NFL
NFL Week 18
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The Ravens and Steelers are facing off in Pittsburgh on “Sunday Night Football,” with the winner clinching the AFC North title and a playoff berth and the loser seeing their season end.
Follow along for live updates and real-time analysis from The Athletic’s team of reporters.
Q3 4:28 – Steelers 13, Ravens 10
Alohi Gilman makes a great pass breakup on Pat Freiermuth and forces a chip-shot field goal, which Chris Boswell sends through from 25 yards out.
Still, for the first time tonight, the Steelers lead!
Q3 4:37 – Ravens 10, Steelers 10
Aaron Rodgers tries to draw the Ravens offside on third-and-2 from inside the 15. It fails, and he calls a timeout. Huge moment here for Pittsburgh, looking for a touchdown and its first lead of the game.
Q3 6:50 – Ravens 10, Steelers 10
The Steelers have done it again! Another clutch turnover against the Ravens! This one is batted down at the line of scrimmage, and lands in the hands of TJ Watt, who catches it at the Ravens’ 25! What a massive play for the Steelers superstar in his return from lung surgery. Pittsburgh in business with a short field now!
The immediate damage to the Ravens defense there was allowing a 12-play, 67-yard scoring drive that tied this game up at 10. But it even more damaging development came when star safety Kyle Hamilton collided with teammate Alohi Gilman while going for a pass breakup. Both were shaken up on the play.
Gilman passed concussion protocol and returned on the Steelers' scoring drive. Hamilton, however, did not. He was carted back to the locker room. Hamilton has been the Ravens best defensive player all year and again tonight as he had nine tackles when he went down.
Q3 8:23 – Ravens 10, Steelers 10
Another Connor Heyward tush push gets the Steelers into the end zone!
We’re tied in Pittsburgh, and in even worse news for the Ravens, Kyle Hamilton is headed back to the locker room.
Q3 9:40 – Ravens 10, Steelers 3
Jaylen Warren gets stuffed on third-and-1.
Here come Cameron and Connor Heyward for a tush push… and this time they get it on fourth-and-1!
First-and-goal from the 1 after a literal brotherly shove.
Q3 11:20 – Ravens 10, Steelers 3
Vintage Aaron Rodgers! He drops one to Adam Thielen in the slot for 28 yards to get inside the red zone!
Q3 12:10 – Ravens 10, Steelers 3
With the Ravens’ starting safeties on the sideline, Aaron Rodgers immediately hits Pat Freiermuth up the seam for a first down. Not a coincidence.
Alohi Gilman returns to the game, but Kyle Hamilton remains out.
Q3 13:26 – Ravens 10, Steelers 3
Kyle Hamilton and Alohi Gilman collide on the field while defending an Aaron Rodgers pass… and Hamilton remains down after taking the brunt of helmet-to-helmet contact.
If he’s out, that’s a huge blow to the Ravens. Hamilton is a perennial Pro Bowler and one of the best safeties in the league.
Q3 14:15 – Ravens 10, Steelers 3
A pitch to Jaylen Warren for nine yards gets us started in the second half. The Steelers are right back on the field with a chance to tie.
The Ravens are using a run-heavy script in this game, but Lamar Jackson has looked healthy enough when he’s dropped back to pass. He’s 4-for-6 for 39 yards and the game’s only touchdown. He also had a 7-yard run for to convert on third down and had a longer third-down run in the first half overturned due to a holding penalty.
Aaron Rodgers is 15-for-25 tonight, but only for 98 yards. Without top receiver DK Metcalf, serving a two-game suspension due to an altercation with a fan in Week 16, Rodgers is playing a very conservative approach. Already 10 of his 25 passes have gone to running backs, and the vast majority of his attempts are within five yards of the line of scrimmage. The Ravens’ secondary has also been stingy, with multiple pass breakups from Nate Wiggins on some on-target downfield throws from Rodgers.
Mike Tomlin on his decision to go for a touchdown from the 1-yard line at the end of the first half instead of kicking a field goal:
“It’s easy. This is a win-or-go-home circumstance, so we’re gonna play to win.
“It’s about getting stops, we’ve gotten a sufficient amount of stops. We need to continue.”
The Steelers' most promising drive of the game ended at the 1-yard line without any points. Aaron Rodgers led Pittsburgh down the field on a 13-play, 89-yard drive. However, a puzzling decision on the goal line undid the positive momentum. The Steelers chose to pitch the ball to Kenneth Gainwell. The play never had any chance, as the Ravens had several defenders in the flat waiting to make the play.
Pittsburgh has been a good red zone team this year. DK Metcalf's absence loomed large there.
That fourth-down stop on Kenneth Gainwell put a sour end to what was overall a solid first half from Pittsburgh’s running backs, who have stepped up in the passing game tonight in the absence of DK Metcalf.
Gainwell only has 2 rushing yards on three carries but is the game’s leading receiver with 42 yards on six catches (seven targets). The Steelers’ leading receiver after Gainwell is fellow running back Jaylen Warren, who’s caught all three of his targets for 18 yards, and also has 18 rushing yards.
The NFL has just released the schedule for the first round of the playoffs next weekend.
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Derrick Henry is 32 years old today. That’s also known as retirement age for many a running back — even some with as accomplished of resumes as Henry has.
But Henry is out here celebrating his 32nd birthday in style, with 112 rushing yards on 15 carries — a healthy 7.5 yards per carry — to follow up a four-touchdown night in Green Bay last week.
Henry would have had even more rushing yards if not for a 50-yard run on his first snap from scrimmage getting partially negated due to a penalty.
The Ravens held the Steelers off the board late, but they need to find a rhythm on offense. After their game-opening touchdown drive, they have managed only a field goal. Take away the 38-yard touchdown pass to Devontez Walker and Lamar Jackson was just 3-for-5 in the first half for 21 yards. He's also been sacked three times. Other than Derrick Henry, who has 15 carries for 112 yards, the Ravens have done nothing offensively. Penalties have also hurt them as they've been flagged six times for 68 yards. A holding penalty on their final offensive drive of the first half took away the opportunity for points.
Glenn E.: First play of the game and we have a terrible call. Good job, refs!
Andy W.: The Steelers defense will need to score at least one TD or force multiple turnovers to win this game.
Eric D.: Hilarious. Ravens have zero respect for Pittsburgh’s defense (and who does?) and then throw the easiest 4th down TD pass you will ever see.
Caleb P.: An absolute Mike Tomlin disasterclass. He is consistently at his worst in the biggest moments.
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