It wasn’t the prettiest of days in Baltimore, but the Steelers got the result they needed.
Wide receiver Diontae Johnson broke a 7-7 tie by turning a short Mason Rudolph pass into a 71-yard touchdown on the first play of the fourth quarter and the Steelers turned a Gus Edwards fumble into a 10-point lead just ahead of the two-minute warning. Ravens quarterback Tyler Huntley used a combination of passes and scrambles to move the ball deep into Steelers territory before a sack by Markus Golden forced them to try a field goal.
Justin Tucker made the 36-yard attempt to cut the lead to 17-10, but there were just seconds left on the clock and the Steelers recovered the ensuing onside kick to seal a win that keeps Pittsburgh’s playoff hopes alive.
The Steelers now have three possible paths to a playoff berth. They will advance if either the Jaguars lose to or tie the Titans or if the Bills lose to the Dolphins. They will also make it if Saturday night’s game between the Colts and Texans ends in a tie.
Baltimore’s late bid to pull off a comeback came without Steelers linebacker T.J. Watt on the field. Watt, who had two sacks to get to 19 on the season, left the game in the third quarter with a left knee injury and he was ruled out early in the fourth quarter. Should they advance, Watt’s condition will be of paramount importance to their chances of pulling off another road win in the first round of the playoffs.
Rudolph was 18-of-20 for 152 yards and running back Najee Harris ran 26 times for 112 yards. That moved Harris over the 1,000-yard mark for the third time in three NFL seasons and helped the Steelers control the ball for nearly 35 minutes.
The Steelers did lose two fumbles, but the Ravens did as well and neither Steelers turnover became points for Baltimore. They’ll now rest until the divisional round and, depending on how things play out, their next game could be round three with their AFC North rivals.