The Steelers are 8-2 with the AFC North lead following a win over the rival Baltimore Ravens. As always, there are plenty of takeaways to be had:
1. Another AFC North classic
Sunday’s game was a good one, but not necessarily the most expected outcome. Looking at the trends headed into the matchup, it was slated to be a big day for both offenses. Instead, we got an 18-16 final score.
But in retrospect, everyone should’ve seen this coming, right?
The Steelers-Ravens rivalry is a Bermuda Triangle for offensive excellence; look at the last several years of the matchup — it’s been the exact same game nearly every time.
The Ravens entered Sunday with the NFL’s best offense, averaging over 31 points a game. Against Pittsburgh? They recorded just 16. Derrick Henry never fumbles. Justin Tucker never misses… You can probably guess what happened against the Steelers.
The same was true for the Pittsburgh offense, although the regression wasn't quite as dramatic. The Steelers had six scoring drives and just 18 points to show for it, as well as a red zone trip that ended with a Russell Wilson interception. The Steelers offense had been ascending over the last few weeks but failed to reach the end zone even once on Sunday.
The point? Well, for one, the new kids are alright. The old titans of the rivalry might not be playing anymore, but the new cast of characters hasn’t forgotten the physicality, aggression, and tough defense that make Steelers-Ravens stand out.
For another, don’t panic regarding what was a poor performance for the Pittsburgh offense, and especially Russell Wilson. A good quarterback having a rough day in Steelers-Ravens is hardly a rare occurrence; Lamar Jackson certainly didn’t look like an MVP on Sunday, but that won’t have much of an effect on his awards chances later this season. Wilson can be afforded that sentiment as well. But he will need to step it up on Thursday against the Cleveland Browns.
2. Pittsburgh ruffled the Ravens’ feathers
While the Steelers didn't dominate on Sunday, they certainly got under Baltimore’s skin.
The Ravens are the most penalized team in the NFL, and the Steelers pounced on that lack of discipline. That isn’t to say that Pittsburgh played a flawless game — their seven penalties for 45 yards certainly isn’t ideal — but Baltimore’s 12 for 80 played a much larger role in the final score.
The Steelers were fired up, but Baltimore had it the worst, with frustration building throughout the game.
Marlon Humphrey said he’s never felt so emotional in a game as he did today.
— Ryan Mink (@ryanmink) November 17, 2024
Meanwhile, Raven-turned-Steeler Patrick Queen had the opposite reaction while playing one of his best games of the season.
Patrick Queen on facing the team that let him go (the Ravens) for the first time since signing with the rival Steelers:
“I wasn’t as pissed off as I thought I would be.” pic.twitter.com/4pF6ZNrmnI
— Chris Adamski (@C_AdamskiTrib) November 17, 2024
The exclamation point on the win was the Steelers successfully running the ball on the Ravens’ top-ranked rushing defense to close out the game in the fourth (I’ll admit the Roquan Smith injury affected this as well).
The Steelers didn’t play their best or win by much, but the way they won in such a high-stakes game against an elite AFC North opponent stood out. This was a statement win for the Pittsburgh Steelers, who are now without a doubt in the top tier of the AFC.
3. Chris Boswell for team MVP?
Could a kicker really win this award with T.J. Watt having another excellent year and Russell Wilson turning the season around? Probably not, but Boswell’s excellence this year demands that he stay in the conversation.
“The Wizard of Boz” was six-for-six on Sunday, including three field goals of 50-plus yards (long of 57), single-handedly scoring all the Steelers’ points in a win for the second time this season. He’s 29-of-30 on the year, with his lone miss from a 62-yard attempt. Unsurprisingly, he’s a perfect 20-of-20 on extra-point attempts this season as well.
The #Steelers' Chris Boswell went 6-for-6 vs. the #Ravens. He's now made 29 FGs this season, tying his total from 2023. It's only Week 11.
Boswell has only made over 29 FGs twice in his career. He's on a crazy pace right now.
