ExtremeRavens

HOUSTON — Ravens second-year standout Zay Flowers crossed the 1,000-yard receiving threshold in last week’s win over the Steelers, becoming the first Baltimore wide receiver to do so since Marquise “Hollywood” Brown in 2021. But his status for Wednesday’s Christmas Day game against the Texans is listed as questionable. Flowers suffered a shoulder injury in that victory over Pittsburgh, missed two days of practice this week, had his arm in a sling in the locker room earlier in the week and was limited in Tuesday’s final walk-through practice of the week. Already, the Ravens (10-5) will be without veteran receiver Nelson Agholor (concussion), who was ruled out for the second straight game. They will also be without running back Justice Hill, who suffered a concussion against Pittsburgh and has not cleared protocol. With Hill sidelined, Baltimore will turn to rookie Rasheen Ali and second-year player Keaton Mitchell behind Derrick Henry. Cornerback Jalyn Armour-Davis (hamstring) was also ruled out, while cornerback Tre’Davious White (shoulder) is listed as questionable after practicing for the first time this week on Tuesday, albeit in a limited capacity. Pro Bowl center Tyler Linderbaum and right guard Daniel Faalele, who were dealing with back and knee injuries this week, did not have injury designations and are expected to play. That will be a big help against a Texans defensive front that is perhaps the best in the NFL and led by edge rushers Will Anderson Jr. and Danielle Hunter. Related Articles Baltimore Ravens | Ravens vs. Texans staff picks: Who wins on Christmas in Houston? Baltimore Ravens | Ravens vs. Texans Week 17 scouting report: Who will have the edge? Baltimore Ravens | Ravens vs. Texans Week 17 betting guide: Picks, predictions and odds Baltimore Ravens | NFL winners and losers, Week 16: Ravens could be the big bully this postseason Baltimore Ravens | How Ravens QB Lamar Jackson has reentered the NFL MVP race Houston (9-6), however, will be without starting right guard Shaq Mason (knee) and guard/center Juice Scruggs (foot), with both ruled out. Wide receiver Tank Dell was also put on injured reserve earlier in the week after suffering a dislocated knee and torn ACL against the Kansas City Chiefs, as was safety Jimmie Ward after suffering a foot injury in the same game. The Texans signed receiver Diontae Johnson to help offset the loss of Dell, doing so just days after he was waived by the Ravens. The Texans are also banged up along the defensive front. Defensive tackle Folorunso Fatukasi (ankle) was ruled out, while defensive end Denico Autry (knee) was listed as questionable, though he did practice in a limited capacity for a third straight day. Have a news tip? Contact Brian Wacker at bwacker@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/brianwacker1. View the full article

Here’s how The Baltimore Sun sports staff views the outcome of Wednesday’s Week 17 game between the Ravens (10-5) and Texans (9-6) at NRG Stadium in Houston: Brian Wacker, reporter Ravens 24, Texans 14: The Texans have perhaps the best defense in the NFL. The Ravens have the league’s top offense in yards per game and are third in scoring. It’s a delicious matchup. Lamar Jackson is also operating at an elite level and Houston is so desperate at wide receiver after losing Stefon Diggs and now Tank Dell that it claimed jettisoned and fractious Diontae Johnson off waivers this week. Those losses put a serious cramp in the Texans’ offense against an ascendant Ravens defense, while Baltimore’s offense has been regaining its rhythm and momentum in recent weeks. The Ravens can see the finish line of the regular season and a third win in 11 days will help get them there. Childs Walker, reporter Ravens 31, Texans 24: Elite pass offense vs. elite pass defense. That’s an enticing headline for a Christmas showcase, and Lamar Jackson will face another true test as he tries to rally his team to a repeat AFC North title. The Ravens’ pass protection will need to be sturdy, and they’ll need to build a significant advantage on the ground. The good news for them is that C.J. Stroud, now missing two of his top three receivers, has not been at his best for most of this season. It will be difficult for Houston to keep up if the Ravens’ offense plays even an average game. The Texans have played close games against top opponents but have fallen short in most of those. That pattern will hold against Baltimore. Mike Preston, columnist Ravens 28, Texans 21: The Texans have a strong defense, but they can’t control the ball and keep the Ravens’ offense off the field. Former Bengals running back Joe Mixon is playing better than I thought he could play in Houston, but the Ravens can make the Texans one-dimensional. Once that happens, the Ravens will be able to get pressure on quarterback C.J. Stroud, whose receiving corps has been decimated by injuries. The Ravens are operating on a short week because of travel, but they still have too much talent and a much better roster than Houston. This game will be close for about three quarters. C.J Doon, editor Ravens 30, Texans 13: The Texans just lost three starters to long-term injuries, and their offensive line has been terrible all season. C.J. Stroud will have to play at an MVP level to keep this one close, and while he’s certainly capable, the Ravens should be able to create enough pressure and play tight coverage to limit Nico Collins and Houston’s depleted passing game. Joe Mixon has also struggled to find running room recently, so there are not many answers against a steadily improving Baltimore defense. The Texans’ defense is certainly formidable, but Lamar Jackson should be able to neutralize pass rushers Danielle Hunter and Will Anderson Jr. while Derrick Henry pounds away against a soft interior and a trio of linebackers who all weigh less than him. Ravens and Beyoncé fans should be “Crazy in Love” with this matchup. (Sorry.) Related Articles Baltimore Ravens | Ravens vs. Texans Week 17 scouting report: Who will have the edge? Baltimore Ravens | Ravens vs. Texans Week 17 betting guide: Picks, predictions and odds Baltimore Ravens | NFL winners and losers, Week 16: Ravens could be the big bully this postseason Baltimore Ravens | How Ravens QB Lamar Jackson has reentered the NFL MVP race Baltimore Ravens | Find a Flock: Ravens and Lamar Jackson are drawing interest worldwide Tim Schwartz, editor Ravens 34, Texans 14: Prevent Nico Collins from taking over the game, and that should be enough for the Ravens. Who does C.J. Stroud have left to throw the ball to? Diontae Johnson? But seriously, Houston is in tough shape after Tank Dell’s season-ending injury and Baltimore is on a roll. It feels like a bigger mismatch than it might be on paper since the Texans’ secondary is the NFL’s best on paper, but the Ravens are not one-dimensional. Derrick Henry will get his share of carries, Lamar Jackson will get all of his playmakers involved and Baltimore will roll in what will be a rout. Bennett Conlin, editor Ravens 27, Texans 20: Ravens coach John Harbaugh and quarterback Lamar Jackson spent part of Monday’s news conference discussing Beyoncé and her upcoming halftime show for this showdown. Texans coach DeMeco Ryans spent his news conference explaining how the team hopes to emotionally move on from losing a standout wide receiver (Tank Dell) and safety (Jimmie Ward). Baltimore feels like it’s better prepared physically and mentally for a short week, as the Ravens are overflowing with confidence and playing loose after taking down the Steelers for just the second time in 10 tries. Have a news tip? Contact sports editor Tim Schwartz at timschwartz@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/timschwartz13. View the full article

The Ravens celebrated a cathartic 34-17 win over the Steelers on Saturday, while the Texans fell to the Chiefs, 27-19. Who will have the advantage when these AFC playoff teams meet on Christmas? Ravens passing game vs. Texans pass defense This is the league’s most efficient pass offense against its most efficient pass defense, according to DVOA, so that’s fun. Lamar Jackson finally played a Most Valuable Player-level game against the Pittsburgh defense, which had given him more trouble than any other. His throws into tight windows, including a 49-yard gain to Zay Flowers on the Ravens’ final scoring drive, demonstrated how far he has come as a passer over the past seven years. A red-zone interception on which he and Rashod Bateman failed to find the same page was his only significant misfire in that signature win. Jackson has set new career highs in passing yards and touchdown passes with two games to spare and leads the league in passer rating and yards per attempt for an offense that ranks first in yards per play, third in scoring and first in red zone efficiency. His leading receiver, Flowers, crossed the 1,000-yard mark for the season against Pittsburgh. Tight end Mark Andrews has caught touchdown passes in four straight games and has totaled nine in his past 10. Jackson’s pass protection held up well against the Steelers’ star rushers, with only Alex Highsmith wreaking havoc, largely against left tackle Ronnie Stanley, whose performance has dipped in recent weeks. The Baltimore offensive line will face another rigorous test from the Texans, tied for third in the league in sacks and holding opponents to just 5.4 yards per attempt. The troubles start with edge rushers Will Anderson Jr. (10 1/2 sacks, 17 quarterback hits) and Danielle Hunter (12 sacks, 23 quarterback hits). Like many of the top defenses, the Texans put heat on the quarterback without blitzing frequently (21.2% of dropbacks). Houston also has an array of playmakers in its secondary, led by 2022 first-round pick Derek Stingley Jr., who appears headed for his first Pro Bowl with five interceptions and 18 passes defended. Rookie Kamari Lassiter has played well as Stingley’s partner on the outside. Veteran Jimmie Ward, one of the league’s best safeties over the last five years, suffered a season-ending foot injury against the Chiefs. EDGE: Ravens Ravens vs TexansJerry Jackson/Baltimore SunRavens linebacker Roquan Smith sacks Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud during last year’s season opener. (Staff file) Texans passing game vs. Ravens pass defense Quarterback C.J. Stroud (23rd in passer rating, 25th in ESPN’s QBR) hasn’t produced the sparkling follow-up many expected after his splendid rookie season, which ended in the divisional round of the playoffs against the Ravens. Stefon Diggs tore his ACL, and Tank Dell dislocated his kneecap in an unsettling scene against the Chiefs, so Stroud is down two of his top three targets. Only Nico Collins (60 catches, 909 yards, six touchdowns in 10 games) remains as a significant big-pay threat. The Texans could have wide receiver John Metchie III back from a shoulder injury. Tight end Dalton Schultz (48 catches, 482 yards) is Stroud’s other main option, and running back Joe Mixon is always dangerous on screens and dump-offs. Houston’s pass protection, expected to be a strength with Laremy Tunsil anchoring at left tackle, has been faulty, leaving Stroud to take 47 sacks. The second-year quarterback has added to that problem by holding the ball an average of 2.97 seconds per dropback, according to Next Gen Stats. The Ravens will try to follow up a strong effort against the Steelers in which they pressured Russell Wilson 27 times, per Pro Football Focus. Outside linebacker David Ojabo helped create Marlon Humphrey’s pick-six in the fourth quarter, which essentially put the game away. Outside linebacker Kyle Van Noy and defensive tackle Nnamdi Madubuike delivered stellar performances. The secondary did its part with three massive plays: Humphrey’s interception, Ar’Darius Washington’s forced fumble on Wilson near the goal line and Kyle Hamilton’s pass breakup on another potential touchdown. Humphrey (six interceptions, 13 pass breakups) deserves to make his fourth Pro Bowl, while safeties Hamilton and Washington have transformed the Ravens’ pass defense since they took over the back end. Baltimore now ranks 14th in DVOA against the pass, which would have seemed inconceivable 10 weeks into the season when the defense had given up more 20-yard-plus plays than any in the league. Cornerback Brandon Stephens also played one of his best games in a rocky year against the Steelers. EDGE: Ravens Ravens running game vs. Texans run defense The Ravens trampled the Steelers for 220 rushing yards, with Derrick Henry delivering a vintage late-season performance (24 carries, 162 yards). Just a few days away from his 31st birthday, Henry is on pace for the second-highest rushing total of his marvelous career and averaging a career-best 5.9 yards per carry. Pittsburgh bottled up Jackson (nine carries, 22 yards); he’s still leading the league at 6.1 yards per attempt. The Ravens lost third-down back Justice Hill (concussion) on a scary play, so they will likely call on Rasheen Ali, with Keaton Mitchell also active, against the Texans. The Texans’ run defense is also very good, though they’ll miss suspended (for his hit on Jacksonville quarterback Trevor Lawrence) linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair. Even without him, Houston allowed just 52 yards in a win over the Dolphins and 124 in its loss to Kansas City. Opponents average 4.3 yards per carry against the Texans. Will the Ravens, with their league-best 5.7-yard average, finally be the team that cracks the dam against them? EDGE: Ravens Texans running game vs. Ravens run defense Mixon has tailed off after a red-hot start and is averaging 4.2 yards per carry, in line with his career mark of 4.1. He’s of course familiar to the Ravens after playing seven seasons in Cincinnati. Baltimore has held him to 3.6 yards per carry. The Texans don’t really have a second option, though Stroud will take off in a pinch. The Ravens have allowed the fewest yards per game and per carry in the league, though Pittsburgh found some success against them on early downs, running for 117 yards on 24 carries. Linebacker Roquan Smith again leads the team in tackles, though Hamilton has arguably taken over as the most impactful run defender. Linebacker Chris Board, who has taken snaps away from Trenton Simpson, played his best game of the season against the Steelers. The Ravens also have their interior wall back with nose tackle Michael Pierce and defensive tackle Travis Jones both off the injury report. EDGE: Ravens Ravens special teams vs. Texans special teams Justin Tucker eased some of the anxiety around him by making all his kicks, including a 51-yard field goal, on a blustery afternoon against the Steelers. The day still turned into an adventure for the Ravens’ special teams, with Jordan Stout shanking a punt and punt returner Desmond King II fumbling twice (coach John Harbaugh said King will remain his punt returner against Houston). Such errors explain why the Ravens rank 24th in special teams DVOA. On kickoffs, Mitchell is the top candidate to stand in for Hill. Houston ranks seventh in special teams DVOA. Kicker Ka’imi Fairbairn has made 35 of 41 field-goal attempts, though he missed an extra point against Kansas City and two of his earlier misses came on field goals between 20 and 29 yards. Punter Tommy Townsend is one of the best in the league. The Texans have averaged an impressive 30.6 yards on kickoff returns, a less impressive 8.5 on punt returns. EDGE: Texans Related Articles Baltimore Ravens | Ravens vs. Texans staff picks: Who wins on Christmas in Houston? Baltimore Ravens | Ravens vs. Texans Week 17 betting guide: Picks, predictions and odds Baltimore Ravens | NFL winners and losers, Week 16: Ravens could be the big bully this postseason Baltimore Ravens | How Ravens QB Lamar Jackson has reentered the NFL MVP race Baltimore Ravens | Find a Flock: Ravens and Lamar Jackson are drawing interest worldwide Ravens intangibles vs. Texans intangibles The Ravens’ win over the Steelers was their most satisfying of the season and gave them a solid chance to snatch the AFC North and home-field advantage in the first round of the playoffs from Pittsburgh. They’ll be at a rest disadvantage as the road team in a short week, but Houston is coming off a tough loss with several key players either on injured reserve or trying to fight through injuries. Coach John Harbaugh’s Ravens beat the Texans twice in Baltimore last season. They’re 5-3 on the road this season. Related Articles Baltimore Ravens | Ravens vs. Texans staff picks: Who wins on Christmas in Houston? Baltimore Ravens | Ravens vs. Texans Week 17 betting guide: Picks, predictions and odds Baltimore Ravens | NFL winners and losers, Week 16: Ravens could be the big bully this postseason Baltimore Ravens | How Ravens QB Lamar Jackson has reentered the NFL MVP race Baltimore Ravens | Find a Flock: Ravens and Lamar Jackson are drawing interest worldwide The Texans don’t have much to play for in the standings, with the AFC South already clinched and an uphill path to the No. 3 seed. But coach DeMeco Ryans’ team will be a home underdog motivated to prove it can best one of the conference’s proven big dogs in a nationally televised Christmas showcase. Stroud and his teammates appeared shell-shocked after they witnessed Dell’s injury against the Chiefs, but there’s no reason to think that will carry over. Of greater concern to the Texans is their generally poor record against top-tier opponents, with an Oct. 6 win over the Buffalo Bills the lone exception. EDGE: Ravens Prediction Elite pass offense vs. elite pass defense. That’s an enticing headline for a Christmas showcase, and Jackson will face another true test as he tries to rally his team to a repeat AFC North title. The Ravens’ pass protection will need to be sturdy, and they’ll need to build a significant advantage on the ground. The good news for them is that Stroud, now missing two of his top three receivers, has not been at his best for most of this season. It will be difficult for Houston to keep up if the Ravens’ offense plays even an average game. The Texans have played close games against top opponents but have fallen short in most of those. That pattern will hold against Baltimore. Ravens 31, Texans 24 Have a news tip? Contact Childs Walker at daviwalker@baltsun.com, 410-332-6893 and x.com/ChildsWalker. View the full article

