Baltimore Ravens CB Marlon Humphrey had a hard time losing friend and former teammate Patrick Queen to the Pittsburgh Steelers. He had an even harder time losing to the Steelers, yet again, which has been the story of his career. Since the Ravens drafted him in 2017, they are 4-11 against the Steelers. And he’s sick of it.
“I think it’s clear we’ve really struggled against [the Steelers] over the years”, Humphrey said, via the Ravens’ website. “I’ve been on at least two or three of those eight or nine or whatever were game winners on me. They’ve kind of had our number. You get to see them twice. You just keep fighting. You know they’re going to be a well-coached team with [Steelers head coach Mike] Tomlin over there. It’s always a battle, so they’ve had our number, but we’ll just keep fighting”.
Humphrey helped author a brutal loss for his Ravens last year when he allowed George Pickens past him for a game-winning touchdown from Kenny Pickett. In yesterday’s game, he was one of the bright spots, which included a big red-zone interception. But it was the Ravens’ offense and special teams that let them down, repeatedly. Including two missed field goals by Justin Tucker.
The Steelers are now on their second four-game winning streak over the Ravens since 2020, winners of eight of the last nine. Not so long ago, or so it felt, the Steelers and Ravens were in a dead-heat tie, but now the Steelers have commanding lead at 32-24. Perhaps that’s why former Ravens S DeShon Elliott suggested Humphrey follow him to Pittsburgh.
Despite allowing over 25 points per game, the Ravens held a Steelers offense averaging over 30 points in the last three games to just 18. Marlon Humphrey and his crew did their job, even managing that red-zone takeaway. But Baltimore’s offense gave the ball up three times, including in some improbable says. And they routinely hurt themselves via penalty or dropped passes, getting in their own way.
There are two hurdles left in Lamar Jackson’s career: decisive victories against the Steelers and a Super Bowl trophy. He has accomplished virtually everything else. But in part thanks to him, more than half the Ravens’ roster is still waiting for membership.
And the thing is, Marlon Humphrey knows the drill. He has been through these Ravens-Steelers battles as much as anyone still playing in purple. He knows they did what they can’t do against them, and they can’t be surprised by the results.
Now the Ravens sit at 7-4 with a loss to the Steelers as their only realistic rival for the AFC North. The Steelers have a tougher remaining schedule, but a two-game advantage in the loss column plus no way to lose the head-to-head tiebreaker is a massive advantage. Maybe if Humphrey finds himself on the outs next spring, he can dial 412.
