Even after everything that had gone wrong in Pittsburgh, the Ravens had their chance.
Ugly or not, Sunday’s game still had the potential to be the kind of character-building victory that’s less about style points and the standings and more about the maturation of a team and the big picture for January, which is what truly matters for an outfit that’s pretty much done it all in the regular season in recent years. Even the elite teams aren’t going to be at their best every week over a 17-game season, and that was certainly true of Lamar Jackson and an offense that’s been otherwise incredible in 2024. No matter how ugly the performance looked with the lack of offensive rhythm, turnovers, and all-too-frequent penalties, the opportunity remained to beat the Steelers, the AFC North rival who’s gotten the best of Baltimore to a baffling degree in recent years.
Cornerback Marlon Humphrey’s interception of Pittsburgh quarterback Russell Wilson’s ill-advised throw to the end zone with 9:23 remaining felt like the game-altering play so many tight Ravens-Steelers tilts have featured for a quarter-century now. Instead of the Steelers increasing their 15-10 advantage, the Ravens had the ball and the chance to take the lead in a clash that felt as close as it gets to a playoff game in mid-November, especially with sole possession of first place on the line. Of course, we know taking down Pittsburgh isn’t the same as finding a way to get past reigning Super Bowl champion Kansas City in January, but it’s in the same family of doubts as the Ravens have too often lost their identity — and composure — in these meetings against both Mike Tomlin and Andy Reid.
Despite “Renegade” whipping the Pittsburgh crowd into a frenzy during the media timeout immediately following Humphrey’s pick, the Ravens initially appeared ready to seize the moment as Jackson kept the ball around left end for 25 yards on the first play of the drive, moving them near midfield. Like Humphrey’s forced fumble against Cincinnati provided the spark last week, it looked as though the Baltimore offense had finally awoken for crunch time.
But then another penalty put the Ravens in first-and-15 and Steelers rookie linebacker Payton Wilson followed that with a spectacular takeaway that trumped Humphrey’s, ripping a deep pass away from running back Justice Hill for an interception and giving the ball back to Pittsburgh at its own 36-yard line with 8:14 to go.
So much for that.
The game wasn’t over, but that marked the final time the Ravens had the ball with a chance to take the lead. From there, the maligned Baltimore defense that had turned in one of its finest performances of the season surrendered a drive that drained more than 4 1/2 minutes from the clock and resulted in Chris Boswell’s sixth field goal. And though Jackson did pass the Ravens down the field for a touchdown with 1:06 to go, the game-tying 2-point conversion try — which came with star running back Derrick Henry standing on the sideline — was no good. Pittsburgh then ran out the clock for its eighth win in the last nine meetings, continuing the most-lopsided stretch in the history of this rivalry.
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Once again, it was the Steelers making the biggest plays to win the game.
“They’ve kind of had our number,” Humphrey said. “You get to see them twice. You just keep fighting. You know they’re going to be a well-coached team with Tomlin over there. It’s always a battle. They’ve had our number, but we’ll just keep fighting.”
The 18-16 loss is hardly fatal to Baltimore’s hopes for a division title — especially with a return bout at M&T Bank Stadium on Dec. 21 — with seven weeks to go, but it felt all too familiar when it comes to the Ravens’ psyche and what they aim to ultimately accomplish. That’s what is most frustrating about a team that so often looks Super Bowl-worthy while also finding ways to lose to two of the NFL’s worst teams — Las Vegas and Cleveland — so far this season.
Frankly, it’s difficult to trust John Harbaugh’s team, which isn’t a good reflection on the 17th-year head coach himself. If the Ravens can’t figure out a way to beat the Steelers in the regular season, how do they expect to get over the hump against Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs when it matters most?
Sunday looked too much like what we’ve seen from the Ravens in January with Jackson out of sorts, his offensive teammates doing little to help him, and the team making too many mistakes collectively. When you also consider the season-long struggles of the pass defense — with Sunday hopefully marking the start of a turnaround — as well as Justin Tucker and the special teams, it’s safe to say the Ravens have plenty of work to do to sharpen themselves as the playoffs begin in less than two months.
That includes needing to beat the first-place Steelers in the rematch, especially if the Ravens want to win the division and host a playoff game. But beyond that, there are only so many opportunities for true character-building wins in the regular season when you’ve occupied the kind of space Baltimore has in recent years.
The Ravens missed that chance and fell 1 1/2 games back in the AFC North in the process.
“Going back to the AFC championship game, we killed ourselves,” Jackson said Sunday. “The Chiefs game [in] the opener, we killed ourselves. Raiders [game], we killed ourselves. Today, it’s the same thing. We can’t be beating ourselves in these types of games.
“We have to find a way to fix that. It’s annoying.”
