Cam Heyward led the unit in tackles and had one for a loss. But it was a bad night for the defensive line as it neither mounted pass pressure nor stopped the run. Grade: F

Linebackers
Alex Highsmith had a strip sack and Elandon Roberts had a nice tackle behind the line of scrimmage. And Patrick Queen was the team’s leading tackler. But Derrick Henry ran where he wanted, when he wanted, and Lamar Jackson litterally was untouched beyond the sack (per ESPN’s stats.) Grade: F

Minkah Fitzpatrick, Steelers vs Ravens, Minka Fitzpatrick interception Lamar Jackson, Derrick Henry

Minkah Fitzpatrick intercepts Lamar Jackson. Photo Credit: Chaz Palla, Tribune-Review

Secondary
Minkah Fitzpatrick had what should have been a game-changing interception and he was also stoudt against the run. Damontae Kazee led the team in tackles, but along with James Pierre and Cory Trice, this look like a secondary missing 3 out of 4 starters. Grade: D

Special Teams
James Pierre forced a fumble but the Steelers were unable to recover. Chris Boswell made all of his kicks, but he shanked a kickoff which gave Baltimore 10 more yards on a drive a touchdown drive. In a game like this, the last thing you can do is give Baltimore extra yards. Grade: D

Coaching
Arthur Smith does not have a lot to work with at this point. He’s got a young line with 2 rookies. He’s missing he’s got an offense that’s missing its WR number 1 and really doesn’t have a WR number 2. Yet he found ways to use players at the bottom of his depth chat and make just enough plays that, had it not been for two turnovers, would have been competitive.

  • Teryl Austin had a bad night.

Derrick Henry dominated at a level that the Steelers strived, but failed to attain during Jerome Bettis‘ tenure. Lamar Jackson likewise had a very good night, picking apart the Steelers pass coverage with relative ease.

The Steelers entered this game with fire and fight after a tough loss to the Eagles, and that’s to Mike Tomlin’s credit. Further to Tomlin’s credit, he refused to use the fact that his defense is missing 4 starters as an excuse.

Jaylen Warren, Marion Humphrey, Steelers vs Ravens

Jaylen Warren drags Marion Humphrey. Photo Credit: Chaz Palla, Tribune-Review

If the Steelers are to have any chance against Kansas City, Tomlin must either find a heal his players Mr. Miyagi style or mind-meld Mr. Spock style with his backup secondary get them to fully but into the “Standard is the Standard.” Grade: C

Unsung Hero Award
Nights like this require players to dig deep. They must bring a little something extra to the field. One player who ran decisively, fought for every extra yard and even made a minor splash as a kick returner was Jaylen Warren, who wins the Unsung Hero Award for the 2024 loss to the Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium.

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Ravens Route Steelers 32-17, Tie for AFC North Lead

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The Steelers traveled to Baltimore. This time when “Mr. Jackson” and “Mr. Henry” spoke, all of Pittsburgh listened, as the Steelers suffered a 34-17 defeat to the Baltimore Ravens.

The loss drops the Steelers record to 10-5 while improving the Ravens to 10-5, leaving the teams tied in the AFC North crown. It is also the second straight week the Steelers have gone into “Alpha Male” matchups and come out with their lips busted and their nose bloodied.

  • Clearly, this not the type of performance you want to see from the Steelers in “December football.”

But does that mean the Steelers are doomed to another December derrota? The answer is no, it doesn’t. But that “No” comes with a rather large caveat.

Ar'Darius Washington, Russell Wilson, Russell Wilson fumble Ravens, Steelers vs Ravens

Russell Wilson fumbles at the 4 yard line. Photo Credit: Chaz Palla, Tribune-Review

Pittsburgh, Meet “Mr. Jackson” and “Mr. Henry”

Several trends favored the Steelers going into the game.

  • The Steelers had won 8 out of 9 against the Ravens
  • Mike Tomlin had found a way to mortalize Lamar Jackson
  • Although it didn’t get much ink, Pittsburgh had enjoyed similar success vs Derrick Henry

But anyone who thought that the Steelers “had Jackson’s number” was fooling themselves. Lamar Jackson has won multiple league MVP awards in the past and will almost certainly earn the honor multiple times in the future.

