By Larry Holder, Mike DeFabo, Mark Kaboly and Jeff Zrebiec
Pittsburgh quarterback Mason Rudolph continued his outstanding play as the Steelers boosted their postseason hopes with a 17-10 victory over the Baltimore Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium on Saturday.
The Steelers (10-7) would clinch a spot with either a Houston Texans tie against the Indianapolis Colts on Saturday night, a Jacksonville Jaguars loss against the Tennessee Titans early Sunday afternoon or a Buffalo Bills loss against the Miami Dolphins on Sunday night secure the playoffs.
Pittsburgh struck big early in the fourth quarter when Rudolph Diontae hit Johnson for a 71-yard touchdown pass to give the Steelers a 14-7 lead. It was by far the biggest passing play for either team in wet, cold conditions in Baltimore.
Coach Mike Tomlin opted to keep Rudolph as the starting quarterback even though Kenny Pickett was considered healthy after an ankle injury. Pittsburgh is 3-0 with Rudolph as the starter. Rudolph completed 18 of 20 passes for 152 yards with one touchdown and no interceptions with a passer rating of 115.0.
Steelers tailback Najee Harris also continued his recent success on the ground with 112 rushing yards on 26 carries, including a 6-yard TD run in the first quarter.
As for the injured, TJ Watt, the Steelers' All-Pro edge rusher, left in the third quarter with a knee injury after taking a blow to the leg from a teammate. He was quickly ruled out for the rest of the game.
Watt jumped into the air on a play and was then hit in the leg by defensive tackle Montravius Adams. Watt lay face down on the wet turf and slapped his hand after sustaining the injury. After walking to the blue medical tent, the Steelers staff took Watt to the locker room. Watt had two sacks in the game and leads the NFL with 19 sacks. He and his brother JJ are the only players in history to have at least 19 sacks across multiple seasons.
GO DEEPER
Russini: What I'm hearing about the NFL coaching carousel starting in Week 18
The Ravens' (13-4) six-game winning streak ended in defeat. Baltimore secured the No. 1 seed in the AFC in Week 17, securing a first-round bye and home-field advantage through the playoffs.
Tyler Huntley started for the resting Lamar Jackson for the Ravens. Baltimore's backup QB completed 15 of 28 passes for 146 yards with one touchdown and an 80.4 passer rating.
The Ravens sat out many of their top players either to rest or allow injuries to heal, including Jackson, wide receivers Odell Beckham Jr. and Zay Flowers, safety Kyle Hamilton, cornerback Marlon Humphrey and guard Kevin Zeitler.
How big is the loss in watts?
It's huge. If the Steelers get the help they need to make the playoffs, how great can they be without their best player? While it's too early to speculate on the severity of Watt's injury, it can't be a good thing if he's sidelined so quickly in the most important game of the season.
Pittsburgh leaned on its defense all season. Often, it was this side of the ball that carried an anemic offense to improbable victories, even with its top four safeties sidelined and two of its top three inside linebackers injured. The Steelers were excited about the possibility of Damontae Kazee returning from his playoff suspension.
Pro Bowl safety Minkah Fitzpatrick could also be released in time for an elimination game. But it's not an exaggeration to say that a Watt injury would eclipse another player's return. His status will be one of the most significant storylines in Pittsburgh this week. — Mike DeFabo, Steelers staff writer
How Pittsburgh kept its playoff hopes alive
The Steelers may or may not qualify for the playoffs, but they did what they had to do, and who would have thought it after losing three in a row less than a month ago?
Saturday's win against the Ravens was the ugliest of the last three, but Pittsburgh took care of business given the situation and the weather. Since it was cold and raining the entire game and Baltimore only had a handful of defensive players, the Steelers did the smart thing and relied heavily on their running game behind Harris' sixth 100-yard rushing game of his career.
Rudolph was a little unsure about the weather, but the combination of a big play against Johnson and the 150-yard run was all they needed. And that philosophy could be hard to stop if they get to the playoffs. — Mark Kaboly, Steelers senior writer
The Ravens' injuries are piling up
For the Ravens, all that mattered was coming out of the game as healthy as possible, and they didn't quite achieve that goal.
Outside linebacker Odafe Oweh limped off the field on the Steelers' second drive and did not return. Safety Geno Stone (knee) and reserve linebacker Del'Shawn Phillips (shoulder) then went down on the same play in the third quarter. Neither of them returned. Defensive player Brent Urban is also being evaluated for a concussion.
Baltimore desperately needed this bye week. They already had a number of key starters, including Flowers (calf), Zeitler (quad/knee), Humphrey (calf) and Hamilton (knee), struggling with injuries. Now they have a few more injury question marks heading into the postseason. – Jeff Zrebiec, Ravens senior writer
Dalvin Cook's chances of playing in the playoffs for the Ravens have improved significantly without even playing in Saturday's game. Cook, the veteran running back who was released by the New York Jets earlier this week, officially signed with Baltimore's practice squad on Friday after passing his physical exam. He will begin training with the team next week.
The Ravens have not promised he will be left off the practice squad for the playoffs, but that seems more likely after Saturday. Melvin Gordon, the team's No. 3 running back, lost a fumble. His ball security has been a constant problem throughout his career. Gus Edwards also lost a fumble for the second time in a row.
The door is open to Cook. — Zrebiec
Required reading
(Photo: Patrick Smith/Getty Images)