(The NFL season record is 44, he's on track for 49)
— Ryland Bickley (@_Ryland_B) November 18, 2024
Plus, there’s his clutch punt from Week 1 following Cameron Johnston’s injury, as well as a game-winning kick with a backup holder in that same game. It’s been a season to remember.
As mentioned earlier, the legendary Justin Tucker faltered on Sunday, as did the usually excellent Evan McPherson for the Bengals on Sunday Night Football, with both kickers missing twice. It was a rough week for AFC North specialists — don’t take Boswell, or punter Corliss Waitman, for granted.
4. The Justin Fields package needs to stay
Cue the boos, and yeah, this topic has probably been disproportionately discussed compared to how often it actually appeared on Sunday. Plus, Justin Fields had a truly terrible awareness play when he slid a yard short of what would’ve been a game-securing first down.
But outside of a bad but correctable error by Fields, it’s hard to deny that the package added a much-needed element to the Pittsburgh offense. Russell Wilson has clearly outperformed Fields as a quarterback this season, but it’s easy to forget just how dynamic the latter is as a runner. That’s a skill set you don’t want left on the bench all game.
Fields averaged 8.5 yards per carry on his two rushes against the Ravens, and the threat of him running helped Najee Harris earn the game-winning first down. The Steelers offense just wasn’t getting it done against Baltimore, with no touchdowns on the board. On the other hand, Fields’ mobility in the red zone was his greatest strength during his time as the starter.
Both Justin Fields and Russell Wilson have led 11 drives inside the opponent's 10-yard line.
Wilson: 4 TDs, 5 FGs, 3.9 pts/drive
Fields: 8 TDs, 1 FG, 5.4 pts/drive
— Alan Saunders (@ASaunders_PGH) November 18, 2024
Add in a failed quarterback sneak by Russell Wilson against Baltimore, and it’s pretty clear that there’s a good reason to use the 6’3, 227-pound Fields, who also happens to be a fast, decisive, and powerful runner, from time to time. In moderation, the Justin Fields package needs to stick around. Just slide after the sticks next time.
5. An excellent defensive performance
We attribute a lot of the low-scoring madness of Steelers-Ravens purely to the vibes of the rivalry. Of course, the most talented offensive players in the league look like they’re running through mud — it’s Steelers-Ravens! And I’ll admit my first takeaway exacerbated that. I still think it’s true to a certain extent, but don’t let that take away from what was an elite performance from the Steelers’ defense.
Baltimore entered Week 11 with the NFL’s best rushing offense, third-best passing offense, and best scoring offense. They hadn’t been held to under 20 points all year and hadn’t come particularly close to that number since Week 1 against the Chiefs. In fact, the Ravens had scored 35-plus in five of their last seven games entering the matchup.
Against Pittsburgh, Baltimore scored a paltry 16.
While the Steelers’ defensive performance certainly had standouts, the highlight was how much of a team effort it really was. Every level made plays, with consistent pressure on Lamar Jackson from the defensive line, linebackers all over the field, and a secondary that largely silenced the Ravens’ receiving room.
Sure, Isaiah Likely had 75 yards and Derrick Henry had a 31-yard rush, but stopping the Ravens’ offense — again, far and away the NFL’s best — is a Herculean effort. Lamar Jackson was held to just 253 total yards. Henry had just 65. Against the current favorites for NFL MVP and Offensive Player of the Year, that’s as good as it gets.
6. The offense needs to adjust
Offensive coordinator Arthur Smith’s game plan against the Ravens has been largely criticized, and I’m generally in agreement. It’s hard to dig into the nuts and bolts of it directly after the game, but some things are just obvious.
Nothing looked easy for Pittsburgh for much of the game, with the Ravens blanketing the Steelers’ receivers downfield, largely taking away the perimeter shots that have been Russell Wilson’s bread and butter.
