Sometimes it's not that complicated. Sometimes the cliché actually is what tells the tale.
So it was in Baltimore on Saturday when the Ravens prevented the Steelers from clinching the AFC North Division and instead clinched a spot in the 2024 playoffs for themselves with a definitive 34-17 victory, an outcome that was facilitated by turnovers they committed and takeaways they squandered. 'Tis the season for gift-giving, and the Steelers were overly generous with an opponent far too talented to need such largesse.
Whenever these teams meet, and it has been this way at least twice a season every season since 1996, the games are always physical and closely contested. Turning to numbers to support "closely contested" reveals these: the last nine and 15-of-the-last 19 were one-score games.
And when history so strongly warns you these games are going to be decided by less than 10 percent of the total number of snaps, turning the ball over is suicidal. All through the run-up to every one of these rock fights, taking care of the football is emphasized, preached even. And every time one of the participants fails to heed the warning, they are forced to learn the same painful lesson and feel its sting while watching their rivals celebrate their misery.
The Steelers came into this game with a 10-4 record in 2024 and 8 wins in the last 9 in this particular series, and they woke up today with a 10-4 record and 8 wins in the last 10 in this particular series because of turnovers/turnover ratio.
There were the actual turnovers – 2 by the Steelers (a lost fumble by Russell Wilson and an interception by CB Marlon Humphrey) to 1 by the Ravens (an interception by FS Minkah Fitzpatrick) – but every bit as significant to 34-17 were the three other occasions when the Ravens put the ball on the ground and somehow managed to recover it each time.
Yes, the Ravens ground game dominated, spearheaded as it was by Derrick Henry's soul-sucking 162 yards on 24 carries (6.8 average), and yes, Lamar Jackson finally did the things to the Steelers that he has been doing to every other team in the league. But had the Steelers capitalized on, say, 2 of those three opportunities when the football was rolling around unattended, the whole complexion of the game is different because of when those opportunities presented themselves.
The Ravens got the ball first, and on the sixth play of the game Alex Highsmith strip-sacked Lamar Jackson, but the guy who didn't get Highsmith blocked – LT Ronnie Stanley – fell on the ball to save the day for Baltimore. The first time the Steelers got the ball they went three-and-out, but when James Pierre stripped punt returner Desmond King it was recovered by Ravens ILB Chris Board and advanced an additional 12 yards to the Steelers 41-yard line.
That's two sudden changes of possession that could have been but weren't in the opening 6 minutes of a game that historically is decided by one score. Failing to capitalize on both is how you go on to lose games that historically are decided by one score.
"We didn't do what we needed to do to secure victory today," said Coach Mike Tomlin, "so I congratulate the Ravens on their performance. Specifically, we didn't control the run game. We never did. When you don't, you've got to get some splash plays or win the turnover battle in a significant way, and we didn't do that either. We had opportunities at some balls on the ground that we didn't get. Then obviously, we turned the ball over going in that took 7 points off the board, and they had a pick-6. The rest is history, as they say."
The "turnover going in that took 7 points off the board" came in the form of a Russell Wilson fumble that prevented the Steelers from taking a 14-7 lead with 10 minutes left in the first half, and CB Marlon Humphrey's pick-6 early in the fourth quarter turned a 24-17 deficit into a 31-17 deficit that all but put the exclamation point on the outcome.
"I thought we had a chance to go to the end zone," said Wilson. "I tried to cut back and just got hit right before I hit the ground and the ball came out. I was just kind of cutting off the block. I didn't want to slide there, either. I felt like we could have gotten in the end zone. I was just trying to get a touchdown and go for it. They made a good play."
Clearly, the Steelers have other aspects of their performance that must be improved – and immediately – if they are to successfully navigate the challenges to be presented over the next month.
By the assessment of the players and coaches themselves, the tackling has been JV lately, and too often miscommunication rears its ugly head in the most inopportune moments. To be fair, the defense started the game vs. the Ravens without three starters – CB Donte Jackson, SS DeShon Elliott, and DE Larry Ogunjobi – and then for most of the game the unit ended up being without 75 percent of its starting secondary after Joey Porter Jr. was sent to the sideline with a knee/calf injury.
The offense isn't dynamic enough to generate chunk plays consistently, which means touchdown drives end up being of the 10-play, 73 yard, or an 8 play, 88-yard variety. And having to rely on that many snaps to change the scoreboard risks having one penalty or one sack or one drop ruin the whole thing. A case can be made that George Pickens' hamstring injury has had a profound impact there, but in just a couple of days Patrick Mahomes' Chiefs will be coming to town with a chance to clinch the top seed in the AFC – and the accompanying bye in the first round of the playoffs – with a win on Christmas Day.
"It's hard, but who said football was easy," said Cam Heyward. "We talk about it. If you're a veteran or you're a pro, you're taking care of your body tomorrow, but you're also watching film, whether it's this game or the opponent's. That's how we roll. We don't make excuses. We deal with what we've got, and we move on."
Admittedly difficult to envision this after the way they've played the last two weeks against the Eagles and the Ravens, but the Steelers know that if they win their final two regular season games – vs. the Chiefs and then the Bengals, both at Acrisure Stadium – they will clinch the AFC North Division, the No. 3 seed in the playoffs, and a likely Wild Card Round Game against either Denver or the Chargers, also at Acrisure Stadium.
"We can't worry about the next two," said Wilson. "We just have to worry about this next one coming up. We've got to play on Wednesday. It's going to be a great environment, coming back home in front of our fans. Obviously, we've been on the road the past two weeks, so to play in front of our fans and Terrible Towels and all that on Christmas Day, it's a special day. You know it's going to be a great battle, so the best thing we can do is keep our heads up.
"I think the best thing we can do is just look forward to playing in front of our fans and getting back home and fighting for what we came here to do, and that opportunity is still in front of us."
