(Baltimore) Mason Rudolph threw a 71-yard touchdown pass to Diontae Johnson and the Pittsburgh Steelers took a step toward the playoffs on Saturday, handing a 17-10 loss to the Baltimore Ravens.
Johnson scored his touchdown on the first play of the fourth quarter.
Rudolph has guided the Steelers (10-7) to victory in three straight games.
The club will advance to the playoffs if the Buffalo Bills lose to the Miami Dolphins, or if the Jacksonville Jaguars lose to the Tennessee Titans. These matches will take place on Sunday.
“We could have left them out of the picture, but here they have a chance,” said Ravens linebacker Patrick Queen. The result is unpleasant, but we have several reasons to be confident. Nobody is discouraged. If we find them on our way, we’ll be ready. »
The Steelers’ T. J. Watt, the NFL leader with 19 sacks, including two on Saturday, left with a knee injury in the third quarter.
The Ravens (13-4) were already assured of the best record in the AFC, hence the decision to give star quarterback Lamar Jackson a break.
They also left out a number of their regular players. Their starting quarterback was Tyler Huntley.
Both clubs struggled in attack on a rainy and windy day.
With the score 7-7, Rudolph spotted Johnson at midfield for what became the key play of the game.
There was then a placement on each side.
The Ravens had won six games in a row.
Rudolph completed 18 of 20 passes for 152 yards.
Each team fumbled the ball twice.
Pittsburgh took the lead via a six-yard touchdown run from Najee Harris in the first quarter.
The Ravens had to wait until the second quarter to get a first down.
In that engagement, they tied the score on a 27-yard touchdown pass from Huntley to Isaiah Likely.
The Steelers found a way to win a fourth straight game at the M
“It’s a tough place to play,” Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said. (As for making the playoffs), we accomplished our goal for the day by completing enough games to win. We’ll see what happens next. »
The Ravens have a bye until the second round of the playoffs, where they will play in front of their fans.