The Ravens take center stage on Christmas Day, visiting the Houston Texans in an important game for playoff positioning in the AFC. Baltimore could end the day with a gift their fans have been yearning for all season — the AFC North division lead. If the Ravens (10-5) beat the Texans and the Steelers lose to the Chiefs — the Chiefs and Ravens are both betting favorites — they will take the AFC North lead into Week 18. Understandably, Wednesday’s matchup with Houston (9-6) is crucial to the team’s chances of winning the division. The importance of the game hasn’t stopped the Ravens from engaging in lighthearted moments this week. Quarterback Lamar Jackson laughed during his Monday news conference when asked about how special it is to play on Christmas Day. “That means we’re good, but at the same time, I do want to celebrate at home sometimes with my family,” Jackson said with a smile. “I don’t want to be playing on Christmas all the time.” Jackson wouldn’t mind the NFL schedule-makers changing things up in 2025 — Baltimore played on Christmas Day last year, too — but he’s also eager to move his team closer to a division title. The Ravens appear loose this week, perhaps because of a 17-point win over the Steelers just a few days ago. Betting markets like a confident Baltimore team’s chances in Wednesday’s marquee matchup. What are the odds? The Ravens find themselves in a familiar spot this week, as they’re a betting favorite for the 15th consecutive game. Spread: Ravens by 5 1/2 (FanDuel) Total: 46 1/2 points Moneyline: Ravens -245, Texans +200 Baltimore is a respectable 8-6-1 against the spread this season. The Ravens often play games that go over the projected point total, as 12 of their 15 games have been overs, including each of their past two games. As for Houston, the Texans are 6-7-2 against the spread and most of their games go under the projected point total. Just five of the team’s 15 games have gone over the total. Ravens ready to roll? The Ravens are 2-0 after their bye week with a 21-point win over the Giants and a 17-point win over the Steelers. I’m expecting more of the same Wednesday in Houston. Related Articles Baltimore Ravens | Ravens vs. Texans staff picks: Who wins on Christmas in Houston? Baltimore Ravens | Ravens vs. Texans Week 17 scouting report: Who will have the edge? Baltimore Ravens | NFL winners and losers, Week 16: Ravens could be the big bully this postseason Baltimore Ravens | How Ravens QB Lamar Jackson has reentered the NFL MVP race Baltimore Ravens | Find a Flock: Ravens and Lamar Jackson are drawing interest worldwide Despite an impressive 9-6 record, the Texans look a step below the NFL’s best. Houston fell to the Chiefs, 27-19, last week, even with Patrick Mahomes hobbled with an ank;e injury. They lost to the Lions early this season despite Jared Goff throwing five interceptions in the matchup. With season-ending injuries to wide receiver Tank Dell and safety Jimmie Ward, the Texans are missing key players ahead of the showdown. The Texans claimed Diontae Johnson off waivers as they deal with injury issues at the receiver position. “Losing them is hard,” Texans coach DeMeco Ryans said Monday of the two major injuries. Baltimore’s defense is improving, and the Ravens look like they’re trending up. While Baltimore’s Jackson and coach John Harbaugh spent part of Monday’s news conferences talking about Beyoncé, the Texans spent a significant chunk of time discussing the season-ending injuries and how to move forward. Baltimore is in a better place in Week 17 to manage a short week, especially with bruising running back Derrick Henry coming off a 162-yard rushing performance. “He’s looking probably the best he’s looked in his career,” Ryans said. “He’s found that fountain of youth.” Best bet: Ravens by 5 (ESPN BET) Have a news tip? Contact sports editor Bennett Conlin at bconlin@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/BennettConlin. View the full article

Each week of the NFL season, The Baltimore Sun will recap the best and worst from around the league. Here are our winners and losers from Week 16: Winner: Ravens Consider the demons exorcised. The Ravens ended their long and often inexplicable struggles against the Steelers with a 34-17 win Saturday at M&T Bank Stadium. After losing eight of nine matchups against Pittsburgh, often because of self-inflicted mistakes, Baltimore committed fewer penalties and fewer turnovers than its archrival to keep its hopes alive for a second straight AFC North title. Of course, there was plenty of luck involved. The Ravens recovered all three of their own fumbles, including a strip-sack of Lamar Jackson, and pounced on a fumble by Steelers quarterback Russell Wilson near the goal line that likely prevented a touchdown and led to a 96-yard scoring drive the other way. Even Jackson’s fourth-quarter interception on a miscommunication with wide receiver Rashod Bateman was nullified when cornerback Marlon Humphrey stepped in front of a pass from Wilson and returned it 37 yards for a touchdown. Nobody in Baltimore will apologize for getting a few breaks after seeing all the dropped passes, turnovers and penalties that have plagued the Ravens in this rivalry for years. It was only a matter of time before the pendulum swung back the other way. But despite all the good luck, there was nothing about Saturday’s win that felt fluky. The Ravens’ offensive line dominated, paving the way for 220 rushing yards. Derrick Henry rushed for 162 of them on 24 carries, showing he has plenty left in the tank as the weather turns colder and running the ball becomes that much more important. Gus Edwards, J.K. Dobbins, Mark Ingram II and even Keaton Mitchell have had their moments lining up next to Jackson in recent years, but none of them struck fear in opponents the way Henry does when he gets going. That could be the difference this time around when the Ravens enter the postseason in a few weeks. While Jackson continues to play at an NFL Most Valuable Player-worthy level, he finally has someone who can carry some of the burden alongside him. Instead of hunting for big plays at inopportune moments and turning into a pass-happy offense, the Ravens can ride Henry and control the pace of the game. It took a while, but with Henry in the backfield and the defense rounding into form, the Ravens have the look of a team ready to make a Super Bowl run. Loser: Tampa Bay Buccaneers This was supposed to be an easy one. Playing against a Cowboys team that learned just hours before the game that it had been eliminated from postseason contention, the Buccaneers were outplayed in Dallas in a gut-wrenching 26-24 loss. With the defeat, the Falcons took control of the NFC South heading into the final two weeks of the regular season. The Cowboys handed the Buccaneers a devastating loss in Week 16. (Matt Patterson/AP) It just goes to show how much can change in a week in this league. Atlanta had just benched Kirk Cousins for rookie Michael Penix Jr. following a disastrous stretch by the veteran quarterback, while Tampa Bay was riding a four-game winning streak and coming off a dominant performance against the Chargers. Then Cooper Rush threw for 226 yards in the first half Sunday night to help Dallas take a surprising 23-14 lead, and the Bucs turned the ball over twice in the second half to end any hopes of a comeback attempt. A Tampa Bay defense that allowed an NFL-low 15 points per game during its recent winning streak suddenly couldn’t get off the field. What just last week looked like a formidable contender now might miss out on the playoffs entirely. Winner: AFC playoff race So you’re saying there’s a chance? The 7-8 Colts, Dolphins and Bengals all won Sunday to keep their faint playoff hopes alive heading into a suddenly interesting final two weeks of the regular season. While the Chargers (9-6) and Broncos (9-6) have long been assumed to be the No. 6 and No. 7 wild-card teams in the AFC, there’s a chance — however small — that Indianapolis, Miami or Cincinnati could swoop in and steal a spot at the 11th hour. With respect to the Dolphins and Colts, the Bengals are the most interesting team still in the hunt. Joe Burrow is playing at an MVP level, and Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins are capable of wrecking any opposing defense. (Let’s just ignore the Bengals’ defense for now.) A huge game against the Broncos looms in Week 17, and the path to a playoff is not that convoluted. Here’s what needs to happen for Cincinnati to get in: Bengals win out (vs. Broncos, at Steelers) Broncos lose out (at Bengals, vs. Chiefs) Dolphins lose at least one more game (at Browns, at Jets) Colts lose at least one more game (at Giants, vs. Jaguars) The Bengals’ playoff odds sit at 7%, according to the NFL’s Next Gen Stats, but ESPN’s model gives them a 15% chance. While it’s unlikely both the Dolphins and Colts lose a game against some of the league’s worst teams, anything can happen in this week-to-week league. Superb play from quarterback Joe Burrow has the Bengals in playoff contention, even with a scuffling defense. (Kareem Elgazzar/AP) Winner: NFC playoff race With the 49ers officially eliminated from playoff contention, this is a good time to reflect on the new world order in the NFC. San Francisco had been to four of the past five conference championship games, and while they only won two, they loomed over the field every season with perhaps the most talented roster in the league. No more. This year has given rise to a new crop of contenders, led by the Lions, Eagles and Vikings. The Packers, who nearly knocked off San Francisco in the divisional round last season, have taken a step forward behind quarterback Jordan Love and a talented young offense. Related Articles NFL | Ravens vs. Texans staff picks: Who wins on Christmas in Houston? NFL | Ravens vs. Texans Week 17 scouting report: Who will have the edge? NFL | Ravens vs. Texans Week 17 betting guide: Picks, predictions and odds NFL | How Ravens QB Lamar Jackson has reentered the NFL MVP race NFL | Find a Flock: Ravens and Lamar Jackson are drawing interest worldwide The Commanders have become one of the most exciting teams in the league, with rookie Jayden Daniels throwing his fourth touchdown pass of the season with 30 seconds or less to play in Sunday’s win over Philadelphia. The Rams have overcome a 1-4 start to take the NFC West lead behind one of the league’s best offenses led by coach Sean McVay and Matthew Stafford. The Buccaneers are still capable of knocking off anyone in the league. Even the Falcons, who were widely criticized after drafting Penix following their offseason signing of Cousins, are an intriguing team with a rookie quarterback at the helm. Will the Lions finally reach the Super Bowl for the first time in franchise history? Can Sam Darnold really lead the Vikings to the championship? Will the Eagles continue to roll behind Saquon Barkley or be undone by coach Nick Sirianni and internal strife? Will any of the wild-card teams make a surprising run? It’s shaping up to be a fascinating postseason for a conference entering a new era. Have a news tip? Contact sports editor C.J. Doon at cdoon@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/CJDoon. View the full article

Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson is not focused on a potential third NFL Most Valuable Player Award, even though it would put him in the rarefied company of the six current and future Pro Football Hall of Famers, including Jim Brown and Tom Brady, who have won it at least three times. He also has little interest in the talk surrounding it given bigger stakes on his mind. Those six players, of course, have achieved something Jackson has not: A championship. “That’s never been my goal,” Jackson said Monday of his MVP chances suddenly being rekindled by a three-touchdown performance in a win over the Pittsburgh Steelers along with Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen’s underwhelming output against the lousy New England Patriots. “That’s never been my goal. Even the first, the second one, I always want to finish with the championship. “I got no other choice but to hear it. They tag me in it.” That noise will only continue to grow if he has a similar performance against the Houston Texans on Christmas. The Ravens (10-5) are tied with the Steelers for first place in the AFC North. A win over the Texans (9-6) would at least keep them there with Pittsburgh playing the Kansas City Chiefs earlier on Christmas Day. As good as Jackson was against the Steelers and has been this season — he set a franchise record for touchdown passes in a year with his 37th on Saturday, breaking his own mark — lighting up Houston and its elite defense in front of a prime-time audience that will include a halftime performance by Beyoncé would go a long way toward adding to the MVP Awards he won in 2019 and 2023. The Texans’ 46 sacks are third-most in the NFL and they have the highest pass rush win rate (49%) in the league, per ESPN analytics. At the nexus of their disruption are star edge rushers Danielle Hunter and Will Anderson Jr., who rank first and sixth, respectively, in pass rush win rate at 28% and 22%. While Ravens running back Derrick Henry has made life easier for Jackson, ranking second in the NFL in rushing yards, it could be tough sledding for the 30-year-old on Christmas, with the Texans ranking second in run-stop win rate. Houston is also second in the league in interceptions (19), led by rookie safety Caleb Bullock and cornerback Derek Stingley Jr., who have five apiece. Still, Jackson has been elite. He has just four interceptions, which are two fewer than his career-low of six in 2019. That included one against the Steelers last week on a miscommunication with receiver Rashod Bateman, but it was also his first interception in a month. “He’s a really young player still,” coach John Harbaugh said of the progression he has seen from his 27-year-old star this season. “It’s what you would expect from a diligent, talented player who works at it. “I think he grows in every area as we go. The whole tree line’s getting higher.” It’s noticeable, even to the man himself. “I’m improving because each year I’m critiquing myself,” Jackson said. “I’m seeing what teams are doing to me and I’m seeing all the types of defenses they’re trying to throw at me and I’m just studying those. So when I’m going into games I’m getting a feel for what they’re doing to me. “That’s definitely just age because early on in my career I wasn’t critiquing myself like that. I probably go see what I did because I just got in the league. … Now, it’s totally different.” Take Jackson’s second-quarter touchdown pass to Bateman against the Steelers. He gave a small but quick hitch to draw Cory Trice Jr. in, causing the cornerback to bite underneath. That left Bateman with overmatched safety Damontae Kazee, with the receiver easily beating him to the back corner of the end zone. Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson has thrown 37 touchdown passes this season, his career-best mark. (Kenneth K. Lam/Staff) It was just one of many examples of Jackson’s precision and command this season. He is on pace for a career high in completion percentage (currently 67.9%) and has already surpassed his career high in passing yards with 3,787 with two games remaining. He also has the highest Pro Football Focus grade (97.1) on throws of more than 10 yards downfield of any quarterback in the league. Tight end Mark Andrews, who has been the quarterback’s favorite target and security blanket since the two arrived in Baltimore in 2018, said on Pat McAfee’s eponymous show this week that Jackson is playing better than ever. “He’s found a way each and every year to elevate his game,” Andrews said. “I think the game is just slow for him right now. He’s making his checks, he’s making the right reads and he’s putting the ball right on the money. … The way his brain is working is on another level.” It’s also not worried about another MVP. “I think it’s just him not thinking too much about everything going on around him and just focused on where he is in the moment at hand, whether it be practice, whether it be his recovery day, whether it be game day,” left tackle Ronnie Stanley said. “He’s great at keeping his feet where he is.” And great at sleep. That’s been the key focus, Jackson said, with Wednesday’s game marking Baltimore’s third in 11 days. The Ravens won the first two, blowing out the terrible New York Giants in New Jersey followed by a hugely important win over the Steelers at M&T Bank Stadium last week to keep their division hopes alive. Now comes the sternest test of all in the Texans. Related Articles Baltimore Ravens | Ravens vs. Texans staff picks: Who wins on Christmas in Houston? Baltimore Ravens | Ravens vs. Texans Week 17 scouting report: Who will have the edge? Baltimore Ravens | Ravens vs. Texans Week 17 betting guide: Picks, predictions and odds Baltimore Ravens | NFL winners and losers, Week 16: Ravens could be the big bully this postseason Baltimore Ravens | Find a Flock: Ravens and Lamar Jackson are drawing interest worldwide “Anytime I can get some rest, I get some rest,” Jackson said. “You start getting a little wear and tear when you get older.” It’s not just physical, either. “Workloads change,” Harbaugh said. “The mental stuff is packed in more. Everything just gets packed in more. It’s not as much physical, it’s not as much fast moving. Most of it is just condensed.” Which is a good way to describe the MVP race between Jackson, Allen and Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley, who leads the NFL in rushing yards. Not that Jackson is paying much attention. “If it do happen, it happen,” Jackson said of another MVP. “That’ll be dope. “I’m trying to win the championship. That’s my biggest goal. That’s been my goal ever since [I was] a little kid.” Have a news tip? Contact Brian Wacker at bwacker@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/brianwacker1. Week 17 Ravens at Texans Wednesday, 4:30 p.m. TV/Stream: CBS, Netflix Radio: 97.9 FM, 101.5 FM, 1090 AM Line: Ravens by 5 1/2 Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson, left, is focused on one thing: winning a Super Bowl. (Kenneth K. Lam/Staff) View the full article

Brian Oliver sat at the foot of his hotel bed on a Sunday morning. He pulled out his phone and searched, “Ravens game Mexico City.” There had to be some sports bar nearby that could show the game, he thought. A Facebook group popped up. That led him to a watch party at Gallo Cervecero. “I just assumed I’d be showing up to a bar full of expats,” Oliver said. What he found was the weekly gathering for Ravens Flock México, one of many international fan groups drawn to the Baltimore football team for myriad reasons. Some are random, like Ray Lewis’ “Madden 13” intro, while others are infatuated by the unmistakable greatness of Lamar Jackson. Oliver, 39, was born and raised in Baltimore. He runs a travel blog called Beyond BMore, nearly a decade-old passion project encouraging others to stretch beyond their roots and see the world. On any such trip, Oliver will take a side quest to watch his team. Having been to London for both international Ravens games, in 2017 and 2023, he was pretty aware of the vast fanbase. Gallo Cervecero turned out to be the perfect place to watch his Ravens beat up on the Denver Broncos. Oliver threw on a bright orange Orioles shirt with Baltimore scribbled across the chest and ventured in. This felt like a foreign Mother’s. The walls and tables are painted cherry red. There’s a TV above eye level in every corner. One wall has a 4-foot tall Ravens shield. Another is draped over by a Ravens flag. There were very few English-speaking patrons, but all were wearing Ravens jerseys, drinking beer, eating wings and bellowing the familiar Seven Nation Army bass. “I just felt at home the entire time,” Oliver said. That’s thanks to Ravens Flock México founder Sergio Romo. Around 2007, Romo saw his first AFC North clash between the Ravens and Pittsburgh Steelers. He was hooked. “Watching Ray Lewis, Ed Reed and [Terrell] Suggs play,” Romo said, “made me follow the team more closely and that passion grew. I wanted to create a place where fans could connect and celebrate together.” The group has slowly climbed in numbers over the years but particularly the past two. Romo is an IT infrastructure and project manager by day and a Ravens master of ceremonies by night. Gallo Cervecero is their home base on Sundays, but Romo has a 3-year plan to see M&T Bank Stadium in person. That’s one of his life’s goals, he said. International Ravens fan groups come in all shapes and sizes. The team site has an interactive map to “Find a Flock” with information about host bars, photos and contact information spread all over North America, stretching into South America and Europe. Group leaders say the organization has been generous about sending personalized goodies. The group farthest from Baltimore — just a hop, skip and a jump over the Atlantic Ocean — is Ravens Austria. They’re a small faction. It’s just Benni Deppisch-Pinter and Kate Pinter, a couple living in Vienna who run a German blog site writing off each Ravens game. Kate’s fandom began with the 2012 Super Bowl, long before their Austrian neighbors showed interest in American football. She loves watching clips of coach John Harbaugh in the locker room. A “special agreement” with her bosses means she can watch the Ravens in the wee hours of Monday morning, Central European Standard Time, and freely show up late to work. Her first date with Benni was watching a football game together. Benjamin Deppisch-Pinter and Kate Pinter were born in Germany and Austria, respectively, but have been Ravens fans for over a decade. They visited Baltimore for the first time in November and attended two games. (Courtesy) “I wasn’t rooting for a specific team,” Benni said. “Kate made it clear at the very beginning, if there’s no passion for the Ravens, this relationship wouldn’t go any further!” Most bars near them only show teams like the Kansas City Chiefs or Seattle Seahawks. So Kate makes loaded nachos and cookies for her and Benni to watch the Ravens at home hoping “our neighbors don’t get bothered by us cheering and cursing” at 2 a.m. Recent Nielsen data shows the NFL is the most watched U.S. sport — by a long shot. And the global audience rose 10% from March of 2023 to 2024. Since 2005, when the NFL first hosted a regular-season game outside the United States, the league has made a priority of expanding its reach. Commissioner Roger Goodell said earlier this season the goal of such games is to make American football a global sport. “It becomes a big event,” he said, before Eagles vs. Packers in São Paulo, Brazil. “It’s what captures [fans] and I think it’s gonna put us on a rocket ship.” There have been two main draws for international Ravens fans over the last two decades. Outside of some simply picking the color purple, anecdotally, group leaders say many in their communities determined their allegiance because of the Lewis and Reed era teams or because of Jackson. “I’ve been lucky enough to see him play a couple times in person,” said Shane Richmond, from UK Ravens. “He is someone who you look at and think, it’s like he’s on a different level to all these other guys who are at the top of their sport.” Richmond wasn’t talking about Jackson. He was talking about Lionel Messi. When asked for a cross-sport comparison of an athlete who a novice could watch and know, without question, they’re among the best, Richmond didn’t hesitate. “He’s someone who could do things that made it look like he was doing magic,” Richmond said. “And [Jackson] is someone who, I think, has that same kind of effect.” Added Romo: “Players like Lamar have global appeal. They’re dynamic, humble, and bring a lot of personality, something fans can really relate to.” Ravens fans congregate outside Gallo Cervecero, the official watch party sports bar of Ravens Flock Mexico in Mexico City. One Baltimorean said the bar and those local fans made him feel right at home. (Sergio Romo/Courtesy) Jackson doesn’t have a Super Bowl ring (yet). Messi is the most decorated soccer player ever. But Richmond pointed out that it took Messi five tries in 16 years to win Argentina a World Cup. So maybe give the two-time NFL Most Valuable Player grace. Still, watching Jackson evokes a similar kind of feeling. Like watching magic. Richmond is considered an outlier of international NFL fandom. He discovered football as a kid in the 1980s when NFL games were first broadcast Sunday nights on Channel 4. “[It was] this amazing new sport with brightly colored uniforms and all these new rules to figure out,” he said. Richmond’s now wife is from Maryland and her family are all Commanders fans. In 2000, while visiting for Thanksgiving, they went to his first NFL game. Washington hosted a divisional matchup for an outlandish entry fee. “How about Baltimore?” he suggested. He remembers it vividly. Nov. 26, 2000. Ravens vs. Browns at M&T Bank Stadium. Years later, he’d meet former coach Brian Billick and ask about that game. Cleveland drove the length of the field on their opening possession and scored. The defense came off the field and Lewis said to Billick, “Don’t worry, Coach, we got this.” Baltimore didn’t allow another touchdown, won 44-7, and a few months later would win their first Super Bowl. “I ended up by complete chance seeing maybe the greatest defense of all time,” Richmond said. “And I walked out of that stadium thinking, ‘I’ve never seen anything like that. That was incredible.’” Since 2003, UK Ravens has been connecting fans in England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and Ireland. Watch parties are organized every game week across those countries. Their social media platforms, Richmond estimated, reach about 1,000 UK area fans. On ukravens.org, there’s a podcast and pages of fan stories with folks penning personal narratives about the team. Related Articles Baltimore Ravens | Ravens vs. Texans staff picks: Who wins on Christmas in Houston? Baltimore Ravens | Ravens vs. Texans Week 17 scouting report: Who will have the edge? Baltimore Ravens | Ravens vs. Texans Week 17 betting guide: Picks, predictions and odds Baltimore Ravens | NFL winners and losers, Week 16: Ravens could be the big bully this postseason Baltimore Ravens | How Ravens QB Lamar Jackson has reentered the NFL MVP race The beauty of international fandom lies within stories like Oliver’s. Visiting a foreign country and finding a community. UK Ravens has grown tremendously. They’ve organized watch parties of all sizes, and when Baltimore played in London last year, fan groups from all over the world shared laughs at a tailgate and walked into the stadium like a purple procession. Then there are moments like Oct. 6 of this year. A dozen fans met at a dive bar in Glasgow, Scotland, aptly named The Raven. Everyone is wearing a jersey. One fan anxiously pulls the purple No. 8 over his head. Another watches through his phone capturing the moment. Someone in the back has his hands on his head, he can’t bear to watch. And a gentleman in front is pounding the pool table, the only thing keeping him from rushing the TV. It’s been a grueling match, the Ravens and Bengals exchanging punches 3,700 miles across the pond in Cincinnati. Justin Tucker’s 24-yard kick splits the uprights to win the game in overtime and the pub erupts. “It’s a weird thing because there’s no reason that we should know each other or get along but you have this shared love of the team,” Richmond said. “We’re all getting together to celebrate our team.” Have a news tip? Contact Sam Cohn at scohn@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/samdcohn. View the full article

Ravens wide receiver Zay Flowers missed another practice Monday with a shoulder injury, though coach John Harbaugh has said he’s optimistic Flowers will be ready for the team’s Christmas matchup with the Houston Texans. Monday’s injury report was similar to Sunday’s walkthrough estimation, with guard Daniel Faalele (knee) cornerbacks Tre’Davious White (shoulder) and Jalyn Armour-Davis (hamstring), running back Justice Hill (concussion) and wide receiver Nelson Agholor (concussion) on the list of non-participants. The Ravens upgraded center Tyler Linderbaum (back) to a limited participant and safety Beau Brade (shoulder) to a full participant. The team will release its final injury report of the week, with game statuses, Tuesday afternoon. Despite the practice absences, Harbaugh said his team is physically ready for its third game in 11 days: “One thing about our team is we are in really good shape. Our team is in great condition. Our team recovers very quickly. … So I think they’ll be ready to go.” Related Articles Baltimore Ravens | Who’s most excited to see Beyoncé? Perhaps Ravens QB Lamar Jackson. Baltimore Ravens | The Ravens are more than Lamar Jackson. Here are this year’s unsung heroes. Baltimore Ravens | Ex-Ravens WR Diontae Johnson claimed by Texans 2 days before Christmas showdown Baltimore Ravens | READER POLL: Which Baltimore athlete had the best 2024? Baltimore Ravens | Ravens, Orioles have Baltimore sports in their playoff era For the Texans, defensive end Will Anderson Jr. (hand) went from not practicing Sunday to a limited participant Monday, while guard Shaq Mason (knee) and defensive tackle Folorunso Fatukasi (foot) missed practice again. Wide receiver John Metchie III was a full participant and appears on track to return from a shoulder injury; he would help fill out a battered receiving corps that lost Tank Dell to a season-ending injury Saturday. The Texans received more bad news Monday when coach DeMeco Ryans announced standout safety Jimmie Ward is done for the season with a foot injury. Have a news tip? Contact Childs Walker at daviwalker@baltsun.com, 410-332-6893 and x.com/ChildsWalker. View the full article

