It shouldn’t have shocked anyone that this game was low-scoring and came down to the wire. Despite both the Ravens and Steelers playing at a high level, this became a typical AFC North slugfest. While never comfortable, this win was a hard-earned one from Pittsburgh. Now, they are in the driver's seat of the division.
This game was a mix of good and bad as you would expect. Some players shined and lived up to the physical game that was played. Some others fell short of expectations and nearly cost this team this week. Here are the four winners and three losers from the Steelers' win over the Ravens.
Steelers winners:
Chris Boswell
I’m getting pretty good at finding key players it looks like. While special teams are always an unheralded aspect of a game, Chris Boswell looked like an important player in this game. He didn’t disappoint. Boswell kept the Steelers ahead of the Ravens with his consistent kicking. In a game of inches, having a great kicker is crucial. Pittsburgh had the better one today, and his leg was the only thing that got the team on the scoreboard.
George Pickens
It wasn’t a big play kind of game for George Pickens, but he did a lot of the dirty work. Most of his production came on short passes that helped move the chains. We love the big plays, but in order to be an elite receiver you have to do everything else. He did just that this week and looked the part of an elite player.
Steelers off-ball linebackers
I have been very critical of Patrick Queen since he was signed in the offseason. While his play has progressively gotten better, he had a great game against his former team, including a forced fumble. Payton Wilson said 'Hold my Iron City' and came up with a critical interception later in the game. This group was missing splash plays, but they got that this week.
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Lamar Jackson gameplan
I was extremely nervous about going up against Lamar Jackson this week. Yes, the Steelers have historically done a good job stopping him, but he was playing at an elite level this season and looked hard to stop. The Steelers did just that though and limited him through the air and on the ground. The entire run defense deserves a shout-out.
Steelers losers:
Steelers pass blocking
The pass blocking this week didn’t look like the high-functioning unit it had been this season. Dan Moore had arguably the worst game of his breakout season while Broderick Jones continued to struggle despite an uptick in play last week. Baltimore seemed to have the right calls lined up to exploit this line.
Russell Wilson
It was never going to be easy against the Ravens, but Russell Wilson played his worst game in a Steelers uniform this week. He had an extremely slow start to the game, and his interception in the second half was inexcusable. Throwing a popup like that is a rookie move, and the team would be thankful that the Ravens didn’t score on that drive.
Arthur Smith
I have mostly liked what Arthur Smith has done as offensive coordinator this season. While conservative at times, he does draw up some risker plays to help spark the team. This week was lackluster though. The offense didn’t work and he never really adjusted to what was holding him up. A bad showing this week and the team is lucky it didn’t cost them.