As for Derrick Henry, he quite simply runs like the kind of running back that the Steelers offense wishes it had. True, the Steelers have had success in stopping elite running backs this season. One of the few highlights of the flame out in Philly was that the Steelers kept Saquon Barkley down to earth.

  • Both “Mr. Jackson” and “Mr. Henry” took off against the Steelers.

Sure, the Steelers limited Jackson on the ground. But he tossed 3 touchdown passes and, frankly, each one looked  easier. Jackson might have “only” thrown for 209 yards. He didn’t need to throw for more. Henry rushed for 162 on the ground.

Cam Heyward, Elandon Roberts and Minkah Fitzpatrick all logged a few nice stops of Henry behind or near the line of scrimmage. But those were few and far between. The story of the night was the Ravens ripping gaping holes in the Steelers front seven, Henry hitting them to gouge the defense, while members of the secondary barely stopped him from scoring.

  • The Baltimore Ravens were the better team than the Pittsburgh Steelers in all three phases.

John Harbaugh could given out multiple game-balls following this win. But no two players exemplified the Ravens dominance like Jackson and Henry.

ICYMI: The Steelers Were Actually In This Game

The Steelers went into this game down three starters on defense, lost a fourth during the game, and of course George Pickens their most dynamic talent on offense.

  • To score an upset, several players would have to step up.
  • Beyond individual efforts, Arthur Smith would have to coax something extra out of his collective unit

And in a lot of ways that happened. Although you wouldn’t know if you only looked at their rushing totals, Smith platooned Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren more effectively than he has all season.

Calvin Austin, Steelers vs Ravens

Calvin Austin hauls in a sideline pass. Photo Credit: Chaz Palla, Tribune-Review

Warren averaged 4 yards a carry and Harris managed 4.7. Neither man had a run longer than 11 yards. That shows just how scrappy both men were in fighting for extra yards and forcing piles to fall forward. Warren also had several catches.

The offense still clearly misses George Pickens, but Smith found ways to get contributions form others:

No, no one will ever confuse this effort for the Greatest Show on Turf. Nor will they mistake the rushing attack for a dominant ground game. But it does so that, had the game dynamics been different, Arthur Smith’s offense may have risen to the occasion.

The defense was more problematic, but they still found ways to make splash plays when it counted.

After the Steelers offense turned over on downs and then gave up a 44-yard run to Henry, Minkah Fitzpatrick struck back with an interception. It was a play that, had the “game dynamics” been different, could have shifted moment in Pittsburgh’s direction.

Pittsburgh Bounces the Ball Baltimore’s Way. Literally

Against the Eagles, the Steelers lost in large part because the defense and special teams created two turnovers that the offense failed to capitalize. On the 7th play of the game against the Ravens, Alex Highsmith strip sacked Lamar Jackson.

  • But the ball bounced to Ronnie Stanley who recovered for the Ravens.
Alex Highsmith, Lamar Jackson, Steelers vs Ravens

Alex Highsmith strip sacks Lamar Jackson. Photo Credit: Chaz Palla, Tribune-Review

Baltimore forced a punt on the very next series. James Pierre forced Desmond King to fumble. But it rolled in Chris Board’s direction and the Ravens recovered, and then Ravens scored a touchdown.

The Steelers answered with a touchdown of their own. The Steelers forced a punt. On the next drive they were moving steadily down the field when Russell Wilson took off. He ran for 19 yards and reached the Baltimore four.

There he fumbled. He tried to get it back but the ball Kyle Van Noy who recovered for the Ravens.

  • The ball literally wasn’t bouncing Pittsburgh’s way.

And when it wasn’t, the Steelers helped roll it to the Ravens. Two plays after Minkah Fitzpatrick’s interception figured to get the Steelers right back into the game, Russell Wilson fired off a pass towards Puritt that left his hand a second too soon.

Marion Humphrey caught it and took it to the house, bringing the score to 31-17 and effectively icing the game for Baltimore.

