Lamar Jackson removed a big burden from his shoulders but Derrick Henry made the difference. The Ravens earned a crucial victory over the Steelers, clinched their sixth playoff berth in seven seasons and silenced plenty of critics with a convincing 34-17 win over the Steelers on Saturday.
“Just all of us, all phases, all of us playing a great game,” Jackson told Erin Andrews on FOX. “Just staying out there no matter what happens in the game. We knew what type of battle this would be. We fought through the interception, a couple penalties, but I feel we played a better game against those guys. We got it done.”
Jackson finished 15 of 23 for 207 yards with an interception and touchdown passes to Mark Andrews, Isaiah Likely and Rashod Bateman. He also registered his first win over the Steelers since Oct. 6, 2019. Pittsburgh had won eight of the previous nine meetings in the series.
“Any win feels good but especially against a rival like this,” said Jackson, who’s now 2-4 in his career against Pittsburgh. “Yeah, I got a little monkey off my back for the time being right now.”
Henry ran early and often. He had 20 yards on two carries in the game’s first minute and never let off the gas. The All-Pro back finished with 162 yards on 24 carries (6.8 avg.), reaching 160 yards for the 15th time in his career and third game this season.
The game hinged on a flurry of back-and-forth plays over a five-snap stretch that opened the final quarter. After Jackson threw a go-ahead 7-yard touchdown to Andrews that gave Baltimore a 24-17 advantage, Mike Tomlin kept his offense on the field facing fourth-and-6 from the Ravens’ 45-yard line. But Kyle Hamilton broke up Russell Wilson’s deep pass intended for Calvin Austin.
On the next play, Henry rumbled 44 yards to the Steelers’ 11 before Jackson threw just his fourth interception on the season. Minkah Fitzpatrick returned the red-zone turnover to the Steelers’ 33. Two plays later, Marlon Humphrey jumped the route and intercepted Wilson, scoring on a 37-yard touchdown. Baltimore never looked back.
Pittsburgh (10-5) is clinging to a razor-thin lead in the AFC North. Both teams are 10-5 overall, 1-1 in head-to-head games (the first tiebreaker) and 3-2 in division games (the second tiebreaker). In the third tiebreaker, common games, the Steelers are 7-3 while the Ravens are 7-4 – against opponents both Pittsburgh and Baltimore have played.
Each team has one division game remaining. Meanwhile, each of the Steelers’ final two games – home to Kansas City on Christmas and at Cincinnati in Week 18 – are common games. Baltimore has just one common game left, home against Cleveland in the season finale.
Both teams have just three days to rest before kicking off again on Christmas. Pittsburgh hosts the Chiefs (14-1) while Baltimore travels to Houston (9-6).
For more information on the Ravens and Steelers, visit the Baltimore and Pittsburgh team pages at ProFootballPost.com.
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