Lamar Jackson’s comedic timing was impeccable. Just one minute before stepping up to the lectern for his weekly media availability, Ravens coach John Harbaugh fielded questions. The last of which concerned the highly anticipated halftime show for their Christmas Day game against the Texans, which will be performed on Netflix’s livestream by the most decorated Grammy Award winner and Houston native, Beyoncé. “Wasn’t there a time when somebody was out peeking outside the locker room door during the Super Bowl or something like that?” Harbaugh asked. “Was there some story on that?” It was Bengals kicker Evan McPherson in 2022. While his teammates were in the locker room game planning for the second half and how to overcome a 13-10 deficit, McPherson stayed on the field to watch Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Mary J. Blige and Kendrick Lamar. Harbaugh smiled. “There will be big trouble,” he said if his players follow McPherson’s lead. The veteran coach left the scrum in good spirits out toward his left. His quarterback flanked in from the opposite side and grabbed the mic for his turn, unaware of the preceding exchange. The second question for Jackson — whose favorite Beyoncé song “Irreplaceable” features the lyrics “to the left” — was whether he’ll be bummed to miss such a high-profile performance. “No,” he said, “because I’m going to go out there and watch. [It’ll be my] first time seeing Beyoncé perform, and it’s at our game — that’s dope. I’m going to go out and watch. Sorry, Harbaugh, sorry. Sorry, fellas.” Is the thinking the Ravens will be up at halftime, playing at a level they expect so players could catch some of the show? “I’m not even thinking about the lead,” Jackson laughed. “I was just thinking about seeing Beyoncé for the first time. Not saying it like that; no disrespect or [anything] because I know how people can take things. Next question.” Related Articles Baltimore Ravens | The Ravens are more than Lamar Jackson. Here are this year’s unsung heroes. Baltimore Ravens | Ex-Ravens WR Diontae Johnson claimed by Texans 2 days before Christmas showdown Baltimore Ravens | READER POLL: Which Baltimore athlete had the best 2024? Baltimore Ravens | Ravens, Orioles have Baltimore sports in their playoff era Baltimore Ravens | Will Netflix’s streaming issues doom Ravens vs. Texans on Christmas Day? Despite the jovial nature of Monday’s news conference coming off a significant win over the archrival Steelers, it’s unlikely any Raven will peek out of the visiting locker room at NRG Stadium. Even if it’s “Queen B” performing. “I like Beyoncé, though,” Harbaugh said. “I can’t say I’m a huge Beyoncé fan, but I think I like her.” A reporter chimed in to remind Harbaugh that Beyoncé was the halftime performer when Baltimore beat the 49ers in the Super Bowl on Feb. 3, 2013. “Did she? That’s good to know,” Harbaugh said. “I do remember that now. Focus, focus.” Have a news tip? Contact Sam Cohn at scohn@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/samdcohn. Week 17 Ravens at Texans Wednesday, 4:30 p.m. TV/Stream: CBS, Netflix Radio: 97.9 FM, 101.5 FM, 1090 AM Line: Ravens by 5 1/2 Beyoncé will perform at halftime on Christmas Day during the Ravens vs. Texans game in Houston. (Screenshot) View the full article

The Ravens are fortunate to have their franchise quarterback Lamar Jackson making a case for his third Most Valuable Player honor. It doesn’t hurt he can hand the ball to Derrick Henry, a running back with over 1,600 rushing yards and 15 touchdowns (and counting). How about Mark Andrews, the only tight end to lead an organization in career touchdowns? An All-Pro at all three levels on defense isn’t too shabby either. Such grandeur has steered the Ravens’ season, now making a final push for a second straight AFC North title. But they also have a bunch of guys whose contributions have flown slightly under the radar – the unsung heroes. At 10-5 with a pair of games left on the schedule, here are five of this season’s unsung heroes. OLB Tavius Robinson At the outset of the season, when questions arose about who could make up for lost production among the pass rushers, Tavius Robinson wasn’t necessarily a top candidate. When pass rush coach Chuck Smith called him a “glass eater” during training camp, it raised some eyebrows. Smith — who could be considered an unsung hero himself for overseeing the group with the second most sacks in the NFL — was right. Robinson has started each the Ravens’ past five games, and the 25-year-old is up to 30 tackles and 3 1/2 sacks. He’s also second on the team in quarterback knockdowns (eight) and fourth in quarterback pressures (13), trailing three day-one starters. “He has established himself as a three-down player,” coach John Harbaugh said. “He’s gone from a run-down player to a guy that’s out there all the time.” Added defensive coordinator Zach Orr: “I think now that the game has kind of just slowed down for him, and you’re able to see him just play even faster, play more aggressive and play more even more physical, and I think he’s even developed better as a rusher as well.” Safety Ar’Darius Washington Ar’Darius Washington is on the precipice of losing “unsung hero” status. Folks are starting to sing, particularly after the safety punched the ball loose from Russell Wilson’s grasp saving a Steelers touchdown in Saturday’s win. Let’s go back, first. Washington played fewer than 35 defensive snaps in every game until Week 7. While the Ravens experimented between him, Marcus Williams and Eddie Jackson at safety, Washington stayed under 60 snaps until Week 11. Then Ravens brass landed on giving Washington the starting job against Pittsburgh in November, which is retrospectively considered to be the turning point for the defense. Ravens safety Ar’Darius Washington spears Steelers quarterback Russell Wilson, forcing a fumble in the Ravens’ 34-17 win in Week 16. (Karl Merton Ferron/Staff) Much of the credit belongs to Marlon Humphrey playing at an All-Pro level. Humphrey himself gave Kyle Hamilton the bulk of the credit. But Washington — who has two interceptions, a forced fumble, a sack and seven pass deflections – has been a truly steadying presence on that side of the ball. “He’s always played well when he’s gotten his chances,” Harbaugh said. “He practices well. I don’t think anybody’s surprised by it. I’m happy to see it happen though. He’s playing great football.” OL Roger Rosengarten The offensive line is inherently an under-appreciated position group. That’s where the dirty work gets done. And if they’re playing well, most don’t seem to notice them. It’s when they’re not that critics crash down more harshly on their performance. So not hearing much lately about Roger Rosengarten, a rookie second-round draft pick who took over as starting right tackle four weeks into the season, is a good sign after a shaky start to his NFL career. “My first play in the NFL was a strip-sack fumble,” Rosengarten said. “Started off low but I told myself, ‘If that’s how we’re gonna start, you gotta end higher.’ I really like how I’ve progressed throughout the season.” He said his footwork has come a long way since August and coming back from an ankle injury in October. He also thinks he’s brought more physicality as the season progressed. But Rosengarten’s zero quarterback hits allowed and four sacks, ranked by Pro Football Focus as the 45th best tackle in the NFL, are partially a testament to the mentorship of veteran Ronnie Stanley. The two can often be seen taking extra reps together after practices. “I’m taking all the advice I can get from him,” Rosengarten said. “He’s been a big help.” RB Justice Hill This quote from offensive coordinator Todd Monken may be the perfect encapsulation of the backup running back: “Well [Justice Hill]’s been a weapon for us. All he does is come in the building and work hard and smile a lot and embrace his role.” His role is primarily to play Robin, complementing Henry as Batman in the backfield. But he’s proven to be worth much more. Hill has amassed 228 rushing yards and one rushing touchdown. He has also caught 42 passes for 383 yards and three scores – arguably his more valuable contribution. And the sixth-year pro’s fearlessness in pass protection this season has turned some heads, going back to his Week 1 block on Chris Jones, a Chiefs defensive tackle twice his size. Against the Commanders in Week 6, PFF gave Hill the second-highest pass blocking grade among all running backs. It’s unlikely he’ll be available for Wednesday’s Christmas game vs. the Houston Texans after taking a scary fall on Saturday. Hill walked off the field under his own power but was quickly ruled out with a concussion. Rasheen Ali and Keaton Mitchell are expected to backfill the position on a short week. Ravens wide receiver Tylan Wallace has made an impact in his limited playing time this season. (Karl Merton Ferron/Staff) WR Tylan Wallace Tylan Wallace, perhaps more than any of his teammates, epitomizes the “under the radar” trope. You don’t hear his name much until you do. Then the locker room praise is loud. Related Articles Baltimore Ravens | Who’s most excited to see Beyoncé? Perhaps Ravens QB Lamar Jackson. Baltimore Ravens | Ex-Ravens WR Diontae Johnson claimed by Texans 2 days before Christmas showdown Baltimore Ravens | READER POLL: Which Baltimore athlete had the best 2024? Baltimore Ravens | Ravens, Orioles have Baltimore sports in their playoff era Baltimore Ravens | Will Netflix’s streaming issues doom Ravens vs. Texans on Christmas Day? The 2021 fourth-round draft pick with an infectious smile is buried down the depth chart behind wide receivers Zay Flowers, Rashod Bateman and Nelson Agholor. He’s made a living on special teams. Although, it’s worth acknowledging he recently lost his job as the lead kick and punt return man on the heels of two muffs against the Eagles. Harbaugh said he hasn’t lost faith in Wallace as a backup to Desmond King II. That said, Wallace turned a seemingly trivial pickup into an 84-yard touchdown against the Bengals that proved to a be a shot in the arm helping decide the November shootout win. Andrews said postgame, “Tylan doesn’t get a lot of love but he should. He makes big-time plays and he comes in clutch.” Then on Saturday, he saved a Jordan Stout punt from bouncing into the end zone for a touchback. Wallace leapt over the goal line like he were clearing an invisible hurdle to tip the ball back and pin Pittsburgh at its own 3-yard line, which set up a Steelers three and out. He posted a clip from “Batman Begins” after the win when James Gordon says, “I never said thank you.” And Batman turns around to say, “And you’ll never have to.” Have a news tip? Contact Sam Cohn at scohn@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/samdcohn. View the full article

The Ravens and Diontae Johnson saga has taken another twist. Three days after Baltimore parted ways with the disgruntled wide receiver, the Houston Texas claimed the 28-year-old veteran off waivers. The Ravens play the Texans in Houston on Christmas Day. It marks the fourth team for Johnson since March after he was traded from the Pittsburgh Steelers to the Carolina Panthers, where he spent the first seven games this season before being dealt to the Ravens a week before the Nov. 5 trade deadline. Houston’s wide receiver corps has been decimated, with Tank Dell the latest to suffer a significant injury after he dislocated his knee and tore his ACL on Sunday in a loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. Houston is already without receiver and former Maryland star Stefon Diggs, whose season is over after suffering a torn ACL in late October, and John Metchie has been dealing with a shoulder injury this week, though he told reporters Monday that he is “ready to go” for the Christmas tilt against the Ravens. Veteran Robert Woods is the Texans’ next-best receiver with 16 catches for 143 yards. Related Articles Baltimore Ravens | Who’s most excited to see Beyoncé? Perhaps Ravens QB Lamar Jackson. Baltimore Ravens | The Ravens are more than Lamar Jackson. Here are this year’s unsung heroes. Baltimore Ravens | READER POLL: Which Baltimore athlete had the best 2024? Baltimore Ravens | Ravens, Orioles have Baltimore sports in their playoff era Baltimore Ravens | Will Netflix’s streaming issues doom Ravens vs. Texans on Christmas Day? Johnson’s stint with the Ravens was as short as it was an abject disaster. He appeared in just four games for Baltimore, refused to go into a game against the Philadelphia Eagles, according to a statement from general manager Eric DeCosta, and was suspended for their game against the New York Giants. He was excused from team activities after his suspension before being waived last week. Johnson played just 39 offensive snaps for the Ravens and had one catch for 6 yards. He is set to be a free agent this offseason. Meanwhile, the Ravens claimed former Texans receiver Steven Sims off waivers. He appeared in seven games for Houston this season and played 63 snaps on special teams and just 10 on offense, failing to catch a pass. Ravens fans will remember Sims. He returned a punt 67 yards for a touchdown in last season’s divisional round playoff game that Baltimore went on to win, 34-10. Have a news tip? Contact Brian Wacker at bwacker@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/brianwacker1. View the full article

The past year was full of dramatic moments and high-level performances, particularly from three standout Baltimore athletes: Lamar Jackson, Angel Reese and Gunnar Henderson. We want to hear from you. Who had the best 2024? After you vote, tell us what you think by clicking the comments button and we might publish your take in The Baltimore Sun. The Baltimore Sun reader poll is an unscientific survey in which website users volunteer their opinions on the subject of the poll. To read the results of previous reader polls, click here. View the full article

The holiday spirit has officially hit the Ravens’ locker room. John Harbaugh began his postgame news conference Saturday with a message he had shared with his players only minutes before, one apt for a team that had just clinched a spot in the playoffs. “Rejoice.” Harbaugh has been here before. The Ravens have made the postseason six of the past seven years and 12 of 18 overall with him at the helm. Though he might “rejoice in the fact that we made the playoffs,” Harbaugh sees Saturday’s 34-17 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers as a couple of boxes crossed off on the checklist of goals the Ravens have for their season. But Saturday also marked a historic moment for Baltimore sports as a whole. While the Ravens have been perennial contenders since drafting Lamar Jackson in 2018, the Orioles spent six years hovering around the American League East basement before emerging from their rebuild to reach the playoffs each of the last two seasons. The Ravens’ win Saturday ensured Baltimore’s football and baseball teams would reach the playoffs in back-to-back seasons for the first time since 1970 and 1971, when the Orioles and Colts each made the postseason, and only the second time overall. “It means a lot,” Jackson said of the Ravens extending their season. “We been bustin’ our behind all season long, had ups and downs this whole season. But to clinch a playoff against a great team like that, that’s great. It means we’re moving in the right direction.” That sentiment is permeable for both franchises. The Ravens are tied to Jackson and the Super Bowl-winning upside the two-time Most Valuable Player Award winner provides for at least the next three seasons. The Orioles have assembled one of baseball’s most enviable young cores centered around All-Stars Gunnar Henderson, Adley Rutschman and Jordan Westburg. So far, neither team has been able to translate its regular season success into a championship. The Ravens have yet to make it past the AFC championship game with Jackson under center and the Orioles haven’t won a playoff game since 2014. For all the promise they’ve shown, players from both sides of Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard hope it’s only the beginning. “We have a really good team,” Orioles first baseman Ryan Mountcastle said after the club was knocked out of the playoffs in October. “It shows in our record during the year. Unfortunately, the last two years, just haven’t been able to put it together in the playoffs. Hopefully, next year we can make it and try and make a run. That’s all you can do.” The late 1960s and early ’70s were a true golden era for Baltimore sports. The Orioles won two World Series and reached two more, anchored by Hall of Famers Brooks Robinson, Boog Powell, Frank Robinson and Jim Palmer. Colts quarterback Johnny Unitas, in the twilight of his Hall of Fame career, helped guide Baltimore to two Super Bowls in three years, winning it all in 1970. Baltimore’s current teams have a long way to go before their era merits serious comparisons with the days of Brooks and Unitas. Yet fans are in the midst of what has been a rare period of local sports history with both teams fielding competitive rosters. Related Articles Baltimore Ravens | Will Netflix’s streaming issues doom Ravens vs. Texans on Christmas Day? Baltimore Ravens | NFL playoff picture: Ravens are in. What’s still at stake in AFC? Baltimore Ravens | How a popular Netflix miniseries sparked a Ravens obsession Baltimore Ravens | Zay Flowers, Daniel Faalele among Ravens missing from walk-through Sunday Baltimore Ravens | Mike Preston: Time for Ravens to stop messing around and run the ball | COMMENTARY When the Orioles reached two World Series in five years from 1979 to 1983, the Colts were enduring the bulk of the six-year playoff drought that ultimately preceded the organization’s move to Indianapolis. The Ravens’ quick ascension to Super Bowl winners in 2000 under coach Brian Billick and early success with Harbaugh helped bridge the Orioles’ 14 straight October-less seasons. That did culminate with a magical 2012 when the Ravens won the Super Bowl and the Orioles finally ended their skid with a 93-win campaign, but the Ravens hovered around .500 for the next five years while the Orioles made a couple of deep playoff runs that ended short of the Fall Classic. Only once have both teams won their division, and that came just last season. However, it was that mid-2010s period of struggle that led to the Ravens landing Jackson. And the Orioles’ ensuing rebuild produced the stable of young talent that has them in position to contend in the American League East for the next half-decade. Where this era of Baltimore sports proves to stand among history is still unwritten, but the potential for fans to rejoice for the playoff success of both sides in 2025 is as great as it’s been in decades. ’Tis the season. Have a news tip? Contact Matt Weyrich at mweyrich@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/ByMattWeyrich. The Orioles celebrate after clinching a playoff berth in September. Baltimore has plenty to celebrate with the Ravens also in the playoffs. (Jim McIsaac/Getty) View the full article

