Winners and losers from the Pittsburgh Steelers’ 18-16 win against the Baltimore Ravens Sunday afternoon.
WINNERS
Ball Searching
Pittsburgh has emphasized turnover circuits in practice since Teryl Austin was hired. “Ball search” is the phrase that rings out throughout training camp. First guy wrap, second take the ball away. Pittsburgh got two of them against Baltimore. Nick Herbig flew in from the backside on the second play of the game to punch the ball out. Patrick Queen ripped the ball away from TE Isaiah Likely at the end of the half, netting Pittsburgh three key points going into the break.
Steelers executed what they preach in a big way.
K Chris Boswell
Chris Boswell showed who the better kicker is today. It was true heading into this game but as Justin Tucker labored, Boswell shined. He made six field goals, including a 57-yarder that would’ve been good from 60-plus. Two others came from 50 or longer. Frustration continues to mount about the Steelers’ inability to convert and finish drives but Boswell is always trustworthy. He’s back on pace to break the NFL single-season record for most field goals in a season.
C Zach Frazier
The kids are alright. Frazier bought into the message of what Steelers-Ravens means. He played with an even bigger edge than he normally does and I’m pretty sure he and Ravens CB Marlon Humphrey are meeting in an alley postgame. It’s still hard to judge the actual tape and the Steelers’ run game struggled to get a consistent push but on first blush, I liked the attitude all the young guys brought. Especially Frazier. That’s his kind of game.
P Corliss Waitman
Waitman had an excellent day. A couple of punts unfortunately couldn’t be downed by the Steelers’ coverage unit, but he helped flip the field and was consistent throughout the day. Pittsburgh hasn’t missed a beat since losing Cameron Johnston in the opener. Waitman has always been steady as the holder, allowing Boswell to keep on trucking.
Waitman averaged 56.5 yards on four punts.
Defensive Game Plan
Pittsburgh’s put together two excellent defensive game plans coming out of the bye. In the past versus Baltimore and against Washington last week, the Steelers consistently rushed five-plus and played man coverage while targeting the quarterback in the run game. And credit to the front for containing Jackson well while the d-linemen got their hands up in throwing lanes with three batted passes (two by Cam Heyward, one by Dean Lowry). The coverage did a fantastic job plastering, too.
Today? They flipped the script. They rushed four, dropped seven, and played more zone. They also focused on RB Derrick Henry, allowing Jackson a bit more freedom to run the ball on zone reads. There weren’t any easy answers but it was the right approach. Baltimore expected more of the same and was clearly knocked off-balance by Pittsburgh’s approach.
CB Joey Porter Jr.
A strong bounce-back performance from Porter after struggling against the Washington Commanders last week. Porter played tight, avoided penalties, and battled through a right leg injury. He also came up large on the Ravens’ two-point attempt late in the fourth quarter, setting the edge and preventing any Lamar magic.
Overall, he showed he still can be a high-end No. 1 cornerback as the Steelers’ defense against game Lamar Jackson fits.
LB Payton Wilson
No player forgets their first interception. And no one who watched this game will forget Wilson’s. An incredible snag after tracking RB Justice Hill to rip the ball from him. His athleticism is remarkable and while he’s ceded playing time to Elandon Roberts, what he does in space has been impressive all year. That was a big-time play, another youngster stepping up in a rivalry game like this. What an introduction.
LOSERS
OC Arthur Smith
We’ll need to dive into the All-22 but Smith didn’t seem to have a great plan against Baltimore. Especially in the pass game, the Ravens blanketed things and the Steelers struggled to scheme players open. I’d argue that the Steelers’ receivers needed to do a better job working in scramble drills, but the plays didn’t come easy. And that was disappointing.
Third-Down Offense
Just abysmal. As bad as you’ll see. Doesn’t fall on one player as it’s a unit-wide failure. Pittsburgh couldn’t convert money downs. Short yardage on third or fourth down, lowlighted by a failed fourth-and-one attempt early in the game and Russell Wilson’s interception on 3rd and goal with the Steelers up five in the fourth quarter, ruining an otherwise excellent drive.
Pittsburgh hit a key 3rd-and-7 completion to TE Darnell Washington late in the game and RB Najee Harris finished things off, but the Steelers finished the game 4-of-16 on third down.
OT Broderick Jones
To his credit, I loved the energy and intensity Broderick Jones brought. But the penalties were a big-time problem under an officiating crew that has called more offensive holding than any other in the NFL. Jones was flagged twice on one drive, offering shades of his disaster of a Denver game.
Jones also struggled to secure the edge in pass protection, giving up at least one sack. After a solid game versus Washington, this was a step back.
QB Russell Wilson
Wilson struggled to come up with much despite the Ravens’ bottom-ranked pass defense, though they’re a more talented team than some of their numbers suggested. But Wilson’s biggest mistake was his third-down floater intended for Darnell Washington to post up his man. Instead, CB Marlon Humphrey picked it off.
Wilson had been good about throwing the ball away when nothing was there. I get what he was trying to do but with the chance to, at the least, go up eight in the fourth quarter, you gotta live to fight another day. Overall, Wilson struggled to get the ball out on time and wasn’t nearly as efficient as previous games, even if the moon ball still impressed with a beauty to WR George Pickens.
