ExtremeRavens Posted December 22, 2024 Posted December 22, 2024 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. Ravens vs. Steelers, December 21, 2024 | PHOTOS 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. 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 Quote
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