Without Jackson, Ravens rush by sloppy Steelers 16-14
PITTSBURGH (AP) — J.K. Dobbins ran for 120 yards and a touchdown in his return from a knee injury, helping the Baltimore Ravens overcome the loss of backup quarterback Tyler Huntley to beat the Pittsburgh Steelers 16-14 Sunday.
Huntley filled in for injured star Lamar Jackson but entered concussion protocol in the second half. He was replaced by undrafted rookie free agent Anthony Brown.
Justin Tucker kicked three field goals to help Baltimore (9-4) end a four-game losing streak to the Steelers, who also lost their quarterback, Kenny Pickett, to concussion protocol.
Brown essentially spent most of his quarter-plus of play handing off to Dobbins or Gus Edwards while the Steelers self-destructed. Baltimore ran for 215 yards, the most Pittsburgh has allowed since giving up 249 to the Ravens in the 2021 regular-season finale.
The Steelers (5-8) won that game to reach the playoffs. Any chance of making a late run at another postseason berth likely evaporated under a steady stream of turnovers, missed tackles, and missed opportunities.
Pittsburgh lost Pickett to a concussion in the first half, and backup Mitch Trubisky - who was benched in favor of Pickett in early October - threw three interceptions in Baltimore territory to thwart potential scoring drives.
Trubisky finished 22 of 30 for 276 yards and a 10-yard touchdown pass with 2:30 remaining to get the Steelers within two. Baltimore churned out a first down on its ensuing possession to run out the clock.
The Ravens insisted they would be fine even without Jackson, who is week to week after suffering a knee injury last week against Denver. Huntley came on to win that game with a last-second drive and played capably if not spectacularly in his fifth career start, passing for 88 yards and running for 31 more as Baltimore did its best not to lose the game while allowing the Steelers to implode.
Dobbins used a 44-yard sprint in the first quarter to set up a 4-yard touchdown as the Ravens took an early 10-point lead.
That turned out to be enough against an offense that couldn't get out of its way when it mattered.
Pickett went down hard in the first quarter after getting sacked by Ravens linebacker Roquan Smith. He was evaluated for a concussion and returned to the game for one series before being pulled for good and placed into the protocol.
Trubisky had little issue getting the ball downfield, but his decision-making in scoring situations was spotty at best. Twice he looked for Pat Freiermuth in the red zone in the second quarter and both times the passes ended up in the hands of a Ravens player. Trubisky added the third pick on a heave into double coverage midway through the third quarter that ended another drive.
Pittsburgh had another drive end with kicker Chris Boswell, returning from a stint on injured reserve with a groin injury, having his 40-yard field goal attempt blocked by veteran defensive lineman Calais Campbell.
Tucker, who became Baltimore's all-time leading scorer by pushing his career total to 1,473, added a 30-yard field goal with 3:19 remaining that gave the Ravens a nine-point lead that they didn't give away, an issue for them at times earlier in the season.
INJURIES
Pittsburgh defensive end Chris Wormley left in the third quarter with a left leg injury.
UP NEXT
Ravens: Travel to Cleveland next Saturday to face the Browns. Baltimore won the first meeting between the teams 23-20 on Oct. 23.
Steelers: Visit Carolina next Sunday. Pittsburgh has won each of its last six meetings with the Panthers.