The Pittsburgh Steelers moved to first place in the AFC North with a 17-10 win over the Baltimore Ravens, and one of the biggest plays in the game came on a punt block by S Miles Killebrew with 11:12 left in the fourth quarter. The blocked punt resulted in a safety and gave the Steelers the spark they needed to get the win. Both head coach Mike Tomlin and OLB T.J. Watt talked about the importance of the blocked punt and praised Killebrew.
“We had a block on, and he delivered. This guy has blocked a lot of kicks in recent years. He’s gotta be tops in the National Football League in that regard. It’s been special to be a part of it,” Tomlin said via the team website.
Watt talked about Killebrew’s commitment to working on his craft and enjoying seeing it pay off in games.
“The guy works his tail off,” Watt said about Killebrew, via the team website. “He’s out there every day in the beginning of practice, pre-practice, working on his craft. And Coach Tomlin always says one block a year makes you great, and I mean he has a whole bunch of ‘em at this point in his career and it’s awesome to see a guy that you know the other team is scheming for make plays like that. I’m not surprised by his work ethic and being able to have the opportunity to make that play and then making it when he had it. Obviously, it just created a spark and Steeler Nation came alive for us.”
The offense had been dead all day, and that punt block gave the Steelers the opportunity to take the lead with a touchdown. While they settled for a field goal after the safety, the block brought the energy back for Pittsburgh. Two drives after the blocked punt, they scored the go-ahead touchdown on a 41-yard pass to George Pickens from Kenny Pickett in what would end up being enough for Pittsburgh to win.
It was Killebrew’s third blocked punt as a member of the Steelers, as he had one in 2021 against the Buffalo Bills and another later that season against the Los Angeles Chargers. He’s a special teams ace, which is why he’s on the roster. He showed that ability off again today.
With the Ravens backed up and punting just steps from their own end zone, it makes sense that the Steelers sent a rush to block the punt. It was inches away from being a touchdown to tie the game instead of a safety, but a diving Rodney Williams couldn’t stay in bounds after securing the ball for a touchdown. Getting points in that manner is always difficult though, so a safety was a nice outcome from the situation.
The spark it provided Acrisure Stadium gave the Steelers the lift they needed, and they now sit at 3-2 and atop the AFC North heading into their bye week. They might not have won the game if not for Killebrew’s blocked punt, and it was another splash play out of the team’s defense and special teams unit.
It wasn’t the best day from the offense again, but the Steelers pulled out the win. That’s what matters, and splash plays like Killebrew’s block and the two fumbles forced from Pittsburgh’s defense helped them get the win. The defense helped the offense out, and now the Steelers have a week to reset and relax. They’re leading the division thanks to Miles Killebrew.
