The Pittsburgh Steelers got a helping hand on their way to the playoffs earlier today with losses to both the Miami Dolphins and New York Jets. The final piece of the equation that gave the Steelers hope heading into Week 18 was a win over the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday Night Football. It came down to the final seconds, but a late Kenny Pickett touchdown to Najee Harris kept Pittsburgh in a 16-13 victory.
The Ravens won the coin toss and were delayed, so the Steelers opened the game with the ball. Pittsburgh moved the ball well on its opening drive. A first down conversion on 3rd and 1 by FB Derek Watt was followed by another when QB Kenny Pickett found R. yards to the Baltimore 13-yard line and the Steelers would get 1st-and-Goal after a QB sneak by Pickett on 3rd-and-short. A false start penalty against TE Pat Freiermuth would bring the Steelers to the Baltimore 7, and the Steelers would not find the end zone after a 3rd-and-Goal fade to WR George Pickens was incomplete in the end zone. Chris Boswell kicked a 21-yard field goal and the Steelers took a 3-0 lead with 7:01 left in the first quarter.
Baltimore moved the ball into Pittsburgh territory on a four-yard run by QB Tyler Huntley that set up a 3rd-and-6, and on third down, Huntley hit T.E. Mark Andrews and a first down at the Pittsburgh 43. Huntley connected with WR Demarcus Robinson for a nine-yard gain and a first down, and then RB JK Dobbins, who torched the Steelers for 120 yards on 15 carries in the first meeting between the two teams, ran for an average of 15. – yard profit. Drake was delayed by an incomplete pass to WR Desean Jackson on 3rd-and-5, and K.
RB Najee Harris had a first down with a nine-yard run and a five-yard run, but QB Kenny Pickett fumbled on the next play and the Steelers faced 2nd-and-17. Pickett and WR Deonta Johnson connected on 2nd down for a 14-yard gain, but on 3rd-and-3, George Pickens was flagged for an illegal touch and the Steelers were forced to punt. P Presley Harvey III made a 48-yard punt that was downed at the Baltimore 6-yard line.
The Steelers forced a three-and-out, and Jordan Stout’s punt reached the Baltimore 36. S. A tackle on Minkah Fitzpatrick cost the Steelers 10 yards, so they’ll start at their own 26. WR Gunner jet sweep. Olszewski took the first down on a six-yard run for the second time, and then two Warren runs gave the Steelers another first down. On 2nd and 10 from the Pittsburgh 46, Warren gained five yards, and on 3rd and 5, Pickett escaped the pocket and made a really nice throw to TE Pat Freiermuth for 10 yards and a first down. That would be the last first down as Pickett’s pass to Freiermuth on 3rd and 3 was broken up by S Chuck Clark. Boswell’s 48-yard field goal hit the right upright and was no good, so the Ravens will play at their own 30.
After a false start, Dobbins’ 17-yard run would start a Baltimore drive, and Huntley would have another run downfield just after the two-minute warning to the Pittsburgh 39. He was followed by a nine-yard completion to TE Mark Andrews two plays later for a first down inside the red zone. Huntley’s drafted QB was stuffed for no gain, and then TE Isaiah Habanakan stopped LB. Robert Spillane for a six-yard loss. With 22 seconds left in the half, Baltimore faced 3rd-and-16 from the Pittsburgh 22. On 3rd down, Dobbins ran for seven yards, and then after the play, DL Cameron Hayward was called for a highly questionable roughing penalty with 11 seconds left. in the middle On the next play, Likely had a touchdown and Tucker’s extra point gave the Ravens a 10-3 halftime lead.
Baltimore had the ball to start the second half, and they opened the game with a 14-yard completion to Andrews. Andrews gained 18 yards on 3rd-and-7 and S Minkah Fitzpatrick was injured. Fitzpatrick returned a few plays later and the Steelers were able to stop the Ravens once again, but K. third trimester.
