By Ray Porter Jr. for Urban Media Today
BALTIMORE, MD–The Pittsburgh Steelers had high hopes coming into the 2024 season, with the main goal of winning their first playoff game since the 2016 season. They made (what they thought) were necessary changes and upgrades to help accomplish this goal. On the field, they even had a 10-3 start and spent many weeks in first place in the AFC North.
But their fortune changed when they finished the season with a 4-game losing streak, which caused them to lose the Division and enter the NFL Playoffs as a Road Wild Card team as they took on the Baltimore Ravens, winners of the AFC North at MT &T Bank stadium for a First Round game, and just like what happened 3 weeks ago, the Steelers lose to the Ravens, this time in a 28-14 defeat.
“Congratulations to the Ravens. They were the better group today,” said Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin. “That was obvious. The X factor was Lamar’s unique talents. It seems like every time we got him behind the sticks, he made up for it, or we got him in a possession-down circumstance, and he extended and won those circumstances. We never really found a fluid answer all day, obviously.”
In the words of Yogi Berra, it was Déjà vu all over again for the Steelers vs. the Ravens as they were unable to stop their running game. RB Derrick Henry was even greater this time against the Steelers as he rushed for a postseason record 186 yards and one TD. QB Lamar Jackson added 81 as the Ravens rushed for an incredible 299 yards, the most in a playoff game since 2013.
While the Steelers struggled to get things going, the Ravens ended the first half with a 21-0 lead as Jackson (16/21, 175 yards) would lead his team on a 95-yard drive that ended with a 15-yard TD pass to WR Rashod Bateman. Henry and backup RB Justice Hill scored the other First-half TDs as the Ravens went into the locker room completely in control.
“We just weren’t good enough, to be quite honest with you – a drop here and there and things of that nature. When you’re playing good people, it really gets highlighted. We just weren’t good enough,” said Tomlin.
But in the second half, the Steelers showed signs of life as QB Russell Wilson (20/29,270 yards) led them to two TDs: one to WR Van Jefferson and the other to WR George Pickens (5 rec, 87 yards). But Henry would score his second TD in between the Steelers’ two TDs, which would result in the final score.
“Like our effort, it wasn’t good enough. I love the spirit and the fight, particularly out of the half,” Tomlin commented.
The Ravens will now advance to the Divisional Round and await their opponent, while the Steelers will endure another disappointing playoff loss and an offseason in which they have to make several decisions, especially with their 16 unrestricted free agents, including all three of their quarterbacks: Wilson, Justin Fields, and Kyle Allen.
“I’m not ready to take a big picture approach. You know, I’m really assessing what happened today, man. I’m certainly appreciative of their efforts tonight, but I could say that largely for the entire season,” Tomlin said. “The two quality people, three quality people at the quarterback position, man, and really appreciate what they poured into this. I’m just assessing what transpired tonight. …Those are my bags, not this collection’s bags. My energy is on that group in there and what they were willing to give and the journey that we’ve been on this year and certainly it came to a disappointing end tonight.”
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