Winners and losers of the Pittsburgh Steelers 16-13 win against the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday night.
WINNERS:
Kenny Pickett – I thought long and hard about whether Kenny Pickett should be on this list. No, just kidding. I know you’ve been eagerly waiting for his name to appear on this list. This it’s the performance that gets you there. Pickett was great tonight. Eyes down, sharp throws on the run, big time play on third down, good decision making against a tough Ravens defense.
And the touch. What? A. Play. Under pressure, running left, and a laser hit to Harris vs. LB Roquan Smith. What a push! What a game. A star was born tonight.
Robert Spillane – Spillane was one of the best defenders on the field tonight and showed why the Steelers reached out to him. Health has played a role, Myles Jack can’t shake a groin injury, but Spillane is reliable and smart, and Devin Bush barely saw the field in the first half. Spillane played against the run, smelled screens and was consistently solid.
O-Line – Overall, the line was solid tonight. That helped the Ravens hang on without their stud DL Calais Campbell, but Pittsburgh’s running game was much better in the rematch. The line won at the point of attack and created a drive. In pass pro they held up well and gave Piquet time.
Jaylen Warren / Naji Harris – Two solid performances from both of these guys tonight. Ran hard, ran hard, fell down. Warren runs 31 yards down the left sideline early for a big third down. Harris runs as hard as you’ll see him. Harris passed for over 100 yards for the first time all season, while Warren nearly matched that mark. Proud of their performances tonight, epitomizing what Steelers/Ravens are all about.
Presley Harvey – A lone bright spot on special teams. There are no problems with the conversion of third strings in the game. Harvin’s first drive was 48 yards, but the second was the most beautiful, a 51-yarder with great placement along the right sideline that Myles Boykin did well to stop just short of the net for a game-ending 49-yarder. Harvin also picked off LS Christian Kuntz on a field goal. Kuntz hasn’t had a strong year.
Minka Fitzpatrick – To be closer. As always. The game-winning pick, in his 6th year. A career high for him and the seal tonight.
LOSER:
Referees – I’m not one to harp on referees. Do your best to avoid even mentioning them. But an unnecessary roughing call on Cam Heyward late in the first half was brutal. Heyward did nothing wrong and the refs should have let it go. It’s Steelers/Ravens. It becomes a little spiky. Let the players play.
Special teams – Loss of problems. Penalties on the pen, two of them tonight. Keep Minkah Fitzpatrick and Elijah Riley. Field turning moments. One held by the Ravens resulted in the Steelers starting at their own 25 without gaining what should have been good fielding. In the second half, Riley’s team supported Pittsburgh in the shadow of their own goal. Things you can’t get away with when there’s a small margin for error in low-scoring cases.
But Boswell missed a 48-yarder and the team allowed a long punt return by Justice Hill after a field goal to make it 13-9. Ugly stuff from Danny Smith’s crew.
Chris Boswell – More specifically on Boswell here. Boswell did have 50 yards. Indeed, all his shots should be from that distance. He’s much better than 40-49 from deep, missing just 48 yards in the first half. It’s not an easy shot, but it should do in close games with Justin Tucker on the other side. With injuries, misses and suspensions, it hasn’t been a good year for him.
Conflict – Specifically, on RB JK Dobbins. The scrimmage was part of a run defense that wasn’t an issue in Week 14. But that was tonight. Pretty sloppy overall as Dobbins broke assignments. Didn’t always turn into big runs, but they also turned goods/losses into positive gains. They can be just as back-breaking. Disappointing to say the least.
Chukwuma Okorafor – While the line was generally good, Okorafor seemed to be the weak link. Especially in pass protection. Issues with Justin Houston on the right side and he struggled to close/close in the run game. He is an average player.