All Netflix wants for Christmas is to avoid another sports livestream disaster. The Ravens are slotted in the second game of the popular streaming platform’s Christmas Day doubleheader, playing the Texans in Houston at 4:30 p.m. after the Kansas City Chiefs take on the Pittsburgh Steelers at 1 p.m. Both games mark the first of a three-year agreement to broadcast Christmas Day games on Netflix. The primary way to watch the Ravens’ penultimate regular-season game, which will help decide their playoff standing, requires a Netflix subscription. All account plans include access to the games, which will appear on the site’s homepage. But fear not, Baltimoreans. Both games will also be broadcast locally on CBS in each team’s market. Netflix has made more of a push toward streaming live events in recent years to expand its reach. It hasn’t gone especially well. Some might remember “The Roast of Tom Brady” in May, which went off without a hitch. The Netflix Cup, a Formula 1 and golf crossover event, yielded modest results. Netflix is in line to broadcast the next two FIFA Women’s World Cups, in 2027 and 2031. But recency bias might make viewers cringe at the thought of Netflix hosting two high-profile Christmas Day NFL games, which draw massive audiences. That’s because of how difficult it was to watch the boxing match between Mike Tyson and Jake Paul on Nov. 15. Not for the faux spectacle, but for the technical breakdown caked with glitches and buffers trying to keep up with 38 million concurrent streams in the United States. Netflix was pelted with similar backlash last year during the live “Love Is Blind” season 4 reunion special that was delayed more than an hour because of engineering issues. Vice President of Nonfiction Series and Sports Brandon Riegg spoke with the Associated Press about Netflix’s recent live-show issues ahead of Wednesday’s games. “The only way to test something of that magnitude is to have something of that magnitude,” Neftlix’s Vice President of Nonfiction Series and Sports Brandon Riegg told the Associated Press. “The good news is they stress-tested the system to such a degree that there’s a lot of these fixes and improvements that they realized that they could make, and they’re applying all that stuff.” Netflix is pushing its chips in on the holiday festivities. They’ll have a prerecorded Mariah Carey performance of “All I Want For Christmas Is You” before the Chiefs vs. Steelers. Then at halftime of Ravens vs. Texans, Houston native and the most-decorated artist in Grammys history, Beyoncé, will perform live. Netflix brought in an all-star coverage cast as well. NBC Sports’ Noah Eagle has play-by-play duties at NRG Stadium with Kirk Olsen, from Fox Sports, as his color commentator. The sideline reporters will be NFL Network’s Jamie Erdahl and Sam Wyche. Related Articles Baltimore Ravens | Ravens, Orioles have Baltimore sports in their playoff era Baltimore Ravens | NFL playoff picture: Ravens are in. What’s still at stake in AFC? Baltimore Ravens | How a popular Netflix miniseries sparked a Ravens obsession Baltimore Ravens | Zay Flowers, Daniel Faalele among Ravens missing from walk-through Sunday Baltimore Ravens | Mike Preston: Time for Ravens to stop messing around and run the ball | COMMENTARY The 11 a.m. pregame show will feature former NFL quarterbacks Drew Brees and Robert Griffin III; Mina Kimes and Laura Rutledge, from ESPN; and Kay Adams, anchor and host of Up & Adams, among others. Bert Kreischer will act as tailgate correspondent and fellow comedian Nate Bargatze will have additional guest commentary. Global interest in the NFL has grown tremendously in recent years as the league continues to schedule games on foreign soil. This season, teams played in London and São Paulo. For Wednesday’s game, Netflix is making streams available worldwide, according to a release, available in English, French, Spanish, Portuguese and German. Brees and NFL Redzone host Scott Hanson will handle additional commentary outside the U.S., according to Netflix. Baltimore’s Week 16 game is vital in its chase for the AFC North division title. Netflix’s reputation for livestreaming such events will be on the line, too. Have a news tip? Contact Sam Cohn at scohn@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/samdcohn. View the full article

The Ravens are officially back in the playoffs. While Baltimore has long been a virtual lock to make the seven-team field, the Ravens clinched their spot Saturday with a 34-17 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers. The home victory also kept Baltimore’s hopes alive for the AFC North title, putting the archrivals in a tie for first place with two games remaining in the regular season. Both teams now face a quick turnaround. On Christmas Day, the Ravens (10-5) hit the road to take on the Texans, while the Steelers (10-5) host the Chiefs in a first-of-its-kind streaming doubleheader on Netflix. The four playoff-bound teams are all finishing a stretch of three games in 11 days, as Kansas City secured a 27-19 win over Houston earlier Saturday. While five of the seven AFC playoff teams are secured and three of the four division champions are crowned, there are still a few loose ends to tie up before the postseason begins. Here’s what’s still at stake: No. 1 seed It’s going to take more than an ankle injury to stop Patrick Mahomes. The two-time NFL Most Valuable Player rushed for 33 yards and a touchdown and passed for 260 yards and a score to lead Kansas City to a victory over Houston that puts the Chiefs on the brink of the No. 1 seed in the AFC. The Chiefs (14-1) can clinch the first-round bye and home-field advantage by beating Pittsburgh on Wednesday. Also, if the Bills (12-3) fail to win either of their remaining two games, the Chiefs would get the top seed. While the Chiefs’ lead appears insurmountable, Buffalo owns the crucial head-to-head tiebreaker thanks to its 30-21 win over Kansas City in Week 11 and faces an easier schedule down the stretch. While the Chiefs play the Steelers and Broncos — two teams still chasing important playoff positioning — the Bills finish against the lowly Patriots (3-12) and Jets (4-11). If the Bills and Chiefs both finish 14-3, the AFC playoffs run through Buffalo. AFC North title Christmas Day could end up deciding the division title. A Ravens win over the Texans and a Steelers loss to the Chiefs would give Baltimore a one-game lead entering the regular-season finale. Then all the Ravens would need is a victory over the hapless Cleveland Browns (3-12) to wrap up their second straight AFC North crown and a home wild-card game the following weekend. If the Ravens and Steelers both lose Wednesday, Pittsburgh finishes its regular season against a much tougher opponent in the Cincinnati Bengals (7-8), who are not mathematically eliminated from postseason contention yet and could be playing for a chance to claim the final wild-card spot. A Ravens win over Cleveland and a Steelers loss to Cincinnati would give Baltimore the title. Ravens defensive tackle Michael Pierce, left, sacks Steelers quarterback Russell Wilson in front of Brent Urban in the first quarter on Saturday. (Kenneth K. Lam/Staff) If both teams go 2-0 down the stretch and finish 12-5, it would come down to tiebreakers. In that scenario, the head-to-head record would be tied 1-1 and the division record would be tied 4-2, so it would come down to the best record against common opponents. The Steelers, with a hypothetical win over a Chiefs team that beat Baltimore in Week 1, would take the division title by virtue of a 9-3 vs. 8-4 edge. If both teams somehow go 0-2 to finish the regular season and end up 10-7, Pittsburgh would win the division because of a superior record against conference opponents (7-5 vs. 6-6). Final wild-card spots It’s very likely that the two AFC West teams that met Thursday night — the Denver Broncos and Los Angeles Chargers — will be the No. 6 and No. 7 seeds, in some order. Related Articles Baltimore Ravens | Ravens, Orioles have Baltimore sports in their playoff era Baltimore Ravens | Will Netflix’s streaming issues doom Ravens vs. Texans on Christmas Day? Baltimore Ravens | How a popular Netflix miniseries sparked a Ravens obsession Baltimore Ravens | Zay Flowers, Daniel Faalele among Ravens missing from walk-through Sunday Baltimore Ravens | Mike Preston: Time for Ravens to stop messing around and run the ball | COMMENTARY The Broncos and Chargers are both 9-6 after Los Angeles’ 34-27 win over Denver at SoFi Stadium. The Broncos have a 78% chance to reach the postseason, while the Chargers are at 95%, according to the NFL’s Next Gen Stats. The three other teams still in the hunt for those last two spots are the Indianapolis Colts, Miami Dolphins and Cincinnati, which are all 7-8 after winning Sunday. The Colts have the best odds to crack the field at 12%, followed by the Dolphins (7%) and Bengals (5%). Denver can clinch its first postseason berth since 2015 with a win over Cincinnati on Saturday, while Los Angeles can secure its spot with a victory over New England. A loss or tie by Indianapolis, Miami or Cincinnati over the next two weeks would also eliminate them from postseason contention. Here’s what the wild-card matchups would be if the season ended Saturday: No. 1 Kansas City (1st AFC West) — bye No. 7 Denver (3rd AFC West) at No. 2 Buffalo (1st AFC East) No. 6 L.A. Chargers (2nd AFC West) at No. 3 Pittsburgh (1st AFC North) No. 5 Ravens (2nd AFC North) at No. 4 Houston (1st AFC South) Have a news tip? Contact sports editor C.J. Doon at cdoon@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/CJDoon. View the full article

Four years ago, “The Queen’s Gambit” — a Netflix miniseries and coming-of-age drama about protagonist and orphan Beth Harmon’s obsession to become the best chess player in the world — shot to popularity for, among other things, its escapist entertainment that explored personal struggle and triumph. It also ended up sparking what has become something of an obsession within the Ravens’ locker room. Which is why, on any given day, left guard Patrick Mekari can be heard disseminating various strategies to left tackle Ronnie Stanley that have nothing to do with the practice they just finished or the next game on their schedule. “Ronnie was definitely the worst for a while, but he’s gotten better,” said Mekari, whose looks are more bearded bouncer than Garry Kasparov. “The chess levels are insane, so I would not consider myself a good chess player, but I’m probably the best amongst the guys in here.” Mekari’s lockermate, Pro Bowl center Tyler Linderbaum, overhearing the conversation, nods affirmatively, though he quickly points out that he beat Mekari the first time the two played. “Once I saw the show, I downloaded the [Chess.com] app and I think I’ve played every day since,” Mekari continues. “I would watch shows on chess on YouTube religiously. I don’t do that as much anymore, but I find myself here and there watching a chess tutorial — how do you play this opening, how do you defend this opening, what’s the best move here. “In the show, it was intriguing how much thought and how much work goes into a simple board game. Each move matters within the millions of moves there are, and there is one right move. There is a correct move, which is cool to try to find. Chess is different.” It has also bonded — the games are a way to get away from The Game and they elicit plenty of conversation, too, with Mekari the ringleader. Ravens offensive lineman Patrick Mekari shows off his Chess.com app that he uses to play against his teammates and staff members. (Courtesy) In addition to the sixth-year veteran, Stanley and Linderbaum, tight end Charlie Kolar and linebacker Chris Board, along with a few staff members, have taken to playing against one another daily using the Chess.com app on their phones. The games last anywhere from a few minutes — Mekari’s preference because it allows him to play more games which in turn allows him to become more familiar with formations and strategies — to all day, which allows more deliberate thinkers plenty of time to counter an opponent’s move. “I’ve only been playing since training camp,” Stanley says. “I knew how the pieces moved, but I never looked at the different openings. I like just how far you can think ahead. There’s different ways of attacking, so many different variables and ways to go about it. Every game is different.” Of course, he also could have been talking about football since the correlations between the two are obvious if not omnipresent. There are patterns, offensive moves and defensive moves. The goal in both is to understand what the other is trying to do before they do it. And even some of chess’ strategies — absolute pin, X-ray, desperado, diagonal battery, interference, flagging — could be swapped in for footballs. “It’s not just a game that rots your brain,” Linderbaum said. “There’s strategy to it, critical thinking, you’re trying to see one, two, three moves ahead. Just like sports. “The other team’s defense is trying to find the best matchup and we’re trying to find the best match-up in terms of plays. You can find some similarities with the offensive coordinator vs. the defensive coordinator, too. Like football, you’re trying to figure out what they’re trying to accomplish.” As a unit this season, the Ravens’ offensive line, which has three new starters, including Mekari playing left guard for the first time, rookie Roger Rosengarten at right tackle and tackle-turned-right-guard Daniel Faalele, has had their moments. Though they struggled in a loss earlier this month to the Philadelphia Eagles, the group has made strides from its early-season struggles. In pass blocking, Pro Football Focus grades the Ravens’ offensive line the ninth-best in the NFL. In run blocking, they’ve slipped to 20th in recent weeks, but PFF rates them the eighth-best overall line in the league. Linberbaum, coming off a Pro Bowl season in what was just his second year, has been perhaps the unit’s best and most consistent performer, with a 79.4 grade from PFF, fourth-best among all centers. Stanley, an All-Pro in 2019 who has battled injuries every year since until this one, is finally healthy and, in a contract year, has been a tour de force, not allowing a sack until recently giving up two after surrendering a career-high five last season. Mekari had easily his worst game of the year against the Eagles’ talented defensive tackles with nine pressures allowed to draw a frightening 11.3 pass blocking grade from PFF, but has graded out at 64.5 or higher in 11 other contests (though his run blocking has rated slightly worse). Faalele, meanwhile, has graded similarly to Mekari, with Rosengarten slightly better, particularly in pass sets. Behind them, Baltimore has produced the NFL’s top offense with 423.7 yards per game and is No. 3 in scoring at 30.1 points per game, which is perhaps why coach John Harbaugh is resolute about not shaking up the offensive line as he did earlier in the year. “I think we’re pretty well set there,” he said. “I’m not down on anybody on the offensive line.” Related Articles Baltimore Ravens | Ravens, Orioles have Baltimore sports in their playoff era Baltimore Ravens | Will Netflix’s streaming issues doom Ravens vs. Texans on Christmas Day? Baltimore Ravens | NFL playoff picture: Ravens are in. What’s still at stake in AFC? Baltimore Ravens | Zay Flowers, Daniel Faalele among Ravens missing from walk-through Sunday Baltimore Ravens | Mike Preston: Time for Ravens to stop messing around and run the ball | COMMENTARY Meanwhile, the chess games continue, during breaks, after practice and whenever there’s free time. “I’m happy to say that after the show, millions of people bought chess sets,” actor Anya Taylor-Joy, who played Harmon in “The Queen’s Gambit,” cracked on “Saturday Night Live” a few years ago following the show’s enormous rise. “And dozens of them actually learned how to play.” At least a few reside in Baltimore’s locker room. “It gets you thinking,” Mekari said. “We compete so much physically; that’s what we’ve always known. But in chess, it’s, ‘Can I just understand the position and be better than you at something not physical,’ which is kind of cool.” Have a news tip? Contact Brian Wacker at bwacker@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/brianwacker1. View the full article

