Ravens fall to Steelers, 17-10, in sloppy regular-season finale without QB Lamar Jackson, other key starters
Steelers #Steelers
The rain started falling before noon and never stopped.
It was a bad night to be an oblong-shaped leather ball Saturday night at M&T Bank Stadium. It was a worse one to be a quarterback trying to throw it, or a fan hoping to see an offensive shootout between a pair of bitter AFC North rivals on a chilly evening with nothing on the line for the home team.
The Steelers fumbled six times, losing two of them, and the Ravens twice, losing both.
Still, Pittsburgh quarterback Mason Rudolph, a third-stringer at the start of the season behind Kenny Pickett and Mitchell Trubisky, has come up big since taking over a few weeks ago and did so again on a wet and wild night against the Ravens.
With the game tied at 7 and facing a third-and-4 from his own 29-yard line at the start of the fourth quarter, Rudolph threw a strike to slanting wide receiver Diontae Johnson over the middle and he took it to the house for a 71-yard touchdown.
After the Steelers recovered a fumble by running back Gus Edwards at the Ravens’ 32-yard line, Chris Boswell added a 25-yard field goal with 3:17 remaining to seal the 17-10 victory.
Though the Steelers (10-7) could’ve made the playoffs with a win or loss, the former makes the path simpler. With a Tennessee Titans victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars, or a Miami Dolphins win over the Buffalo Bills, Pittsburgh is in.
The Ravens (13-4), of course, had already wrapped up the No. 1 seed in the AFC, the first-round bye in the playoffs and home-field advantage through the conference championship game. They were simply playing for pride and hoping to escape any serious injuries.
And with literally nothing at stake for Baltimore — other than potential disaster — there was no reason for Ravens coach John Harbaugh to play his most important starters, particularly quarterback Lamar Jackson, whose last two seasons were cut short by injuries.
A half-dozen others were also inactive, either because they are dealing with an injury or simply trying to avoid one. Wide receivers Odell Beckham Jr. (rest) and Zay Flowers (calf), safety Kyle Hamilton (knee), cornerback Marlon Humphrey (calf), guard Kevin Zeitler (knee/quad/coach’s decision), outside linebacker Malik Harrison (groin) and Daryl Worley (shoulder/ankle) were all unavailable.
There was still, however, the matter of trying to avoid a season sweep at the hands of the rival Steelers for the second time in the past three seasons, along with putting a further dent in their playoff chances.
“No matter who you play in this particular game in this situation, there would be no lack of motivation,” Harbaugh said earlier in the week. “Our guys love to play. … The fact that it’s a division rival – the Steelers – that certainly doesn’t lessen it. It’s always a very important game for us.”
Given the conditions, it was also a tough one, for both teams.
Ravens backup quarterback Tyler Huntley, an unrestricted free agent after this season, called the game an “opportunity to get out there and play some ball” and said he was eager to seize the moment. Doing so proved easier said than done.
Huntley completed 15 of 28 passes for just 146 yards and a touchdown, and the Ravens, who lead the NFL in rushing yards this season, managed just 106 yards on the ground.
Pittsburgh, meanwhile, chewed up 156 yards on the ground, leaning on backs Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren most of the game.
Nearly half of those yards, though, came on Pittsburgh’s second possession as the Steelers marched 76 yards — 69 of them on the ground — in 12 plays during a drive that took 7:32 before Harris squirted up the middle for a 6-yard score and the game’s first points.
Baltimore, on the other hand, struggled to find its footing offensively.
The Ravens ran the ball just twice in the opening quarter, gained only 10 total yards of offense and went three-and-out on their first two possessions. By midway through the second quarter, the Ravens had mustered just 34 yards of total offense, and Huntley had completed 3 of 7 passes for 13 yards.
Eventually, it found its way — but only briefly.
Late in the first half, Huntley lofted a long pass to practice squad call-up Laquon Treadwell down the right sideline for a 16-yard gain to convert a third-and-9 from his own 30-yard line. Then Edwards ripped off a 29-yard run up the right side.
Two plays later, with the Steelers blitzing, Huntley zipped a pass over the middle to tight end Isaiah Likely, who caught it at the 10, broke loose and stretched across the goal line for a touchdown to tie the game at 7.
But that would be the Ravens’ lone touchdown of the night, with Justin Tucker connecting on a 36-yard field goal with 20 seconds remaining in the fourth before a failed onside kick attempt.
This story will be updated.
AFC divisional round
TBD at Ravens
Jan. 20-21, TBA
TV: TBA
Radio: 97.9 FM, 101.5 FM, 1090 AM