As I and just about every NFL writer noted leading up to the game, the Ravens secondary, which boasts two very good defensive backs in Marlon Humphrey and Kyle Hamilton, isn’t as bad as the numbers show; the weakness is largely in the middle of the field, where the Steelers and Wilson historically don’t pass much.
Wilson did connect on two big throws to tight end Darnell Washington in the middle of the field, but it just wasn’t enough, with the Steelers’ passer logging a drastic season-low 14.5 QBR per ESPN, the worst of any quarterback so far this week. Those numbers, plus zero touchdowns against the NFL’s 32nd-ranked passing defense, paint an ugly picture.
Mike Williams was the offense’s WR4 in terms of snaps, not even targeted once. Instead, Calvin Austin III dropped a perfectly-placed deep ball from Wilson on a third-and-one. Tight end Pat Freiermuth, who was primed for a good game against the Ravens, had just 14 yards on two targets.
Some of it falls on Smith, as well as Wilson and the rest of the offense, but Sunday’s performance was a subpar one. The Steelers offense has the talent to do much better — but they just weren't prepared enough against the Ravens defense.
7. An underrated performance
Jaylen Warren deserves more credit for his performance against the Ravens. He recorded nine carries for 41 yards and four catches for 27 yards, with his burst being one of the few bright spots on a struggling Pittsburgh offense. He was able to run Arthur Smith’s oft-criticized pitch plays and actually find success knifing through the defense. As always, he was a reliable dump-off option and blocker in the passing game.
It was a fairly average game for Warren, which is what made it impressive. The running back was a late addition to the injury report this week with a back injury, with most expecting him to sit out the Ravens game. Instead, he played and made an impact, surprising even the beat writers who watched him in practice this week.
The Jaylen Warren I saw in practice on Friday, I can't believe he's doing any of this right now.
— Nick Farabaugh (@FarabaughFB) November 17, 2024
For a smaller running back with some documented ball security problems, Warren’s injured performance against the Ravens is especially remarkable. It’s a great story to add to what was another gritty chapter of this AFC North rivalry.
8. Odds and ends
A rough game for the Pittsburgh offensive line in pass protection, especially Broderick Jones, who had a number of penalties to go along with the pressures he gave up.
Justin Tucker’s regression has been quick and ugly this season. Now, it’s a discussion between Boswell and the Cowboys’ Brandon Aubrey regarding who is the NFL’s best kicker.
George Pickens has the inverse of whatever Antonio Brown’s toe-tap gift was. He once again managed to turn what looked like a sure catch into an incompletion by somehow only touching one foot in bounds. It took effort to step on the sideline here:
Thought you’d avoid the memes this week? Wrong! Arthur Smith gave us the Steelers version of his classic surrender cobra as the Falcons’ head coach, this time reacting to Russell Wilson’s end zone pick:
Nick Herbig’s athleticism was an asset against the Ravens, but he bit hard at least twice on Derrick Henry run fakes that turned out to be Lamar Jackson keepers. Hopefully, he learns his lesson before the next meeting between the two teams.
Payton Wilson might’ve made the Steelers’ defensive play of the year with his improbable fourth-quarter interception. In many ways, it was similar to a play then-rookie Steeler Devin Bush recorded against Baltimore in 2019. Hopefully, Wilson’s Pittsburgh career ends on a better note.
After one of the worst games of his career last week against the Commanders, it was great to see Joey Porter Jr. bounce back against the Ravens, not allowing a catch and even recording a game-saving stop on the Ravens’ attempt at a game-tying two-point conversion.
The Steelers have a short week to prepare for their next AFC North matchup of the year: Thursday Night Football on Nov. 21 against the Cleveland Browns. After that, they get a few extra days of rest before plunging into — you guessed it — two more back-to-back AFC North rivalries. It’s a brutal second half to the season, but the Steelers are already undefeated through their first two games of the stretch. Pittsburgh continues to trend in the right direction.
What are your takeaways from Steelers vs. Ravens? Agree/disagree with the ones above? Join our Behind The Steel Curtain community and let us know in the comments!