Ravens wide receiver Zay Flowers and starting offensive linemen Tyler Linderbaum and Daniel Faalele were among the players listed as not participating in practice Sunday as the team began preparations for its Christmas game against the Houston Texans. The Ravens’ injury report was only an estimation based on a late-afternoon walk-through. Flowers was listed with a shoulder injury a day after he played 87% of the team’s offensive snaps and caught five passes for 100 yards in the Ravens’ 34-17 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers. Faalele was absent with a knee injury after playing all 62 offensive snaps against Pittsburgh. He also appeared on the injury report last week. Linderbaum was listed with a back injury after he also played every snap in the win over the Steelers, but he was in his jersey at the portion of the walk-through open to reporters. Related Articles Baltimore Ravens | Mike Preston: Time for Ravens to stop messing around and run the ball | COMMENTARY Baltimore Ravens | 5 things we learned from the Ravens’ 34-17 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers Baltimore Ravens | Ravens prove they can win with defense vs. Steelers: ‘Return that favor’ Baltimore Ravens | The Baltimore Sun’s Ravens report card: Position-by-position grades for 34-17 win over Steelers Baltimore Ravens | Ravens clinch playoff spot, keep AFC North title hopes alive with 34-17 win over Steelers Running back Justice Hill was missing as expected after he left Saturday’s game with a concussion suffered on a scary crash to the ground. The short turnaround to the Houston game makes it unlikely Hill will have time to clear the league’s head injury protocol. If he can’t go, Rasheen Ali and Keaton Mitchell will likely back up Derrick Henry. Wide receiver Nelson Agholor remained absent because of the concussion that kept him out of Saturday’s game. Cornerbacks Tre’Davious White (shoulder) and Jalyn Armour-Davis (hamstring) were also missing. Safety Beau Brade was present but limited by a shoulder injury. This article will be updated. Have a news tip? Contact Childs Walker at daviwalker@baltsun.com, 410-332-6893 and x.com/ChildsWalker. View the full article

It was late during the 2000 season when former Ravens coach Brian Billick started moving over to what he called “the dark side,” which meant he was going to rely more on running back Jamal Lewis than quarterback Trent Dilfer. I’m starting to move over to the “dark side” as well. This time, that means star running back Derrick Henry instead of quarterback Lamar Jackson. The preference here is balance with the run-pass ratio. In fact, I’ve preached it for years. But as the Ravens enter the last two games of the regular season against Houston and Cleveland, the “dark side” has more light, so to speak, at the end of the tunnel. Jackson is different from Dilfer, who couldn’t hit the ground if he dropped the ball. But in big games, it’s just more logical to stick with a back who has rushed for more than 11,000 yards since entering the league in 2016 instead of a player who is 2-4 in the postseason. Henry’s age of 30 is no longer a factor. The Ravens have basically kept him fresh all season. Before Saturday’s 34-17 win against the Pittsburgh Steelers at M&T Bank Stadium, Henry had rushed for 1,474 yards and 13 touchdowns on 254 carries, which is about 18 attempts per game. That’s pretty modest for a player who has more than 2,000 career rushing attempts. Then came Saturday. The 6-foot-3, 247-pound Henry rushed 24 times for 162 yards and caught two swing passes for 27 yards. He had a 44-yard run on a toss around the left end down to Pittsburgh’s 11-yard line with 14:11 left in the game and the Ravens ahead, 24-17. On the next play, Jackson attempted a short pass over the middle and into the right flat, which was picked off by Steelers safety Minkah Fitzpatrick. As Fitzpatrick returned it 25 yards to the Pittsburgh 33, there were several thoughts that crossed my mind, none of them positive. The TV cameras showed Ravens coach John Harbaugh shaking his head in disbelief. Why? If Henry was tired, just hand the ball off to another runner. Heck, bring Lewis out of retirement, but at least stick to the ground game. Fortunately, Pittsburgh quarterback Russell Wilson threw a pass behind tight end MyCole Pruitt, which cornerback Marlon Humphrey intercepted and returned 37 yards for a touchdown. Then there was nothing else to think about because it’s time to turn The King loose. It’s time for some ground-and-pound. Pittsburgh coach Mike Tomlin got the message. “We didn’t do what we needed to do to secure victory today. So, I congratulate the Ravens on their performance in the victory,” he said. “Specifically, 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. We had opportunities of 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-six. The rest is history, as they say. “You’ve got to control the run, the line of scrimmage. The turnover game is always significant in matchups like this. We failed in both areas. So, when you do that, you should expect to lose. When you’re not controlling the run game, you’re not going to have a sense of comfort in terms of the flow of it. That was the case.” That’s not saying the Ravens have to ignore the passing game or Jackson. In reality, opposing teams are going to stack the line of scrimmage and force Jackson to beat them throwing the ball downfield. That’s been the strategy since the Ravens drafted him in the first round seven years ago. That’s understandable, but the Ravens should come into every game with a run-first mentality. That’s when they are at their best, when they can run and then mix in the play-action passing game with some run-pass option (RPO) plays. But there have been times this season when the Ravens seem intent on tossing the ball around, and that’s not always a good thing for this team, especially in the postseason or against really good teams. We’ve seen that in the past against Tennessee when Henry was a Titan, or against Kansas City the last couple of years when the Ravens forgot that running the ball was their strength. Against Pittsburgh on Saturday, they rushed for 220 yards on 38 carries and pushed around tackles Cameron Heyward and Keeanu Benton, who had led a defense that entered ranked No. 4 in rushing yards allowed per game (94.4). Of course, the Ravens entered ranked No. 2 in rushing, averaging 178.4 yards per game, so it just makes sense to keep wearing the opposition down. “I think they were controlling the line of scrimmage,” Pittsburgh outside linebacker Alex Highsmith said. “We didn’t do a good job controlling the line of scrimmage today. Embarrassing to say the least, how they ran, the way they ran the ball against us.” The Ravens don’t have to commit to the running game like they did during their 2000 championship season. That team had some weapons, but not a strong-armed quarterback. They had Lewis, whose style was different then Henry (who runs up upright like former great Eric Dickerson) but just as punishing. Related Articles Baltimore Ravens | 5 things we learned from the Ravens’ 34-17 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers Baltimore Ravens | Ravens prove they can win with defense vs. Steelers: ‘Return that favor’ Baltimore Ravens | The Baltimore Sun’s Ravens report card: Position-by-position grades for 34-17 win over Steelers Baltimore Ravens | Ravens clinch playoff spot, keep AFC North title hopes alive with 34-17 win over Steelers Baltimore Ravens | Instant analysis from Ravens’ 34-17 win over Pittsburgh Steelers Like Lewis, once Henry gets to the edge and his shoulder pads square, opposing safeties and cornerbacks fear him. The Ravens have many more weapons compared with that 2000 team. They have speed on the outside in receiver Zay Flowers and two tight ends who might be the best duo in the league in Isaiah Likely and Mark Andrews. They also have a complementary runner in backup Justice Hill, who is an effective pass catcher out of the backfield. And then there is Jackson, who is the best running quarterback in the history of the NFL. He has improved dramatically as a passer, especially inside the red zone. But against teams such as Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, he has missed wide-open receivers several times. Zone defenses cause him problems, whether it’s holding the ball too long or uncertainty about when to run. That’s not to say Jackson has a major deficiency in any area. But the forte of this offensive line has and remains run blocking. That’s what they do best. And if that’s a strength, stick with it. It should be, especially with Henry. The postseason is almost upon us. Have a news tip? Contact Mike Preston at epreston@baltsun.com, 410-332-6467 and x.com/MikePrestonSun. View the full article

