I am not sure what just happened. What I do know is that the Steelers found a way to win a football game that through three quarters they had no business winning.
It was as ugly as they come, truly.
The Steelers stole that 17-10 win over the visiting Ravens Sunday, getting some massive plays from their defense and special teams and doing just enough late in the game offensively to move into first place in the AFC North.
T.J. Watt and Alex Highsmith had huge days. Rookie cornerback Joey Porter Jr. picked off the first pass of his career in the end zone, keeping the Ravens off the board. And once again Pittsburgh’s defense put the clamps on Lamar Jackson, picking up a much-needed win entering the bye week.
Let’s check out some grades.
QB — C
It wasn’t good early for second-year quarterback Kenny Pickett. He wasn’t on the same page with his receivers early, missed some throws and wasn’t seeing the field all that well.
Then, after a momentum-shifting punt block from Miles Killebrew and Porter’s first career interception, the young quarterback got rolling when it mattered most. Pickett was 4-for-6 on the game-winning touchdown drive for 78 yards with 41 yards coming on the eventual winning touchdown to wide receiver George Pickens down the right sideline.
Dealing with a bone bruise and a calf strain after getting hurt last week in Houston, Pickett played better in Week Five against the Ravens, throwing a perfect ball late to Pickens for the game-winner. On the day, Pickett finished 18-of-32 for 224 yards and the game-winning score. Not a pretty line overall, but all that matters is the win.
RB — C+
In the fourth quarter Jaylen Warren came to life for the Steelers, taking over the game with his effort and overall explosiveness.
Warren was a force when the Steelers needed it most, ripping off some key runs, including a 16-yarder that sparked the offense. He also converted a huge third-down play on 3rd and 7, moving the chains and dragging defenders in the process down the Steelers’ sideline. He finished with nine carries for 40 yards on the ground and three catches for 39 yards as the best back on the day.
Najee Harris had some issues running behind an offensive line that just wasn’t generating much push up front. Harris finished with just 37 yards on 14 carries, good for just 2.6 yards per carry. It looks rather ugly in the box score, but Harris ran hard and had some successful runs. Just when he appeared to get going the offensive line couldn’t create much push.
Still, the running back tandem worked the way it was supposed to. The Steelers rode the hot hand late with Warren and picked up a huge division win.
WR — B
George Pickens’ career day helped save the Steelers late. Stop me if you’ve heard that one before.
Pickens led the charge for the Steelers offensively with a game-high 10 targets, finishing with six catches for 130 yards. On his game-winning 41-yard touchdown late in the fourth quarter, he beat Baltimore cornerback Marlon Humphrey down the Steelers’ sideline for the score. Prior to that, Pickens was having a strong day, winning consistently down the sideline on back-shoulder throws in contested-catch situations.
He even had a big 21-yard connection with Pickens the play before the game-winning touchdown. When he’s a focal point and is getting favorable looks from the defense, he’s incredibly hard to guard.
Veteran Allen Robinson II was steady and reliable on Sunday though he’s not a real threat after the catch. Robinson had five catches on nine targets for 29 yards. He’s basically filling the JuJu Smith-Schuster/Chase Claypool slot role: short routes, short catches, no YAC. It worked on Sunday, but there needs to be more there.
Miles Boykin and Calvin Austin III were the only two other receivers to see targets on Sunday, generating one apiece. Neither had a catch.
TE — C-
A little disappointing overall in the blocking department from rookie tight end Darnell Washington, at least at first glance. He had a chance to really assert his dominance at the line of scrimmage in the run game as a true No. 1 TE for the Steelers with Pat Freiermuth out, but he didn’t create much push up front, matching the Steelers’ offensive line in the run game.
Washington wasn’t a factor in the passing game, either, finishing with just two targets though he should have drawn a pass interference on one of the targets.
For a stretch, Connor Heyward was the Steelers’ best offensive weapon. Heyward had a larger role in the passing game with Freiermuth on the shelf and took advantage. He finished with three catches for 23 yards, two of which moved the chains on third down. His 11-yard catch from Pickett in the first half on a rollout was a great play by Heyward. He cut off his shallow cross and sat down in the open space, showing Pickett his numbers. Drifting backwards to get to the chains, he made the catch, keeping the drive alive.
Very smart football player. The Steelers need to use him a bit more.
OL — D+
The Steelers found their rhythm late in the game offensively as they were able to start ripping off some chunk plays on the ground thanks to some good blocking. The offensive line did a nice job in protection, too, holding up well for Pickett to make plays down the field. Why it takes so long for the offensive line to figure things out is anyone’s guess, but it happened at a great time.
Still, it doesn’t cover up a messy game.
The Steelers rushed for just 87 yards on 30 carries Sunday afternoon, averaging 2.9 yards per carry. The last time they faced the Ravens the Steelers ran for 198 yards, so they took a significant step back this time around.
In pass protection, the offensive line allowed three sacks and four quarterback hits but held up late when it mattered most.
