While matchups between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Ravens are usually low-scoring, defensive battles, Sunday’s Week 11 game between the two teams felt like it would be more offensively inclined. The Ravens came in with the NFL’s best offense, but their pass defense was the worst in the league, so it felt as if both sides could wind up putting some points on the board. But, in typical Steelers-Ravens fashion, it was a low-scoring game that came down to Pittsburgh’s defensive efforts in an 18-16 win. On PFT Live, analyst Chris Simms said he was “shocked” by Pittsburgh’s defense and it changes his opinion about the Steelers.
“This is the Ravens. Their offense is arguably the best offense in football. We’ve talked about it: it’s them or the Lions. And the fact that they can do that to them with the way Lamar has been playing through the first 11 weeks, that’s where I’m shocked by it. I thought we’d see a few more plays from the Ravens on that side of the ball. It makes me think differently about the Steelers,” Simms said.
The Steelers held Lamar Jackson to an under 50% completion rate, as he was 16-of-33 for 207 yards and a touchdown and an interception. Pittsburgh has historically been good against Jackson, but he was playing like the best quarterback in football, and it was surprising to see him struggle that much. The Steelers also limited RB Derrick Henry, the NFL’s leading rusher. He really only broke one big run and had 13 carries for 65 yards and a touchdown.
It was one of the best defensive performances all year from the Steelers and the fact they were able to beat the Ravens without scoring a touchdown is a testament to how well the defense played. The offense looked the worst it’s had under Russell Wilson, but the Steelers were still able to sustain drives and get into scoring range, but they failed to convert in the red zone. Knocking off the Ravens is a huge win and shows just how good this Steelers team can be.
They’ve cemented themselves as one of the best teams in the AFC and one of the best teams in all of football. At 8-2, the Steelers are now in prime position to make the playoffs, and they control their own destiny to be the No. 1 seed in the AFC. With the win over Baltimore, the Steelers also are in the driver’s seat to win the AFC North, and it’s going to be a lot of fun watching this team the rest of the season if it can continue to play defense the way it did against the Ravens.
