The Ravens offense has dominated games this season, but when Baltimore needed a pick-me-up in Saturday's 34-17 win over the Steelers, it was the defense that came through.
Ar'Darius Washington had a clutch forced fumble inside Baltimore's 5-yard line, Kyle Hamilton broke up a deep fourth down pass in the fourth quarter, and then there was Marlon Humphrey's game-changing pick-six.
Just two plays after Lamar Jackson threw a red zone interception on a miscommunication, Humphrey jumped a pass from Russell Wilson and took it 37 yards for a touchdown.
The pick-six put Baltimore ahead by 14 in the fourth quarter, and pundits praised Defensive Coordinator Zach Orr's unit for coming up in the big moments against Pittsburgh.
The Athletic's Jeff Zrebiec: "It was fitting that it was Baltimore's veteran cornerback Marlon Humphrey, who has played in so many of these Ravens-Steelers games and acknowledged during the week how much it bothered him to be on the losing end so often in recent years, who stepped up to rewrite the ending."
The Baltimore Sun’s Childs Walker: "Marlon Humphrey ... swooped in front of his man to snatch Russell Wilson's pass in the flat. Thirty-seven elated yards later, Humphrey had sent those meddlesome spirits packing. The Ravens would finally beat their archnemesis, and not by a little."
The Baltimore Banner's Jonas Shaffer: "On defense, against a Steelers offense missing top wide receiver George Pickens, the Ravens were erratic. But they made the hits when they had to. Safety Ar'Darius Washington's second-quarter tackle of Wilson at the Ravens' 4 jarred the ball loose, and the defense's recovery likely kept Pittsburgh from taking an early lead."
The Baltimore Sun’s Sam Cohn: "Baltimore's passing defense was, at one point, ranked last in the NFL. They were the team's Achilles heel. Humphrey felt they lost the standard of Ravens football. Two shootouts with Cincinnati and a loss in Cleveland were evidence enough of their once poor complementary football. Perhaps no longer. ... As good as this Ravens offense is, come the postseason, they may need a few of those defensive knockout punches. Saturday night showed what's possible."
The Baltimore Beatdown’s Joshua Reed: "Over the past month since making some personnel and schematic adjustments, they tightened up significantly and took the next step in their evolution by forcing more turnovers against the Steelers courtesy of three of their best defensive backs. First Team All Pro Kyle Hamilton made several key big hits in this game and one of them forced a fumble on a play that proceeded on a key fourth-down-and-6 when he showed off his incredible range as deep safety when he broke up a pass and nearly had an interception to force a turnover on downs on the first play of the fourth quarter."
The Press Box’s Bo Smolka: "Earlier in the year, Marlon Humphrey sounded personally offended to see the Ravens' pass defense ranked among the worst in the league. He pointed fingers squarely at himself and his teammates rather than at rookie defensive coordinator Zach Orr, and said the players needed to hold one another accountable. Humphrey's leadership has been on display all season, and so has his big-play ability."
Tom Brady Continues to Show Jackson Love
Seven-time Super Bowl champion quarterback Tom Brady has long been a fan of Jackson, and he was on the FOX call as Jackson threw three touchdowns and led the Ravens to a big win over the Steelers.
Brady, who is the GOAT in Jackson's eyes, gave Jackson his Tom Brady LFG Player of the Game and had praise for Baltimore's signal caller.
"It's been awesome watching you play this year," Brady said. "I thought I'd seen it all with the two MVPs you've already won and certainly being in the hunt again."
This is the second week in a row Brady has shown his love for Jackson. Brady named Jackson one of his three stars of the week after throwing five touchdown passes against the New York Giants. It was the fourth time this season Jackson has been one of Brady's stars of the week.
Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen, who many pundits claimed was the MVP favorite heading into the week, was 16 of 29 for 154 yards, one touchdown, and one interception in a 24-21 win over the New England Patriots yesterday, buoyed by a Bills defensive touchdown.
Pundit Thinks Derrick Henry Has Proven He Can Get the Ravens Over the Hump
December has historically been the best month of Derrick Henry's career, and he showed it against the Steelers, running 24 times for 162 yards.
The Baltimore Banner's Kyle Goon thinks the presence of Henry, who is second in the NFL in rushing with 1,636 yards, can be the reason the Ravens break through in the postseason.
"The goal is to win a Super Bowl. If the Ravens didn't win this week, it would have been the clearest signal yet that they're nowhere close to a third franchise Lombardi Trophy," Goon wrote. "... Henry's dogged, tackle-breaking runs are the stuff winter football is made of. With possible trips to Pittsburgh, Buffalo or — dare we even say it — Kansas City ahead, the Ravens feel a lot better with Henry in their corner."
Henry has played six games against teams currently in the AFC playoffs, and he has 140 yards or more in three of them. He's one of the most feared weapons in the NFL, and with his first postseason in purple on the horizon, Goon thinks Henry can take over in an AFC that doesn't have a runaway favorite.
"In this wide-open AFC brawl, running the ball with Henry is like throwing uppercuts with brass knuckles," Goon wrote. "... Henry might just be the key to the whole damn thing, the piece that unlocks the puzzle that has dogged Baltimore in the Jackson era."
