Steelers hold on against Ravens, hope for help to reach playoffs

BALTIMORE — A driving rain pelted M&T Bank Stadium through Saturday afternoon and night, and the adverse conditions made it difficult for the Pittsburgh Steelers to hold onto the ball against the Baltimore Ravens.

The dismal weather, however, did nothing to dampen the Steelers’ playoff chances.

The Steelers increased their odds of securing a wild-card berth with a 17-10 rain-soaked victory against the Ravens.

By finishing the season on a three-game winning streak and sweeping the top-seeded Ravens, the Steelers finish with a 10-7 record. They now must wait to see whether that is good enough to make the postseason party.

“We really focused on what we needed to do today,” coach Mike Tomlin said after the Steelers reached 10 wins for the first time since 2020. “There is a sense of accomplishment regarding that. We’ll see about all that other stuff.”

The Steelers will need either the Jacksonville Jaguars or Buffalo Bills to lose Sunday for them to earn a wild-card berth. But that was the furthest thing from Tomlin’s mind after he exited a jubilant locker room to speak with the media.

“I hadn’t thought about it,” he said. “We were more concerned about the variables we had control over. The other ones are less important. We did what we needed to do this weekend.”

If they make the playoffs, the Steelers may have to open it without All-Pro linebacker T.J. Watt, who writhed in pain on the ground with a knee injury in the third quarter. Watt was helped off the field and did not return.

Watt had two sacks, giving him an NFL-high 19 for the season. He joined older brother J.J. Watt as two of the four players to have multiple seasons of at least 19 sacks. J.J. Watt did it in 2012 and 2014. T.J. Watt previously did it in 2021 when he tied the single-season sacks record and was named NFL Defensive Player of the Year.

Watt left the game with about four minutes left in the third when he collided with nose tackle Montravius Adams.

“I hope and pray everything is all right,” outside linebacker Alex Highsmith said. “That’s my brother. You hate to see injuries happen, especially to a guy like him.”

The Steelers overcame six fumbles, including two that were recovered by Baltimore in Ravens territory in the first half.

Najee Harris didn’t have much difficulty holding onto the ball as evidenced by his second consecutive 100-yard rushing game. Harris finished with 112 yards on 26 carries and scored on a 6-yard run in the first half. He surpassed 1,000 yards rushing for the third year in a row after needing 77 entering the game.

“The biggest thing we were worried about was ball security,” Harris said.

Despite losing one of his three fumbles and getting sacked three times, Mason Rudolph improved to 3-0 as a starter and completed 18 of 20 passes for 152 yards. That included a 71-yard touchdown pass to Diontae Johnson on the first play of the fourth quarter.

Related:

• Feats of strength: Mason Rudolph, Diontae Johnson help Steelers outlast Ravens
• 'It's not up to us': Steelers' playoff fate in hands of AFC foes on final day of regular season
• Steelers lean on Naje Harris, running game in win at Ravens

“This was probably the most challenging weather I’ve had to deal with in my career,” Rudolph said. “For the most part, we took care of the ball.”

After already clinching the No. 1 seed in the AFC a week earlier, the Ravens rested many of their top players, including quarterback Lamar Jackson. Backup Tyler Huntley threw a 27-yard touchdown pass late in the first half but didn’t get the Ravens back into scoring position until the final minute, when Justin Tucker kicked a 37-yard field goal with 16 seconds to play.

The Ravens also lost two fumbles, the second coming with 7:14 to play when safety Eric Rowe, subbing a third consecutive game for an injured Minkah Fitzpatrick, punched the ball out of Gus Edwards’ grasp. Markus Golden, filling in for the injured Watt, recovered at the Baltimore 32. The takeaway led to a clock-bleeding drive that featured Harris touching the ball on seven consecutive plays before Chris Boswell kicked a 25-yard field goal to make it 17-7 with 3:13 remaining.

“It was a tough environment from a climate perspective,” Tomlin said. “The ball-security component was a challenge, but it was a challenge for both teams. I thought it was significant for how the game unfolded.”

One ball that never touched the ground was Rudolph’s 71-yard completion to Johnson on a slant route that opened the fourth quarter. The touchdown gave the Steelers a 14-7 lead and came on a third-down pass that hit Johnson in stride.

“It was a game-changer,” Johnson said. “It was perfect, right between the two defenders.”

The Steelers possessed the ball for nearly 20 minutes in the first half, but they had just one touchdown and a 7-7 tie to show for it. Rudolph and Jaylen Warren lost fumbles in Ravens territory, and the Steelers gave up the tying touchdown with 2:19 left before the break.

“We had a chance to take the lead into the second half, but we knew as a defense we couldn’t surrender any more points,” defensive captain Cameron Heyward said. “We did a good job of bouncing back.”