BALTIMORE – The Ravens are now tied with their division rivals at the top of the AFC North, ending the Pittsburgh Steelers’ dominance over them.

After losing eight of the last nine meetings, the Ravens defeated the Steelers 34:17 on Saturday thanks to three touchdown passes from quarterback Lamar Jackson and two timely turnovers by the Baltimore defense. The Ravens and Steelers are both 10-5 with two weeks remaining.

Baltimore emphasized ball security all week, having turned the ball over 19 times in its last nine games against Pittsburgh. On Saturday, the Ravens forced two takeaways – a forced fumble to Russell Wilson inside the Baltimore 5-yard line and an interception return by Marlon Humphrey 37 yards for a touchdown.

This was the Ravens’ first win over the Steelers since 2022 and their first home win over Pittsburgh since 2019. The Ravens secured a playoff spot for the sixth time in seven seasons.

QB breakdown: It wasn’t the sharpest game for Jackson, but he was hot in the red zone. Jackson threw touchdown passes of 9, 14 and 7 yards, which is quite a turnaround for him. He entered this game with five touchdown passes in five starts against Pittsburgh. As a result, Jackson set a new franchise record with 37 touchdown passes this season.

Key game: Humphreys pick-six in the fourth quarter. With a 24-17 lead, the Ravens lost momentum when Lamar Jackson threw a rare interception in the red zone. But two plays later, Humphrey intercepted Russell Wilson and returned it 37 yards for the score. It was the first defensive touchdown of the season for the Ravens, who entered the game with the NFL’s 31st ranked pass defense.

Most surprising performance: Running back Derrick Henry. He ran for 162 yards, recorded his first career 100-yard game against the Steelers and rebounded from his 65-yard performance last month in Pittsburgh. It had been a tough time for Henry, who had rushed for less than 70 yards in three of his last five games.

Now Henry is in the elite group with his fourth 1,500-yard rushing season, trailing only Barry Sanders (who had five).

Promising trend: The Ravens remain the kings of marathon possessions, turning a Wilson fumble inside their own 5-yard line into a 96-yard touchdown drive in the second quarter. Jackson hit wide receiver Rashod Bateman for a 14-yard touchdown, capping Baltimore’s ninth touchdown drive of 90 yards or more, tied for the most in the NFL. The closest team is the Buffalo Bills, who have five touchdown drives of more than 90 yards. –Jamison Hensley

Next game: at Texans (4:30 p.m. ET, Wednesday)

---

The Steelers went to Baltimore on Saturday hoping to score T-shirts and baseball caps. Instead, they walked away with an empty, lopsided defeat and a steep climb to win the AFC North title and a home playoff game.

Due to self-inflicted injuries and an inability to slow running back Henry, the Steelers lost their second straight game and ended a streak of nine straight games in the storied rivalry that were decided by seven points or fewer.

Now they face a one-loss Kansas City Chiefs team on Christmas Day (1 p.m. ET, Netflix) and must win this game to keep their division title hopes alive.

QB breakdown: Russell Wilson had two touchdown passes, but also directly contributed to 14 points for the Ravens. Not only did he fumble the ball 4 yards short of the end zone in the first half, but in the fourth quarter his pass was intercepted behind tight end MyCole Pruitt and returned by Marlon Humphrey for a touchdown. The pick-six gave the Ravens a 31-17 lead with 13 minutes left and almost prevented the Steelers’ comeback. Wilson completed 22 of 33 attempts for 217 yards, but the turnovers were his most costly of the season.

Key game: Wilson completed a 20-yard dash by running directly into Ravens safety Ar’Darius Washington 4 yards short of the end zone. Not only did Wilson absorb a huge hit, but Washington also threw the ball loose and Kyle Van Noy recovered it. Wilson could have moved to the open field to his right or slid down and avoided the contact. Instead, he turned the ball over a breath away from the end zone and took an unnecessary hit — something particularly reckless since quarterback Justin Fields was inactive. Not only did it cost the Steelers seven almost guaranteed points, but the Ravens also managed a surgical 96-yard scoring drive after the fumble to take a 14-7 lead.

Worrying trend: The Steelers entered Saturday’s game with a top-10 scoring defense, allowing just 18.9 points per game. But the Steelers have given up at least 24 points in three of their last four games. The two glaring problems that plagued the Steelers against the Eagles resurfaced in the loss to the Ravens: miscommunication in the secondary and missed tackles.

Those — including the absence of safety DeShon Elliott for the second straight game — allowed for two wide-open touchdown catches by Isaiah Likely and Mark Andrews and allowed Derrick Henry to surpass his Week 11 yardage total by halftime. — Brooke Pryor

Next game: vs. Chiefs (1 p.m. ET, Wednesday)