Center Mason Cole had a bit of a rough game again, struggling in pass protection, while right guard Nick Herbig wasn’t much better next to him. Rookie left tackle Broderick Jones had a fine showing in his first career start, coming up big in protection late. Right tackle Chukwuma Okorafor had an ugly procedure penalty late in the game that opened the door for the Ravens again before the defense slammed it shut.
This group needs to get healthy entering the bye and figure things out — and fast. The line is as big of an issue for the offense as the play caller.
DL — C-
Things started off rather sloppy early on for the defensive line as Pittsburgh couldn’t get off blocks and make plays against the run. Lamar Jackson had a 27-yard run in the first quarter, Justice Hill had a 14-yard touchdown to give the Ravens an early lead, and Gus Edwards was steady gaining yardage on the ground.
Then, things tightened up. Even though the Ravens rushed for 125 yards and a touchdown on 25 carries (5.0 yards per tote), the defensive line played well late. Larry Ogunjobi was quite good throughout the game, stepping up again without Cameron Heyward next to him. He had a big chase-down forced fumble in the first half on a Hill screen that gave the Steelers life. We’ll see what his status is after he left the game with an injury.
Keeanu Benton was in the middle of scrums quite a bit in the run game and held up well at the point of attack. The rookie had three tackles and a quarterback hit in the win. Isaiahh Loudermilk had some nice pass rushes at times, but he continues to get pushed around far too easily against the run. He had two tackles.
Montravius Adams added two tackles and should have drawn a holding call in the first half on a Lamar Jackson scramble. It went uncalled, as did a lot in the game from Carl Cheffers’ crew.
LB — B
Who knows where this team would be without the outside linebacker tandem of T.J. Watt and Alex Highsmith.
The two were again a force on Sunday. Highsmith had two tackles and a sack, stripping Jackson of the football late in the fourth quarter, leading to a Watt recovery. Highsmith also had a career-high 11 pressures on Sunday against the Ravens, which tied the NFL high for pressures in a single game this season.
He’s turning into a star.
Watt, obviously, is already one. He showed it again on Sunday. Watt had two sacks in the win, pushing his season total to eight. He added a big pass breakup early in the game to stop the bleeding a bit defensively and then closed out the game in fitting style on fourth down, sacking Jackson to close out the win.
Veteran backup Markus Golden had a strong day, too. He walked left tackle Ronnie Stanley right into Jackson’s lap on back-to-back reps in the second quarter and had a quarterback hit in the win. When he’s on the field he’s productive as a pass rusher. That’s not a surprise, considering his resume.
Inside, there were some issues early on as Cole Holcomb blew an assignment on Justice Hill’s touchdown run and then later had an ugly missed tackle on Zay Flowers down the sideline. But after that he cleaned things up, putting together a strong day. He broke up a pass with a big hit down the middle with Patrick Peterson in the fourth quarter, had a tackle for loss and finished with a team-high nine tackles.
Kwon Alexander had a strong game overall, too. He brought the physicality and was flying around for the Steelers. He had a tone-setting tackle for loss on a screen in the first half, had three quarterback hits and led the Steelers with three tackles for loss and a sack of Jackson, living in the Ravens’ backfield.
Elandon Roberts had a strong game, too. He had eight tackles and his style of downhill physicality fit perfectly against the Ravens, especially in the second half.
DB — D+
The cornerbacks in Pittsburgh are a real problem.
Levi Wallace, Patrick Peterson and Chandon Sullivan really struggled throughout Sunday’s matchup as they simply couldn’t cover the likes of Rashod Bateman, Nelson Agholor and Zay Flowers. Fortunately for the three veterans, untimely dropped passes from the Ravens saved the day.
Eventually, the Steelers replaced Peterson in base defense, turning to the rookie Joey Porter Jr. He rewarded them in a massive way, picking off Lamar Jackson in the end zone to keep the Ravens off the board, ultimately helping the Steelers come back for the win.
Minkah Fitzpatrick had a bad holding penalty wipe out an Alex Highsmith sack, while the first play that Desmond King was on the field defensively the Ravens scored a touchdown. Not that it was his fault, but that’s just how things were going for the secondary. Fitzpatrick led the secondary with nine tackles while Keanu Neal had five.
Damontae Kazee recovered a fumble forced by Ogunjobi in the first half. Wallace, Porter and Peterson all had pass breakups.
Special Teams — B+
The punt block from Miles Killebrew, perfectly called by special teams coordinator Danny Smith, is an A-plus on its own. It was perfectly executed and called at the exact right time. The Ravens had no shot.
But that wasn’t the only special teams on the play that changed the game.
With Calvin Austin III in concussion protocol, Gunner Olszewski had to go back for punt returns. He came up small in a close game on special teams again, fumbling his punt return, leading to the Ravens returning it to the 7-yard line. Thankfully Joey Porter Jr. came through in the clutch.
Chris Boswell went 3-for-3 on the day on field goals while punter Brad Wing was decent after two bad punts to open the game. Wing finished with six punts for 257 yards, averaging 42.8 yards per punt, downing two inside the 20-yard line while one went for a touchback.