Health Critical for the Steelers

Despite losing badly to the Eagles, the Steelers came into the game against the Ravens with fire and fight. For a second straight week, the Steelers learned that fire and fight alone don’t win games. Playmaking does.

  • Avoid a few errors, and the Steelers contest both of those games
  • Make a few plays, and maybe they could have even won

But to make plays, your best players have to be on the field. The Steelers are missing their best offensive playmaker and 3/4ths of their secondary.

Patrick Mahomes is spending Christmas in Pittsburgh.

The Steelers had better find a way to get healthy. Fast.

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Lamar Jackson Paying the Price for Picking on Steelers Rookies

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Lamar Jackson’s  troubles against the Steelers are well documented. And while it would be decidedly disingenuous of this blog to wish him well in overcoming those, there is one piece of advice we can give him:

Joey Porter Jr., Steelers vs Ravens

Joey Porter Jr. gets his first interception. Photo Credit: Chaz Palla, Tribune-Review

  • Stop picking on Steelers rookies.

In two straight stops at Acrisure Stadium, with the game at a pivotal moment, Jackson has followed the same script.

  • Steelers turn over the ball. Jackson targets a rookie. Ravens pay the price.

Back in October 2023, the Ravens were nursing a 2 point lead, when Gunner Olszewski had just fumbled a punt return with just over 5 minutes remaining. When the dust settled, the Ravens had the ball at the Steelers 7-yard line. A run by Gus Edwards brought them 3 yards closer.

  • Kwon Alexander took that yard away by slamming Mark Andrews on the next carry.

Injuries had forced a rookie cornerback into the game, and on third down Jackson thought it would be easy pickings as he fired off a pass to Odell Beckham. If you don’t remember what happened, watch for yourself:


That was Joey Porter Jr.’s first interception. Seven plays later it was Kenny Pickett to George Pickens for 41 yards the go ahead score. All was great in Pittsburgh (except Matt Canada apparently wasn’t happy enough).

Fast forward to last Sunday.

Clinging to a 15 to 10 lead, Russell Wilson throws a butt-ugly pass in Darnell Washington’s direction giving Marlon Humphrey an easy interception in the end zone.

After Lamar Jackson made nice run himself on first down, the Ravens got flagged for ineligible man down field. Then Jackson went back to his favorite well, targeting Justice Hill who was being covered by rookie Payton Wilson:

Once again the Steelers rookie rose to the occasion. And once again, the Steelers offense transformed that turnover into a score for the definitive margin.

So just a suggestion for Lamar Jackson one your next trip to Acrisure Stadium: Maybe don’t target rookies at critical moments of the game.

  • And if not rookie then who should he throw at?

Oh, I don’t know, maybe Cam Heyward, T.J. Watt or perhaps, better yet, Minkah Fitzpatrick….

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Steelers Report Card for Win over Ravens – “Hard Fast and Together” Edition

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Taken from the gradebook of a teacher pleased to see his students playing “hard, fast, and together” here is the Pittsburgh Steelers Report Card for the 2024 win over the Ravens at Acrisure.

Payton Wilson, Justice Hill, Payton Wilson interception, Steelers vs Ravens

Payton Wilson intercepts a Lamar Jackson pass. Photo Credit: Karl Roser, Steelers.com

Quarterbacks
If last week Russell Wilson probably played a little better than his stats indicated, this the reverse is probably true. Wilson went 23-36-204-0-1 with the Red Zone interception and inability to score touchdowns weighing him down. Still, Wilson shook off the interception and led the drive to secure the winning score. Justin Fields took 3 snaps, going for 8 and 9-yard runs but began his slide a step too soon. Grade: C+Steelers, Report Card, grades,

Running Backs
The eye test says that Najee Harris ran better than his 63 yards on 18 carries would indicate. He had a few long ones, and got the one-yarder that the team needed. Jaylen Warren only got the ball 9 times, but turned those into 41 yards and looked strong doing it. Both backs caught 4 balls each, which was critical to the passing game’s success. Cordarrelle Patterson had one rush for zero yards. Grade: B-

