The AFC North will close out Week 13 Monday night when the Cleveland Browns play the Denver Broncos. But all the Pittsburgh Steelers are concerned about is the top of the division. With the Baltimore Ravens falling to the Philadelphia Eagles Sunday evening, the Steelers have built back the multi-game lead they enjoyed after beating the Ravens two weeks ago.
The Ravens fell to 8-5 on the season following a 24-19 loss to the Eagles. Worse yet, K Justin Tucker looks like a shell of himself, missing three more kicks, two field goals and an extra point, that proved critical in the outcome.
The Steelers moved to 9-3 after handling the Cincinnati Bengals 44-38 earlier in the day. And thanks to their 18-16 win over the Ravens in Week 11, Pittsburgh has an additional leg up on Baltimore. There’s still a Week 16 rematch to be played that could still carry plenty of weight. But if the Steelers can maintain their current lead, the Ravens won’t be able to take the division lead with a win in that game.
Both of Tucker’s field goal misses came in the third quarter. His first came from 47 yards, pushing the kick left, before he missed again from 53 yards later in the quarter.
Not the easiest kicks to make but in his prime, Tucker was automatic from that distance. Now, Pittsburgh’s Chris Boswell can assume that mantle. He’s made 10-of-12 field goals from 50-plus yards this season, his only misses coming from 58 yards (in windy Cleveland) and 62 yards at the end of the half against Los Angeles. It’s the most 50-plus yard field goals Boswell has made in a single season.
Tucker even missed easier attempts with a 33-yard extra point clanking off the left upright following the Ravens’ first touchdown, making things a 9-0 game. From there, Philadelphia dominated and outscored Baltimore 24-3 the rest of the way, sans for a late garbage-time touchdown the Ravens notched with three seconds left.
Tucker finished the game 2-4 on field goals. He’s missed eight field goals on the season and is having the lowest/worst make rate of his career. He also missed a pair of field goals in the Steelers’ win over the Ravens earlier this year.
The Ravens’ issues against the Eagles ran deeper than their kicker. By their standards, the running game was bottled up. RB Derrick Henry was held to 82 yards and 4.3 yards per carry with a long of 19 yards, a pedestrian day considering how he normally dominates defenses. On the other end, RB Saquon Barkley found a second-half rhythm and went over the century mark with a fourth-quarter rushing score.
The Ravens will have a much-needed bye week next weekend. Hitting the reset button could help them but will offer the Steelers a chance to build their AFC North lead even more. The Steelers will play their rematch against the Cleveland Browns after losing to them in Week 12. This time, Pittsburgh will enjoy being at home. A win would put the Steelers at 10-3 and in firm control of the division for the final quarter of the year.
We’ll have a full standings update following tomorrow’s Browns game.