With clutch defensive plays and a brutally efficient running game, the Ravens finally achieved a sound victory, 34-17, over their archrivals from Pittsburgh. Here are five things we learned from the game. The Ravens stood up to tense moments against the foe that rattles them like none other It was not easy, no matter what cozy story the final score told. When Lamar Jackson’s pass fell into the hands of Pittsburgh safety Minkah Fitzpatrick, erasing a tantalizing chance for the Ravens to go up two touchdowns in the fourth quarter, all the ghosts of Steelers’ losses past danced right back into M&T Bank Stadium. The Ravens had spent their week of preparation refusing to acknowledge any accumulated pathos from having lost eight of their previous nine to the Steelers. But if there was a moment for all that resilient talk to evaporate into another maddening defeat, this was it. And then Marlon Humphrey, his brain still foggy days after he witnessed the birth of his son, Duke, swooped in front of his man to snatch Russell Wilson’s pass in the flat. Thirty-seven elated yards later, Humphrey had sent those meddlesome spirits packing. The Ravens would finally beat their archnemesis and not by a little. Practically, that meant they were a playoff team for the sixth time in seven seasons with a chance to win the AFC North after they spotted Pittsburgh a two-game lead. But this was about more than playoff positioning or even bragging rights in a rivalry. The Ravens had to stare down their deepest fears, their oft-repeated sense that they, more than any opponent, are their own worst enemy. “I felt that this team has had our number over the years,” Humphrey said. “I felt like the performance we put on, it wasn’t perfect, but that’s what we were supposed to do. Not beat ourselves, which I feel like has been the result of the last couple games.” The postgame hugs were sweeter because this was the victory that fulfilled the Ravens’ vision of what they could be. They were the better-rested team two weeks after their bye and six days after they easily spanked the New York Giants. None of the players who popped up on their injury report midweek — most notably wide receiver Rashod Bateman — were inactive. The Steelers, meanwhile, went to battle without their most deadly pass catcher in George Pickens, their hardest hitting safety in DeShon Elliott and two other starters in defensive end Larry Ogunjobi and cornerback Donte Jackson. They played most of the game without their other starting cornerback, Joey Porter Jr., who injured his calf early. In other words, the Ravens had no excuses for a dud performance. And still, it was not easy. There were the usual Ravens-Steelers oddities — a shanked punt by Jordan Stout that did not end up costing the Ravens and a shanked kickoff by Pittsburgh that did set up a Ravens touchdown drive. When Pittsburgh pulled even at 17-17 midway through the third quarter, it would have been difficult to find a wholly confident soul in the stands at M&T Bank Stadium. But the Ravens fell back on a mantra they’ve repeated to one another for weeks. “Just don’t flinch. Can’t flinch,” center Tyler Linderbaum said. “I tell the O-line that when we’re sitting there, all the time. Just don’t flinch no matter what happens, good or bad.” They did not flinch. There was much else to celebrate in this win, from Derrick Henry’s galloping thunder to Lamar Jackson’s scalpel throws against tight coverage to the defense’s heated pursuit of Wilson. But it was their stout spirit in the face of difficulty that defined the day. The Ravens outscored the Steelers 17-0 after the teams were tied at 17. (Karl Merton Ferron/Staff) Lamar Jackson wasn’t satisfied, but he too stood up to his past with Pittsburgh Coach John Harbaugh buried his face in his hand. Jackson, his franchise quarterback, raged as he trotted to the sideline. Neither could believe Jackson had just given the ball back to Pittsburgh when the Ravens were a few precious yards from a potentially decisive touchdown. He appeared to think Rashod Bateman was going to keep running. Instead, Bateman stopped, and Fitzpatrick stepped into the breach, becoming just the fourth defender to intercept a Jackson pass this season. All week, the national football commentariat had predicted a defining performance, for better or worse, from the reigning NFL Most Valuable Player. The Steelers’ defense was the only one Jackson had never mastered. If he could do it, perhaps he’d be right back in the 2024 MVP race with anointed favorite Josh Allen. If not, well, Jackson would spend another week hearing undercooked criticism of his performance in big games. He had the Ravens up 24-17 going into the fourth quarter. At that point, he had set a Ravens season record for touchdown passes and a personal record for most passing yards in a season. But that interception threatened to blow it all up. “That one turnover could have been the difference,” Jackson said afterward, still “hot” over his miscue. Humphrey quickly pulled Jackson’s out of his world of regret. Wilson’s interception, not his, would be definitive. Jackson put his own exclamation point on the win the next time he had the ball, firing his best pass of the day, 49 yards to Zay Flowers in stride on third-and-5. It was a throw to remind us that Jackson is no incomplete player who rattles under stress, a throw to crush an opponent’s fleeting hopes. “Clutch throws, especially against man [and] tight coverage,” Harbaugh said. “Guys running [and Lamar] dotting people on the run in man coverage. I thought Lamar was fantastic, and that’s no little bit of pressure.” No, it wasn’t his best game of the season, but a 115.4 passer rating, three touchdown passes and 6.7 yards per play for his offense were plenty good enough. if Jackson didn’t catch Allen with his performance, he at least made a fool of anyone who dismissed his MVP claim with three weeks to go. As they have for weeks, Ar’Darius Washington and Kyle Hamilton saved the defense The purple sea parted, and Wilson sprinted toward the promised land of a go-ahead touchdown. Before he could reach it, a 5-foot-8, perpetually underestimated safety named Ar’Darius Washington bolted over and not only hit the famous quarterback but knocked the ball free. The Ravens scooped it up and proceeded to drive 96 yards the other way to go up, 14-7. It was the sort of play that has generally gone against the Ravens in recent chapters of this brutal, often bizarre rivalry. Sometimes, we forget how much luck plays into takeaways. Jackson was stripped by Alex Highsmith in the first quarter; the Ravens recovered. Desmond King II fumbled on a punt return, and they not only picked up the ball but gained an extra 12 yards on the roll. But that takes nothing away from Washington, perhaps the unlikeliest savior for a defense that has transformed over the last six weeks. “I think AD’s probably had one of the hardest roles; he’s had to make the team every year in training camp,” Humphrey said. “To come in and replace a great player like Marcus Williams, his leash was very short on mistakes, if he were to make them. But he’s really showed up.” Ravens safety Kyle Hamilton has been a stabilizing force for the team’s once-struggling defense. (Karl Merton Ferron/Staff) Washington’s safety partner, Kyle Hamilton, made another crucial defensive play when he took an aggressive line on Wilson’s fourth-and-6 pass at the start of the fourth quarter and batted away a potential touchdown. At the same time they installed Washington as an every-down starter, the Ravens pulled Hamilton back from the line of scrimmage and asked him to fix the NFL’s leakiest secondary by excelling as a pure safety. He has been as great in this new guise as he was last year playing Swiss Army knife in Mike Macdonald’s schemes. When we look back on this season and diagnose what changed for a defense that was nowhere 10 games in, the story will start with Washington and Hamilton. Now and forever, the Ravens win these high-stakes games on the ground After attempting 19 rushes total in their loss in Pittsburgh, the Ravens ran 19 times in the first half Saturday, with Henry ramming, twisting and punching his way to 75 of their 121 yards. He finished with 162 on 24 carries, a forceful reminder that he is the main difference between this team and the one that fell short at the end of last season. The Ravens ground out 220 yards against an opponent that has built its identity around running and stopping the run. “The best in the business right there,” Harbaugh said, nodding to Henry from the postgame podium. Jackson said the Ravens did not know they would begin the game with so much blunt force. It was their response to the defense in front of them. But they relished the chance. “I think it’s always important in the first half to set that tempo,” Linderbaum said. “You always want to do that. I think a lot of offenses will tell you that’s their goal. It allows you to open up more things. When a team has to stop the run, they’ve got to put more guys in the box.” The Steelers hadn’t allowed more than 157 yards in a game all season. They came in allowing just four yards per carry, fifth best in the league. They could do little to stop the Ravens from eating up ground at 5.8 yards per clip. From the run designs to the blocks to Henry’s absurd blend of speed, stiff-arm ferocity and maneuverability, they trampled a team not used to losing in such fashion. Just as importantly, it’s a formula — one they puzzlingly abandoned in their AFC championship game loss a year ago — that could carry the Ravens through the tense playoff games to come. “December football, January football, it’s being able to run the ball, being able to stop the run, taking care of the football,” Linderbaum said. “It’s going to be important down the stretch. It’s gotta be the emphasis each and every week.” The Ravens defensive line harassed Russell Wilson throughout Saturday’s win over the Steelers. (Karl Merton Ferron/Staff) The Ravens, not the Steelers, poured on the pressure at telling moments David Ojabo bore in on Wilson, flustering him into the ill-advised throw that Humphrey snared for his pick-six. Ojabo, the Ravens’ 2022 second-round pick, has dealt with plenty of strife in his young football life: injuries that wiped out most of his first season and ended his second prematurely, healthy scratches this year, when he finally felt ready to break out. But there he was, at the heart of the biggest play in the Ravens’ biggest game to date. Humphrey wanted to flip him the ball at the end so he could score the touchdown, but Ojabo didn’t get quite close enough. “Your number’s going to get called at some point,” he said afterward, reflecting on his tortuous path from Michigan to NFL relevance. “Just make the plays that come to you. Don’t get too high, don’t get too low.” Related Articles Baltimore Ravens | Mike Preston: Time for Ravens to stop messing around and run the ball | COMMENTARY Baltimore Ravens | Ravens prove they can win with defense vs. Steelers: ‘Return that favor’ Baltimore Ravens | The Baltimore Sun’s Ravens report card: Position-by-position grades for 34-17 win over Steelers Baltimore Ravens | Ravens clinch playoff spot, keep AFC North title hopes alive with 34-17 win over Steelers Baltimore Ravens | Instant analysis from Ravens’ 34-17 win over Pittsburgh Steelers Pressure defined much of what we saw Saturday. Pittsburgh derailed the Ravens’ promising opening drive when Alex Highsmith beat Ronnie Stanley for a strip sack (Baltimore recovered) on second down and Jackson had to run for his life on third-and-19. Throughout the first half, Jackson was brilliant when he had ample time to throw, erratic when bodies crashed into his pocket. On the other side, the Ravens kept after Wilson, who made plenty of brilliant throws through the first three quarters but cracked in the face of an oncoming Ojabo. That after he absorbed fearsome hits from the likes of Michael Pierce and Kyle Van Noy. The Ravens finished with 20 total pressures to 11 for Pittsburgh, according to real-time charting by Pro Football Focus. Pittsburgh’s ace interior rusher, Cam Heyward, finished with zero. All-Pro outside linebacker T.J. Watt, playing through an ankle injury, had two. There were many other reasons Baltimore won the game, but that wasn’t a bad place to start. This is not a team with a singular edge rusher in the realm of Watt or Cleveland’s Myles Garrett, but if Ojabo is finally a factor to complement Van Noy and Odafe Oweh on the outside, with Pierce, Travis Jones and Nnamdi Madubuike pushing from the inside, the Ravens might be on to something. Have a news tip? Contact Childs Walker at daviwalker@baltsun.com, 410-332-6893 and x.com/ChildsWalker. View the full article

Momentum is a fickle construct. An offense can spin from looking lifeless, gasping for any positive pickup that might keep fans in purple from sinking further into their seats, to suddenly sharp and decisive, impelled by the defense landing a punch right on the jaw. It has been a savior for the Ravens twice already this season. It happened again Saturday night (twice) in exorcising their Pittsburgh Steelers demons, 34-17. And it’s proven that Baltimore’s defense can win them a rock fight. “Our offense has bailed us out so many times,” cornerback Marlon Humphrey said. “It felt good to be able to return that favor.” Baltimore’s offense opened the second quarter looking completely disjointed with a short-lived drive that included two penalties (one declined) followed by a shanked, 14-yard punt by Jordan Stout. Then four plays moved the Steelers just outside the red zone with a chance to take their first lead. From the 23-yard line, Russell Wilson took off between the hashes, only green grass in front of him, appearing destined for the end zone. Kyle Van Noy called it an “Oh, [crap]” play, admitting he lost track of containing the Steelers quarterback. Safety Ar’Darius Washington cut back and put his shoulder into Wilson’s waist. The ball popped loose short of the goal line and Van Noy crashed down to recover it. The Ravens responded to the tune of an eight-play, 96-yard scoring drive, capped by a go-ahead 14-yard touchdown pass from Lamar Jackson to Rashod Bateman. A drive that more closely resembled the NFL’s best offense by most metrics after what Humphrey called “the biggest play of the game.” “We preach about it all the time,” Washington said. “The DBs, we bring the energy. If we’re on point, the whole defense is on point. Then it carries over, if the offense is struggling, we can get those guys going too.” That wouldn’t be enough to fully escape their divisional rival. Pittsburgh had previously bested Baltimore in eight of their past nine meetings. These games always swing back and forth. It would take more than one to get the monkey off their back. Up a touchdown in the fourth quarter, the Ravens took over possession near midfield. Derrick Henry turned and burned the first play 44 yards up the sideline. Then Lamar Jackson threw an uncharacteristic interception — only his fourth of the year. It was like twisting the knife in the belly of any Baltimore momentum. The stadium fell solemn. But the defensive back room, as Washington said, prides itself on being the ones to help negate such gaffes. As was the case when Humphrey intercepted Wilson and trotted into the end zone for his first career pick-six. Wide receiver Zay Flowers sang a colorful response: “I said ‘backpack, backpack.’ You know the little ‘Dora [the Explorer’] song? Just telling them to pack it up.” Ravens cornerback Marlon Humphrey’s interception return for a touchdown gave the Ravens a commanding lead in the fourth quarter. (Karl Merton Ferron/Staff) It put Baltimore (10-5) up two scores and, as far as momentum goes, was enough to solidify the win this team had longed for, helping clinch a playoff berth and giving them a shot at passing Pittsburgh (10-5) atop the AFC North in the final two weeks of the regular season. This wasn’t Humphrey’s first momentum-shifting highlight along what has been an impressive season for the 28-year-old who welcomed the birth of his son this week. Related Articles Baltimore Ravens | The Baltimore Sun’s Ravens report card: Position-by-position grades for 34-17 win over Steelers Baltimore Ravens | Ravens clinch playoff spot, keep AFC North title hopes alive with 34-17 win over Steelers Baltimore Ravens | Instant analysis from Ravens’ 34-17 win over Pittsburgh Steelers Baltimore Ravens | Ravens RB Justice Hill exits with concussion vs. Steelers Baltimore Ravens | Ravens vs. Steelers, December 21, 2024 | PHOTOS Against Tampa Bay, he came up with two crucial interceptions that stopped the bleeding and put the ball back in the hands of the offense to put points on the board. He came up with a timely forced fumble in the second shootout with the Bengals, punching the ball loose from running back Chase Brown. Harbaugh said that night, “We talk a lot about momentum. When you don’t have it, you have to find a way to get it, and when you get it, you have to try to find a way to build on it and extend it. That’s a real thing.” Baltimore’s passing defense was, at one point, ranked last in the NFL. They were the team’s Achilles heel. Humphrey felt they lost the standard of Ravens football. Two shootouts with Cincinnati and a loss in Cleveland were evidence enough of their once poor complementary football. Perhaps no longer. “When you see other guys make plays it makes you wanna go make plays,” wide receiver Tylan Wallace said. “Seeing them go make plays and then giving the ball back to us, like we gotta make something happen.” As good as this Ravens offense is, come the postseason, they may need a few of those defensive knockout punches. Saturday night showed what’s possible. Have a news tip? Contact Sam Cohn at scohn@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/samdcohn. View the full article

Here’s how the Ravens (10-5) graded out at every position after a 34-17 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers (10-5) on Saturday at M&T Bank Stadium: Quarterbacks Lamar Jackson made some really good throws and also made some strange and questionable decisions. He missed several open receivers and the interception he threw on the poorly timed route to Rashod Bateman early in the fourth quarter almost cost the Ravens the game. Overall, Jackson completed 15 of 23 passes for 207 yards, but 49 of those came in the fourth quarter after the game had basically been decided. He threw three touchdown passes but also fumbled after being hit from behind early in the game. Grade: C+ Running backs Derrick Henry had what I call a quiet dominance in this matchup. He just kept chomping off big runs early in the game and then controlled the pace in the second half. He finished with 162 yards on 24 carries and wore down a Pittsburgh defense that entered ranked No. 4 in the NFL in run defense, allowing 94.4 yards per game. Henry also had two catches, both screens, for 27 yards. Grade: A Offensive line Offensive tackles Ronnie Stanley and Roger Rosengarten had occasional problems with edge rushers T.J. Watt and Alex Highsmith, but the Ravens crunched the Steelers with a strong running game. The Ravens were consistent with their approach and ran both outside behind the tackles as well as inside behind guards Patrick Mekari and Daniel Faalele and center Tyler Linderbaum. The Ravens handled defensive tackles Cameron Heyward and Keeanu Benton fairly well. The Ravens rushed for 220 yards on 38 carries. Grade: A Receivers Zay Flowers had a strong game both inside and out, and Pittsburgh had no cornerback to challenge his speed with two starters out of the lineup. Flowers had five catches for 100 yards, going over 1,000 for the season. Pittsburgh was also without starting safety DeShon Elliott, and the Ravens took advantage with tight ends Mark Andrews and Isaiah Likely catching touchdown passes of 9 and 7 yards respectively. Grade: C+ Defensive line The Ravens were somewhat surprising at this position. Once the team got a lead in the fourth quarter, tackle Nnamdi Madubuike got pressure on quarterback Russell Wilson and pushed him out of the pocket several times. The disappointing part was that the Steelers rushed for 117 yards on 24 carries, and they stuck with the game plan until they got behind in the fourth quarter. Madubuike had a strong presence in the game and finished with seven tackles, two of those for losses. He also had half a sack and one quarterback hurry. Nose guard Michael Pierce even had a sack and one quarterback pressure. Grade: C+ Linebackers Pittsburgh entered the game with a questionable offensive line and the Ravens took advantage of them off the edge, especially Kyle Van Noy. The veteran outside linebacker had five tackles, 1 1/2 sacks and two quarterback pressures. The Ravens also got strong efforts from inside linebackers Roquan Smith (10 tackles) and Chris Board (five). Inside linebacker Malik Harrison also had two tackles. The Ravens, though, still need to improve in coverage in the middle of the field. Grade: B Secondary The Ravens missed a lot of tackles early and sometimes it appeared as if they were taking the wrong angles. Pittsburgh did work the middle of the field well, but cornerback Marlon Humphrey’s 37-yard interception return for a touchdown with 13:06 left in the game sealed the win for Baltimore. Humphrey finished with three tackles. Safety Kyle Hamilton had eight tackles, while fellow safety Ar’Darius Washington had four, including the hit that caused Wilson to fumble near the goal line in the second quarter. Brandon Stephens had four tackles and rookie cornerback Nate Wiggins had three. Overall, the coverage was strong on the outside areas of the field. Grade: B- Related Articles Baltimore Ravens | Ravens prove they can win with defense vs. Steelers: ‘Return that favor’ Baltimore Ravens | Ravens clinch playoff spot, keep AFC North title hopes alive with 34-17 win over Steelers Baltimore Ravens | Instant analysis from Ravens’ 34-17 win over Pittsburgh Steelers Baltimore Ravens | Ravens RB Justice Hill exits with concussion vs. Steelers Baltimore Ravens | Ravens vs. Steelers, December 21, 2024 | PHOTOS Special teams The big sigh of relief coming out of M&T Bank Stadium was from the Baltimore fans after Justin Tucker converted on field goal attempts of 51 and 23 yards. Team officials talked up Desmond King as a return specialist last week, but he fumbled two punts Saturday and was fortunate the Ravens recovered both. Jordan Stout averaged 35 yards on three punts, dropping two inside the 20-yard line, but he also shanked a 14-yarder in the second quarter. Grade: C+ Coaching The Ravens finally had as much intensity as Pittsburgh and could have folded several times during the game, but it’s apparent the team has grown tired of hearing how the Steelers had won eight of the past nine meetings. There is still concern about the pass defense and guarding the middle of the field, and offensive coordinator Todd Monken might need to depend more on Henry instead of having Jackson toss the ball around as much. But, overall, it was a strong effort from a team that is about to play its third game in 11 days on Christmas. Grade: B Have a news tip? Contact Mike Preston at epreston@baltsun.com, 410-332-6467 and x.com/MikePrestonSun. View the full article