Tight Ends
Pat Freiermuth had 2 catches for 14 yards as the breakout game he’s “supposed” to have with Wilson throwing the ball has yet to materialize. Darnell Washington had two catches for 42 yards and looked like a weapon, although he could have made a play on the ball during Wilson’s ill-advised end zone pass. Grade: B-

Wide Receivers
George Pickens led the unit with 8 catches for 89 yards an showed himself to be a threat from the slot and in short yardage. He didn’t come down with a 50/50 ball in the end zone, but there’s a reason why these are 50/50 balls. All other Steelers receivers struggled. Calvin Austin had one catch for negative yards and a sideline drop. Van Jefferson had a drop in the Red Zone.  Ben Skowronek had one catch for 4 yards. Grade: C-

Offensive Line
Russell Wilson was sacked four times although a some of those were coverage sacks. The running backs had a tough go of it, but Baltimore’s front 7 is known for stopping the run. Broderick Jones was flagged twice for holding. Grade: C

Defensive Line
Derrick Henry came into the game averaging an inhuman 6.1 yards per carry. The Steelers held in to 5 yards a carry, but if you take away is long run that drops to 2.8. That is phenomenal. Larry Ogunjobi led the defensive line with tackles, followed by Cam Heyward who deflected two passes. Keeanu Benton was in on key stops and Isaiahh Loudermilk played well. Grade: A

Linebackers
Nick Herbig forced a turnover on the second play of the game and played a major role in disrupting Lamar Jackson’s run on the 2 point conversion. Patrick Queen forced another turnover and was a major force in stopping the run. After flying just under the radar Payton Wilson’s interception turned what should have been a game-changer for the Ravens into a game-changer for the Steelers. T.J. Watt “only” had a sack and a decisive tackle of Henry behind the line of scrimmage. Grade: A

T.J. Watt, Derrick Henry, Steelers vs Ravens

T.J. Watt stones Derrick Henry for a loss. Photo Credit: Karl Roser, Steelers.com

Secondary
Joey Porter Jr. stopped Lamar Jackson and almost shut down Zay Flowers. DeShon Elliott recovered the first forced fumble and again made everyone wonder why his other teams didn’t want him. While the splash play eludes Minkah Fitzpatrick, he contained at least two plays that reached the second level that would have otherwise been touchdowns. Grade: A

Special Teams
The Steelers punt return coverage was solid, although their kick return coverage shows why they should just put it in the end zone when they can. Calvin Austin was decent on returns, and Corliss Waitman boomed off punts. And of course, Chris Boswell was 6-6 on field goals, including knocking in 3 from over 50 yards. Grade: A-

Coaching
For the second time in 10 games, Arthur Smith’s offense couldn’t find the end zone. That’s not good.

But credit Smith for two things. First, when he saw that the long passing game wasn’t working, he ditched it at halftime and began to call shorter passes to backs and tight ends. He also used George Pickens in the slot. While the Steelers offense sputtered at times, it did quietly amass a 36:22 to 23:38 time of possession advantage.

The Baltimore Ravens arrived at Acrisure Stadium with an offense that led the NFL in points-per-game, total yards, rushing offense and Red Zone offense.

  • Teryl Austin’s defense humbled them.

Lamar Jackson has looked like Superman against the rest of the NFL this season. Versus the Steelers he looked more like Jimmy Olsen. Oh, and Austin’s defense force 3 turnovers, all at critical moments in the game.

Dean Lowry, Lamar Jackson, Steelers vs Ravens

Dean Lowry deflects a Lamar Jackson pass. Photo Credit: Chaz Palla, Tribune-Review

The Steelers have a young team coming off of an emotional high of a big road win against an up and coming NFC power. That’s a prime backstory for a let down.

Mike Tomlin had his team focused, hitting hard and kept them in that mindset from start to finish. Grade: B+

Unsung Hero Award
He arrived in Pittsburgh as one of those, “Hum. Nice to have a guess” guys in free agency. We heard his name before this season, albeit on special teams. He played a hair less than 1/3 of the defensive snaps, but it was enough for to sack Lamar Jackson and deflect one of his passes, and for that Dean Lowry wins the Unsung Hero Award for the Steelers 2024 win over the Ravens at Acrisure.

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