Pittsburgh’s offense got a first down on the second play of the next period on a 15-yard run by RB Najee Harris, but two plays later on 2nd-and-7, Harris lost seven yards on a run when a blocker blew up. On 3rd and 14, Pickett immediately threw the sticks and WR George Pickens made an impressive catch to pick up the first down. On 3rd and 4 two plays later from the Baltimore 44, Pickett dropped RB Jaylen Warren, and Warren picked up a pick-six and a first down. The Steelers faced another 3rd-and-4 after Harris’ runs of five yards and one yard, and Pickett was brought down by S Kyle Hamilton and his throw to WR Deonta Johnson was incomplete. The Steelers sent Boswell out for a 51-yard attempt, and he was able to cut the deficit to 13-6 with 3:42 left in the third quarter.
The Ravens drive started with a bang again as Dobbins ran 22 yards for a first down. On 2nd and 8, two plays later, OLB TJ Watt was able to reach Huntley to give Pittsburgh a first down and the Ravens were on 3rd and 18. WR Steven Sims at the Pittsburgh 10. Tackle Elijah Riley would mean the Steelers would start with their own 5.
Najee Harris’ strong run on first down gained 10 yards and was flagged just short of the first down, but he got enough of a first down on his next run just before the fourth quarter. That was followed by a 15-yard run by Harris and a 15-yard reception by Pickens. Warren’s first run moved the Steelers to the Baltimore 42 a few plays later, and on 3rd-and-4 after Harris’ six-yard run, Pickett hit Johnson on a winding route and he gained some yards for the 21 after the catch. – yard profit. In the red zone at the Baltimore 15, the Steelers ran the ball on back-to-back plays and ended up with no yards. Pickett’s pass on 3rd-and-10 was incomplete and Boswell’s third field goal cut the Ravens’ lead to 13-9 with 9:44 left in the fourth quarter.
Boswell’s ensuing kickoff was returned by RB Justice Hill 56 yards to the Pittsburgh 40. A two-down loss and Huntley’s incompletion led to a 3rd-and-12 and his pass to Habanakan was dropped. The Ravens punted and the Sims fair took a punt at the Pittsburgh 8 with 8:45 left in the game. On the first down, Warren ran for six yards and then picked up the first with a nine-yard run on the second run. Pittsburgh ran it on the next play, and Pickett put it on the money for Johnson, who couldn’t get both feet in bounds along the sideline. On 2nd-and-10, Pickett was sacked after he couldn’t find an open receiver, and on 3rd-and-18, his pass to Freiermuth was incomplete. With 6:42 left, the Steelers were forced to punt it back to Baltimore. Harvin’s punt was 50 yards, returned for two gains. Baltimore will begin their drive at their own 36.
The Ravens gained four yards on a first down on a short pass from Andrews, setting up a Dobbins run on 3rd and 3. The Ravens went back on the ground, but Dobbins fumbled to give Pittsburgh’s offense the ball back. . Stout’s punt went into the end zone for a touchdown.
Harris gained seven yards on first down and two more on Pickett’s sack to make it 3rd-and-1. Pickett came down the field for a first down, darting toward Freiermuth for a 20-yard gain to midfield. On the final play before the two-minute warning, Pickett threw another touchdown, this one to Sims 28 yards to the Baltimore 22.
The Steelers got back to Sims on a jet sweep, and he was able to run for four yards to set up a 2nd-and-6. Harris scampered for five yards, leaping over the hole and coming up just short of the first down. The Steelers returned a tried and true QB sneak, and with a push from Harris, Pickett was able to get a first down. With the clock running, the Steelers took the air on 1st down and Pickett’s pass into the end zone was incomplete. With 1:06 left, Harris fumbled just short of the line of scrimmage and the Ravens called their final timeout with 3rd-and-8 pending. On 3rd and 8, Pickett ran off the sack and found Harris in the end zone for a touchdown to give the Steelers a 15-13 lead. Boswell’s extra point was good and the Steelers took a 16-13 lead with 56 seconds left.
Boswell’s kickoff was a touchdown, and a first-down pass from Huntley was picked off by Isaiah Likely. A holding penalty against the Ravens on 2nd down held them to 10 yards. On 2nd and 20, Huntley threw Andrews up the middle for 18 yards and the clock kept ticking. After a first down to Andrews, the Ravens had the ball with 20 seconds left and the ball at the Baltimore 38. Huntley drove downfield, but his pass was picked off by Minkah Fitzpatrick. The Steelers would come away with a 16-13 win over Baltimore.
The win keeps the Steelers’ playoff hopes alive in Week 18 and moves them to 8-8 on the season.
