The Pittsburgh Steelers were able to get a win in the team's biggest game of the season in Week 18 against the Baltimore Ravens. The Steelers won the contest by two points after the Ravens missed a field goal as time expired, and the victory crowned Pittsburgh as the champion of the AFC North and punched the franchise's ticket to the postseason. The win feels good, but there was a little bit of luck that went into the win on Sunday night. Baltimore's missed kick to end the matchup bought Head Coach Mike Tomlin and his players another week, but things could have easily gone the other way.
Jared Wickerham / Pittsburgh Steelers
Steelers' Mike Tomlin walks out of the tunnel ahead of a game against the Ravens in Baltimore during the 2025 season.
Going into the showdown, it was known that a key to victory for Pittsburgh was going to be slowing down Derrick Henry. The running back has had some good games against Pittsburgh, and he was coming off of the best performance of his career in Week 17 against the Green Bay Packers.
If Pittsburgh had any chance of winning the game, the group was going to have to stop Henry, and things didn't start off great in that regard as the back exploded for a 47-yard run on the first play of the game. He was handled in the second half, and Tomlin was asked what was the difference between the two periods of play during his post-game press conference.
"The guys just played hard, they did." Tomlin said of his defense's second half efforts. "I didn't feel like [Henry] was running wild in the first half although his numbers said that he was. I think the two times we saw him this year we worked hard to make him earn in. He's a special player."
Tomlin noted that he didn't feel like the veteran running back was running the ball extremely well in the first half, but he eclipsed 100 yards in the first 30 minutes alone. That doesn't happen very often, which shows just how good Henry was in the first 30 minutes of play. It is a bit concerning Tomlin couldn't feel that in the moment, but as a head coach of 19 years he probably has a better feel for what is truly going on in games.
Karl Roser / Pittsburgh Steelers
Alex Highsmith and the Steelers defense brings down Derrick Henry during the 2024 season.
There was a point in the first half where Henry was averaging over seven yards per carry, which should qualify under running "running wild", as Tomlin put it. Henry slowed down in the second half as he finished the game with just 126 yards on 20 attempts.
Part of that was the fact that the Steelers dominated the time of possession to begin the second half, and that forced the Ravens to have to air it out whenever they had the football. Pittsburgh also held Henry in check when he did receive the handoff.
Pittsburgh's run defense was not really the issue in this contest. All three of Baltimore's touchdowns came through the year on what seemed to be busted coverages. At least two plays were left wide open, while the third put the defense at a disadvantage with Patrick Queen covering Zay Flowers deep down the middle of the field.
Karl Roser / Pittsburgh Steelers
Pittsburgh Steelers' Safety DeShon Elliott tackling Ravens' Derrick Henry in the 2024 Wild Card round.
Steelers' Offseason Strategy Has Paid Off
Pittsburgh's 2024 season ended at the hands of the Ravens and Henry. Baltimore rushed for nearly 300 yards against Pittsburgh in the Wild Card round of the playoffs, and the Steelers attacked the 2025 offseason with a clear strategy of getting bigger and younger on the defensive line.
The organization drafted Derrick Harmon in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft, and then followed that up by drafting Yahya Black in the fifth round of the event. Those two players, along with Cam Heyward, played pivotal roles in slowing down Henry and keeping Baltimore's offense at bay.
What did you think of Pittsburgh's performance against Henry on Sunday night? Let us know in the comments below!
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