The Ravens grinded out a 16-14 win in Pittsburgh in Week 14 behind three turnovers from the defense and a punishing rushing attack that piled up 215 yards with Lamar Jackson (and eventually Tyler Huntley too) sidelined.
Here's a dive into the film from the game:
The Ravens defense started with a sack of Steelers quarterback Kenny Pickett, who was ultimately ruled out of the game with a concussion.
Once again, it was the Roquan Smith-Patrick Queen combo that got the job done, which would be a theme throughout the game.
While Baltimore's defense allowed 329 total yards, it got three turnovers in the red zone, including spectacular interceptions from Smith and Queen.
Safety Marcus Williams joined in on the takeaway party in the second half, seemingly baiting Steelers backup quarterback Mitchell Trubisky into taking a deep shot as Williams faded to the center of the field. Williams quickly flipped his hips and showed his range to make the play.
The Ravens' run blocking was dominant throughout the game, and it was really across the board. In particular, Tyler Linderbaum had his best game as a pro and fullback Pat Ricard feasted.
Baltimore used a lot of combo blocks, paired with the usual many pulling blockers, with much success against the Steelers' tough defensive front and veteran five-time Pro Bowler Cam Heyward. It was a long day for Pittsburgh's linebackers, especially former first-round pick Devin Bush.
What's particularly impressive is that the Ravens' offensive line had such a strong day with right guard Kevin Zeitler sidelined by a sore knee. Trystan Colon and Ben Cleveland shared the reps.
In his first game back from a midseason clean-up knee surgery, J.K. Dobbins ran for 120 yards and a touchdown on 15 carries. Dobbins struggled to stay patient coming back from his major knee injury, but his patience as a runner was on full display. It's easy to see why he's such an effective rusher.
Dobbins said he's not fully back to being himself, but he seemed to get stronger as the game went on and made some impressive cuts in his first game back.
One of the most nerve-wracking moments of the game was, following Williams' interception, the Ravens took over possession at the Steelers' 1-yard line. It was also when undrafted rookie quarterback Anthony Brown entered the game, relieving Huntley (concussion).
Brown completed just three of five passes, but it was his poise in moments like this that helped win the game.
The Ravens were clinging to a six-point lead when Calais Campbell blocked a 40-yard field-goal attempt. In a game that ended up being decided by two points, it was a massive play.
The 6-foot-8, 307-pound Campbell simply overpowered the 6-foot-1, 228-pounder Steelers long snapper for Campbell's ninth career blocked field goal – the most of any active player.
The Ravens iced the game behind more strong running, including a 13-play, 57-yard drive that ate up seven minutes and 55 seconds. It's a drive that Head Coach John Harbaugh said will go down in Ravens-Steelers lore.
Once again, the blocking and running execution on the drive was spectacular. It was also notable the wide variety of runs Offensive Coordinator Greg Roman dialed up, keeping the Steelers defense guessing on a critical drive.
A 6-yard rumble by Gus Edwards sealed the Ravens' win, and it was well schemed and executed. It was a similar play to the Ravens' 4-yard touchdown run with Dobbins earlier in the game, except this time there was a slight twist when Edwards took a counter-step before taking the handoff. That helped hold the outside linebacker just enough with less threat from Brown to run from under center.
