Ravens' Marlon Humphrey Admits Steelers Continue To Get The Best Of Baltimore: "They've Kind Of Had Our Number"

The Pittsburgh Steelers are proving to the league that the talk about them being legitimate is warranted. They pulled off a huge victory over their arch-rivals, the Baltimore Ravens, in Week 11 at Acrisure Stadium. This has been one of the fiercest rivalries in sports since the Ravens arrived in Baltimore in 1996. The Steelers lead the fight 36-25, but more importantly, they seem to have quarterback Lamar Jackson's number. 

Jackson has only beaten the Steelers once as a starter since being drafted by Baltimore in the first round in 2018. He has been injured during some of their matchups, but this is still concerning for a quarterback considered to be one of the best in the NFL. Jackson was so good during the 2024 season that many consider him a shoo-in for his third league-wide MVP Award. 

The Steelers have found Jackson's Achilles heel. He has a 57.0% completion rate against them, versus 64.8% for his career (his record against them is 1-4). After their most recent loss, Jackson's teammate, cornerback Marlon Humphrey, was asked, according to the team's interview transcript, about their struggles against the Steelers and how frustrating it is to lose eight of their last nine meetings. 

"I did not realize it was eight of the last nine," said Humphrey. "I think it's clear we've really struggled against [the Steelers] over the years. I've been on at last two or three of those eight or nine or whatever were game-winners on me. They've kind of had our number. You get to see them twice. You just keep fighting. You know they're going to be a well-coached team with [Steelers Head Coach Mike] Tomlin over there. It's always a battle, so they've had our number, but we'll just keep fighting."

The Ravens have been the favorite to win the AFC North since before the season began. Adding Derrick Henry to their roster only increased their odds of success, and until Week 11, it had been working. Henry has had 197 carries for 1,185 yards and 13 touchdowns. He averaged six yards per carry in 2024, and his longest run was 87 yards. However, the Ravens failed to get Henry involved in the loss, with him taking the ball only 13 times. This seems like a failure, considering Henry seems to get better the more he is used in a game. 

The Steelers and the Ravens have always had powerful, smashmouth defenses in common, however that's another difference this season. The Ravens did not worry about building up their defense during the offseason, like they usually do. Instead, they chose to rely on Jackson to get them to the Super Bowl, and until this game, it seemed to be an effective strategy. Pittsburgh and its smothering defense are now solidly in the thick of the toughest part of their season. They have a short week for Week 12, preparing for the Cleveland Browns on Thursday night. 

Steelers-Ravens Game Was Fraught With Tension

AFC North games are always chippy affairs. The Steelers and the Ravens aren't just rivals. They hate each other, and that hatred is fueled by the two franchises' respect for each other. 

That hatred bubbled up during all four quarters of the game, with multiple players taking warnings for unnecessary roughness, including an offsetting one on Broderick Jones. Humphrey said this is just part of what you expect from this game. He said they dislike the Browns and the Cincinnati Bengals, but it is nothing like the intense venom directed at the Steelers. 

It isn't surprising Humphrey is frustrated. He and Patrick Queen have been lobbing shots at each other ever since Queen signed with the Steelers. Queen made his mark against his former team with 10 tackles, a forced fumble, and a recovery, which earned him a game ball from Head Coach Mike Tomlin. 

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