What we learned from the wins in Kansas City and Baltimore

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Michael Baca’s insights:

1. The Ravens defense stepped up in the fourth quarter to secure the win and the playoff spot. After the offense secured a seven-point lead at the end of the third quarter, Baltimore’s defense finished its job in the final frame, stifling the Pittsburgh offense with zero points and 34 total net yards allowed on four possessions. Highlighting this dominance was Marlon Humphrey‘s 37-yard pick-six that not only gave the Ravens a two-touchdown lead, but essentially negated a costly Ravens interception two plays earlier. At that moment, the wind seemed to be taken out of Pittsburgh’s sails, and for a while Lamar Jackson and the offense sealed the game on its next possession with an 11-play, 81-yard scoring drive (6:09 TOP), making it a three-point game. Baltimore’s defense late in the game set the tone overwhelmingly. Kyle Van Noy, Michael Pierce and Nnamdi Madubuike each recorded sacks in the win and the do-it-all safety game Kyle Hamilton (eight tackles, one pass breakup, forced fumble) was crucial to the Ravens’ late-game success. Now that the Ravens have secured a spot in the playoffs with Saturday’s win, they are also in good shape in the AFC North division race.
2. Turnovers – and the lack of them – plague the Steelers. Russell Wilson‘s poor throw at the pick-six wasn’t the only turnover that cost the Ravens points. The Steelers quarterback recovered a fumble on a scramble near the red zone early in the second quarter, ending Pittsburgh’s chance to take the lead in the game. Baltimore took advantage of that momentum by driving the ball 81 yards downfield with a TD drive, and from then on the Steelers struggled unsuccessfully to tie the score. Even when there were opportunities to secure loose balls, they slipped around. On three separate occasions, the Steelers failed to capitalize on potential fumbles – one came on one Alex Highsmith Strip sack in the first quarter and the other two via Desmond King on punt returns in both halves. Lacking the Steelers’ normally consistent rushing attack on Saturday, which amounted to an uncharacteristic offensive performance, Pittsburgh was forced to capitalize late on opportunities as it failed to get the long ball.
3. Baltimore has an ace up its sleeve for the playoffs. Be wary of those who allow the Ravens to take a late-game lead, as Saturday’s performance also proved that they have a clear advantage in that scenario. The Ravens relied heavily on the rushing attack against Pittsburgh, and it wasn’t the result of their dynamic quarterback. Derrick Henry was a menace with 162 total rushing yards (189 total scrimmage yards) and wore down the once-powerful Steelers defense down the stretch. After the defense forced a turnover on downs early in the fourth quarter, Henry’s 44-yard rumble to open the ensuing drive appeared to be the setback for Jackson’s INT on the next play. But that long run down the sideline was reminiscent of something we’ve seen this season when the Ravens have had to close out games. They prepare Henry to be the closer and keep him fresh with just 16 runs in the first three quarters to give Baltimore the knockout punch that has been missing in previous playoff runs.

Steelers-Ravens Next Generation Stats Insights (via NFL Pro): Derrick Henry rushed 24 times for 162 yards and seven explosive runs, the most of any player in a game this season. Henry ran between the tackles at a season-high 62.5% of his runs, completing five of his seven explosive runs. Henry forced 10 missed tackles and gained 66 yards after missed tackles, both his third-most in a game this season. Henry has now gained 678 yards after missed tackles this season, 144 more than the next closest player.

NFL Research: Derrick Henry had his 17th career game with more than 150 rushing yards (seventh-most in NFL history) and now has four seasons with more than 1,500 rushing yards (also the second-most in NFL history).