What We Learned from wins by Kansas City, Baltimore

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Michael Baca’s takeaways:

1. Ravens defense stiffens in fourth quarter to secure win, playoff berth. After the offense secured a seven-point lead to conclude the third quarter, Baltimore’s defense finished the job in the final frame, stifling the Pittsburgh offense to the tune of zero points and 34 total net yards allowed in four possessions. Highlighting that dominance was Marlon Humphrey‘s 37-yard pick-six, which not only gave the Ravens a two-touchdown lead but essentially erased what could have been a costly interception by the Ravens two plays earlier. It was in that moment the wind seemed to be taken out of Pittsburgh’s sails, and while Lamar Jackson and the offense proceeded to seal the game on their next possession with an 11-play, 81-yard scoring drive (6:09 TOP) to make it a three-score game, Baltimore’s defensive stand late was an overwhelming tone-setter. Kyle Van Noy, Michael Pierce and Nnamdi Madubuike each notched sacks in the win, and the play of do-it-all safety Kyle Hamilton (eight tackles, one pass break-up, forced fumble) was essential for the Ravens’ late-game success. Now having secured a playoff berth with the win on Saturday, the Ravens are also alive and well in the AFC North divisional race. 
2. Turnovers — and lack thereof — haunt Steelers. Russell Wilson‘s poor throw on the pick-six wasn’t the only turnover that resulted in points for the Ravens. The Steelers quarterback coughed up a fumble on a scramble near the red zone early in the second quarter — halting Pittsburgh’s chance at seeing a lead in this game. Baltimore proceeded to take advantage of that momentum, driving the ball 81 yards downfield on a TD drive, and from then on, the Steelers unsuccessfully scrambled toward squaring the score. They also jumbled when getting opportunities to secure loose balls. On three separate occasions the Steelers failed to hop on would-be fumbles — one coming on an Alex Highsmith strip-sack in the first quarter and the other two via Desmond King on punt returns in both halves. With the Steelers’ normally consistent rushing attack gone missing on Saturday, amounting to an uncharacteristic offensive performance, Pittsburgh was left taking chances late because of the inability to snag that oblong ball.
3. Baltimore owns an ace in the hole for the playoffs. Beware to those allowing the Ravens to have a late-game lead going forward, because Saturday’s performance also proved they have a clear advantage in that scenario. The Ravens leaned on the rushing attack heavily against Pittsburgh and it wasn’t the result of their dynamic QB. Derrick Henry was a menace, totaling 162 rushing yards (189 total scrimmage yards) and wearing down what had been a hard-hitting Steelers defense down the stretch. After the defense forced a turnover on downs to open the fourth quarter, Henry’s 44-yard rumble to open the subsequent drive seemed to be the backbreaker before Jackson’s INT on the very next play. But that long run down the sideline was reminiscent of something we’ve seen this season when the Ravens are in need of closing out games. They are preparing Henry to be that closer, keeping him fresh with just 16 carries through the first three quarters in order to deliver the knockout punch that has been missing in previous playoff runs for Baltimore. 

Next Gen Stats Insight from Steelers-Ravens (via NFL Pro): Derrick Henry rushed 24 times for 162 yards and seven explosive runs, the most by any player in a game this season. Henry ran between the tackles on a season-high 62.5% of his carries, where he had five of his seven explosive runs. Henry forced 10 missed tackles and gained 66 yards after missed tackles, both of which were his third most in a game this season. Henry has now gained 678 yards after missed tackles this season, 144 more than the next closest player.

NFL Research: Derrick Henry had his 17th career game with 150-plus rushing yards (seventh-most in NFL history) and now has four seasons with 1,500-plus rushing yards (tied for second-most in NFL history).