Ravens cornerback Marlon Humphrey didn’t view the Pittsburgh Steelers as a hump Baltimore needed to get over, even though the AFC North rivals had won eight of nine matchups going into Saturday’s crucial showdown at M&T Bank Stadium. Finally, the Ravens did it anyway. And it was Humphrey who delivered the knockout punch. With Baltimore clinging to a 24-17 lead early in the fourth quarter after Steelers safety Minak Fitzpatrick intercepted Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson at the Steelers’ 11-yard line, the former All-Pro cornerback returned the favor, jumping in front of Russell Wilson’s pass to tight end MyCole Pruitt and racing 37 yards down the left sideline for a touchdown. It was his sixth interception of the season — and first career pick-six — and helped deliver a 34-17 win. Baltimore improved to 10-5, clinched a playoff berth for the sixth time in the past seven seasons and pulled into a first-place tie with Pittsburgh (10-5) with two weeks remaining in the regular season, keeping alive their hopes for another AFC North title. Nearly as importantly, it finally marked a shift in the Ravens’ past mistake-filled performances against their archnemesis. In a series that over those previous nine meetings was separated by an average of fewer than four points per game, often one or two plays usually made the difference. That was the case again, but this time the breaks went Baltimore’s way, including one of the night’s biggest hits by the Ravens’ smallest defender. With the ball on Baltimore’s 23-yard line and the game tied at 7 early in the second quarter, the Steelers were driving toward a second straight touchdown. Wilson broke from the pocket and raced toward the end zone for what looked like an easy score, but diminutive safety Ar’Darius Washington came flying out of nowhere and drilled the quarterback, knocking the ball out at the 3. Outside linebacker Kyle Van Noy recovered it to stanch the momentum, and Jackson and the Ravens made them pay for it. Perhaps buoyed by the stop, the offense resumed moving the ball with ease (and by the chunk) with tight end Isaiah Likely hauling in a 19-yard pass and running back Justice Hill bouncing a 25-yard run around the left side. The latter came at a price, with Hill knocked out of the game with a concussion after landing on his head, but it didn’t slow Baltimore. One play later, Jackson hit Zay Flowers for a 14-yard gain and the play was padded by a 15-yard facemask penalty on Pittsburgh. Three plays later, Rashod Bateman broke to the outside on safety Damontae Kazee, and Jackson hit him for an easy 14-yard touchdown in the back corner of the end zone to cap a 96-yard drive to instead put the Ravens up 14-7. Leading 17-10 at the half, the Ravens kept their offense rolling in the second. Related Articles Baltimore Ravens | Ravens RB Justice Hill ruled out with concussion vs. Steelers Baltimore Ravens | Ravens vs. Steelers, December 21, 2024 | PHOTOS Baltimore Ravens | Ravens vs. Steelers live updates: Baltimore leads 34-17 in 4th quarter Baltimore Ravens | Ravens vs. Steelers comes with big stakes — and something to prove Baltimore Ravens | Ravens waive WR Diontae Johnson, elevate Anthony Miller vs. Steelers with Nelson Agholor out Jackson opened Baltimore’s opening possession of the third quarter with a 16-yard completion to his favorite target, Mark Andrews. He finished it in the same manner five plays later, with the tight end wide-open in the middle of the end zone for a 7-yard touchdown. It was the 37th touchdown pass of the season for Jackson, who broke his own franchise record with a throw, fittingly, to his top target over the years. Then with the Steelers facing a fourth-and-6 from the Ravens’ 45 at the start of the fourth quarter, Wilson’s deep pass down the middle of the field was broken up by safety Kyle Hamilton. One play later, running back Derrick Henry broke off a 44-yard run and the Ravens appeared to be poised to score again. Henry finished the game with 162 yards on 24 carries and 27 yards on two catches. But Jackson (15 of 23 passing, 207 yards, three touchdowns) threw behind Bateman and into the arms of Fitzpatrick, briefly giving the Steelers life. That is, until Humphrey snuffed it out moments later. The Ravens now face a quick turnaround with a Christmas Day game Wednesday against the Texans in Houston, while the Steelers will host the AFC’s top team, the Kansas City Chiefs, also on Christmas. Have a news tip? Contact Brian Wacker at bwacker@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/brianwacker1. UP NEXT Week 17 Ravens at Texans Wednesday, 4:30 p.m. TV/Stream: CBS, Netflix Radio: 97.9 FM, 101.5 FM, 1090 AM View the full article

Here’s what The Baltimore Sun sports staff had to say immediately after the Ravens’ 34-17 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers in Saturday’s Week 16 game at M&T Bank Stadium: Brian Wacker, reporter: Ding dong the witch is dead — or at lest the Ravens’ gargantuan struggles against their archnemesis are for now. After losing eight of the past nine matchups, mostly because of self-inflicted wounds, silly mistakes, being out-coached and pushed around physically, the Ravens were on the other end of that spectrum, forcing costly turnovers and watching the Steelers be the ones to shout themselves in the foot. Baltimore also played mostly mistake free and took advantage of momentum plays — notably Ar’Darius Washington’s forced fumble and of course Marlon Humphrey’s game-sealing interception return for a touchdown — to come out on the winning end. Childs Walker, reporter: Finally, the Ravens decisively beat the team that has haunted them like no other. Pittsburgh moved the ball, but the Ravens’ defense made the biggest plays, with Ar’Darius Washington’s forced fumble that wiped out a potential touchdown and Marlon Humphrey’s pick-six to put Baltimore up 31-17 in the fourth quarter. Coordinator Zach Orr had said such plays would be the next step for his improving group. On offense, the Ravens ran as many times in the first half as they did in all of their November loss to the Steelers and surged past 200 yards. Lamar Jackson threw a brutal fourth-quarter interception to go with his three touchdowns, so it wasn’t quite the breakout he’d sought against his AFC North nemesis. But his teammates picked him up in an all-around effort that keeps the Ravens very much in contention to win their division. They rode Derrick Henry on their first scoring drive, taking advantage of excellent field position provided by their defense’s three-and-out deep in Pittsburgh territory. Russell Wilson quickly answered, marching the Steelers to a touchdown after two Ravens defenders let him wiggle away from a would-be sack on third-and-7 at midfield. Wilson was on the verge of adding to the lead when he broke free with the goal line in sight, but Washington knocked the ball free and sent the Ravens driving 96 yards the other way to go up 14-7. That forced fumble was another massive play from Washington, who changed the Baltimore defense when he stepped in for Marcus Williams on the back end. Mike Preston, columnist: The AFC North used to be the best division in football a year ago, but that’s not the case anymore. Regardless, the Ravens beat Pittsburgh on Saturday to pull into a tie for first place. Steelers coach Mike Tomlin made some questionable decisions and counterpart John Harbaugh allowed offensive coordinator Todd Monken to gamble on a pass play after a 44-yard gain down to the Pittsburgh 11-yard line early in the fourth quarter on a run by Derrick Henry. Both were ridiculous and mismanaged by both coaches. The Ravens, though, are in good position with two games remaining in the regular season while Pittsburgh might be nearing collapse after losing two straight losses heading into a matchup against Kansas City on Christmas Day. The Ravens are a strange team. You never know which team will show up. Will it be the team that dominated Tampa Bay and Dallas, or the squad which lost to Cleveland and Las Vegas? Despite the up-and-down year, the Ravens are still in a good position to challenge for the AFC title. The Chiefs struggle in pass protection, and they have trouble in coverage. Unfortunately, so do the Ravens, but that’s what the NFL Is all about. It’s about being average, and the Ravens have had their moments of being mediocre and good at times. It’s hard to predict which team will show up. Sam Cohn, reporter: The Ravens spent all week lamenting their last loss to the Steelers — not because Pittsburgh outplayed them, but because they felt they beat themselves. Twelve penalties, three turnovers and two missed field goal attempts all back that argument. So to win on Saturday and keep their hopes of an AFC division title alive, they couldn’t beat themselves. That they didn’t. Baltimore fumbled three times but recovered all three. When Pittsburgh shanked a kickoff, giving the Ravens the ball near midfield, they needed only six plays to score. That put them over 20 points for the first time in their past eight meetings with the Steelers. And when Lamar Jackson threw a rare interception, giving Pittsburgh the ball down a touchdown, it was Marlon Humphrey who swung the game back in their favor with his first career pick-six. In 30-degree December weather, on their home grass, the Ravens were penalized thrice, turned the ball over only once and made both their field goal attempts. And for that, their divisional title hopes remain within reach. Related Articles Baltimore Ravens | Ravens RB Justice Hill ruled out with concussion vs. Steelers Baltimore Ravens | Ravens vs. Steelers, December 21, 2024 | PHOTOS Baltimore Ravens | Ravens vs. Steelers live updates: Baltimore leads 34-17 in 4th quarter Baltimore Ravens | Ravens vs. Steelers comes with big stakes — and something to prove Baltimore Ravens | Ravens waive WR Diontae Johnson, elevate Anthony Miller vs. Steelers with Nelson Agholor out C.J. Doon, editor: Sometimes you just need a little bit of luck. The Ravens recovered two of their own fumbles in the first half, the first after a strip-sack of Lamar Jackson and the second following a punt return by Desmond King II. Then, with Russell Wilson sprinting up the middle for what looked to be an easy touchdown, safety Ar’Darius Washington closed in to make a big hit and jar the ball loose. The Ravens pounced on it and proceeded to march 96 yards on just eight plays to take 14-7 lead. That 14-point swing is huge in a rivalry game like this with so much on the line. And just when it looked like the Ravens were ready to put the game away in the fourth quarter, Jackson threw an interception on a head-scratching throw across the middle after Rashod Bateman unexpectedly stopped his route. But before the frustration could fully set in, cornerback Marlon Humphrey stepped in front of a pass from Wilson and returned it 37 yards for a touchdown for his first career pick-six. It was a dizzying stretch of plays that encapsulated the wonkiness of this Ravens season. This time, it was the defense picking up its two-time Most Valuable Player instead of the other way around. That’s not to disparage Jackson’s performance, either. He was mostly on point, showing nice touch on the opening touchdown pass to Bateman while picking apart the Steelers’ banged-up secondary that lost Joey Porter Jr. early in the game. He now has a career-high 37 touchdown passes and should remain in the MVP conversation with Bills QB Josh Allen. But perhaps the biggest takeaway is how dominant Derrick Henry looked. He’s the ultimate weapon in late December and January and gives the Ravens the closer they have long needed. That clock-killing drive at the end of the game was mighty impressive. Bennett Conlin, editor: In previous meetings with the Steelers, the Ravens made too many mistakes and lacked the big plays needed to vanquish a rival. On Saturday, Baltimore flipped the script. The Ravens recovered their own fumbles on multiple occasions, forced a red-zone turnover, scored on defense and made all their field goal attempts. Outside of one horrid red-zone interception, Lamar Jackson played efficiently and Derrick Henry ran wild. It wasn’t always perfect, but the Ravens showed the required grit, toughness and competence to win the AFC North. They didn’t shy away from the moment — a loss would’ve handed Pittsburgh the division title — instead grabbing the lead and never trailing in a home triumph. This is what the Ravens needed to do in the biggest matchup of their season, as they leaned on Derrick Henry, who rushed for over 100 yards for the first time since Nov. 25. Lamar Jackson and the defense weren’t half bad, either. This version of the Ravens can win a Super Bowl, and they’ll have a chance with Saturday’s win clinching a playoff berth. Have a news tip? Contact sports editor C.J. Doon at cdoon@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/CJDoon. View the full article

Ravens running back Justice Hill has been ruled out with a concussion for the remainder of Saturday’s game against the Pittsburgh Steelers. In the second quarter, Hill bounced a 25-yard run to the left before being brought down by Pittsburgh Steelers safety Damontae Kazee. Kazee upended Hill, who appeared to land on his head and right shoulder. He was briefly attended to by trainers along the sideline before standing up under his own power and being taken back to the locker room. Hill’s concussion was diagnosed minutes later. The veteran backup had logged 30 yards on two carries to that point. Hill missed practice Wednesday of this week for the birth of his child. He returned a day later. Because of the short turnaround on the Ravens’ schedule, playing the Houston Texans on Wednesday, he will likely be unavailable in Week 17. Third-string running back Rasheen Ali was active for Saturday’s game, but second-year back Keaton Mitchell was not. Have a news tip? Contact Sam Cohn at scohn@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/samdcohn. View the full article

Ravens’ Lamar Jackson warms up before game against Steelers at M&T Bank Stadium. (Kenneth K. Lam/Staff) Ravens’ Lamar Jackson, right, goes back to the locker room after pregame warm up at M&T Bank Stadium. (Kenneth K. Lam/Staff) Ravens’ Derrick Henry warms up before game against Steelers at M&T Bank Stadium. (Kenneth K. Lam/Staff) At left, Robert Hudnet of Manchester, who plans to make a showing at the Baltimore VA tomorrow poses with Greg Thompson of Edgewood during pregame, before an NFL football divisional rivalry in Baltimore. (Karl Merton Ferron/Staff) Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Zay Flowers prepares for the cold weather during pregame, before an NFL football divisional rivalry in Baltimore. (Karl Merton Ferron/Staff) Baltimore Ravens guard Ben Cleveland during pregame, before an NFL football divisional rivalry in Baltimore. (Karl Merton Ferron/Staff) At left, Robert Hudnet of Manchester, who plans to make a showing at the Baltimore VA tomorrow and Greg Thompson of Edgewood pose with a happy fan during pregame, before an NFL football divisional rivalry in Baltimore. (Karl Merton Ferron/Staff) Baltimore Ravens quarterback Josh Johnson during pregame, before an NFL football divisional rivalry in Baltimore. (Karl Merton Ferron/Staff) View the full article