Justin Tucker, maligned defense lifts Ravens to OT win in Pittsburgh
PITTSBURGH — Justin Tucker‘s 46-yard field goal in overtime helped the Baltimore Ravens to a 26-23 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday.
Chris Berman and Tom Jackson recap the weekend’s games with extended highlights and analysis.
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Tucker is now 25-of-26 (96.1 percent) at Heinz Field for his career.
The Ravens ended a two-game losing streak, thanks to their much maligned defense. Cornerback Marlon Humphrey forced a fumble and recovered it to set up the winning kick.
Baltimore’s defense had allowed 500 yards in consecutive games for the first time in franchise history. The Ravens sent a message by cutting linebacker Tim Williams, moving Josh Bynes to starting middle linebacker and making linebacker Kenny Young and cornerback Anthony Averett healthy scratches.
The Ravens (3-2) retake the lead in the AFC North by a half-game over the Cleveland Browns (2-2), who play at the San Francisco 49ers on Monday Night Football.
Troubling trend: Lamar Jackson‘s interceptions. Jackson has thrown five interceptions in his last two games. That’s two more than he had in his first 10 starts. Jackson had been great at making the right reads and decisions, going eight straight games without getting picked off. On Sunday, he was intercepted three times in a span of four passes: a forced pass over the middle to tight end Mark Andrews, a haphazard pass to the left sideline and a deep pass that went off the hands of tight end Nick Boyle.
QB breakdown: Jackson started off hot, going 7 of 10 for 70 yards and one touchdown as Baltimore scored on its first three drives. Jackson’s 11-yard touchdown to Marquise “Hollywood” Brown put the Ravens up, 17-7, early in the second quarter. But Jackson only managed to lead Baltimore to two field goals, finishing 12 of 18 for 91 yards and three interceptions the rest of the way.
Pivotal play: Humphrey’s forced fumble and recovery in overtime. Humphrey used his right fist to punch the ball out of the grasp of Steelers wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster. Seeing the ball rolling to the sideline, Humphrey got up and recovered the fumble at the Steelers’ 34-yard line. This was a shining moment for a defense that has been reeling.