Steelers 16-13 Ravens: Pittsburgh score last-minute touchdown to take vital win over Baltimore and stay in race for playoffs | NFL News

Pittsburgh Steelers rally to beat home team Baltimore Ravens 16-13; Kenny Pickett threw the winning touchdown pass to Najee Harris; Pittsburgh still needs to beat Cleveland next weekend and for Miami and New England to both lose to make the playoffs

Kenny Pickett threw a 10-yard touchdown pass to Najee Harris that saw the Pittsburgh Steelers secure a 16-13 victory over the Baltimore Ravens with less than a minute left on the clock and stay in the race to make the playoffs.

The story of the game

Kenny Pickett threw a 10-yard touchdown pass to Najee Harris with 56 seconds remaining, giving the Pittsburgh Steelers a 16-13 victory over the Baltimore Ravens on Saturday night and improbably keeping their playoff hopes alive for another week.

It was the first touchdown allowed by Baltimore at home in four games, and the Steelers (8-8) needed to avoid elimination. Just as Miami needed to lose to New England earlier in the day, that’s exactly what happened.

Running back Najee Harris secures the catch for the game-winning touchdown (AP Photo/Nick Wass)

Pittsburgh can now make the playoffs by beating Cleveland next weekend if Miami and New England both lose. A lot has to go right for him, but a lot went right for him on Sunday.

Down 13-9, Pickett drove the Steelers 80 yards in 3:20 against a rival with the season on the line. On third-and-8 from the 10, the rookie scrambled away from the pressure and threw a perfect pass to Harris, who had slipped behind linebacker Roquan Smith on the left sideline.

The Ravens (10-6) are headed to the playoffs but now need Buffalo to beat Cincinnati on Monday to win the AFC North.

Tyler Huntley threw a touchdown pass to Isaiah Chance late in the first half for the game’s only other touchdown.

Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Kenny Pickett against the Baltimore Ravens (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)

The Steelers need help to make the playoffs, but they have complete control of the rest of the streak. They haven’t had a losing record since 2003 and have never been under coach Mike Tomlin, now in his 16th season.

A penalty on Pittsburgh’s Cam Heyward leads to the first touchdown of the game. With the score tied at 3 late in the second quarter, the Steelers stopped Baltimore on third down, but Heyward was called for unnecessary roughness while on top of the pile. Instead of settling for a field goal, the Ravens had a new set at the Pittsburgh 7 with 11 seconds left.

On the next play, Huntley threw to the left to Chance at the goal line to put Baltimore up by seven.

The Ravens are 2-2 without quarterback Lamar Jackson, who is sidelined again with a knee injury. The passing game looked sharper on Sunday than in some of Huntley’s previous actions, but he was intercepted late in the game after the Steelers took the lead.

Pickett returns to Harris (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)

Statistical leader

Steelers

• Passing: Kenny Pickett, 15/27, 168 yards, 1TD
• Rushing: Najee Harris, 22 carries
• Receiving: Pat Freiermuth, 3 catches, 36 yards

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• Passing: Tyler Huntley, 14/21, 130 yards, 1TD, 1 INT
• Rushing: JK Dobbins, 17 carries, 93 yards
• Receiving: Mark Andrews, 9 catches, 100 yards

What they said

Ravens head coach John Harbaugh said: “Poor performance by us. Didn’t get the job done. Very disappointed. We should have played better than that.

“We didn’t do a good job of finding ways to make plays. We had a few here.

“We can put the game away.”

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Pittsburgh Steelers rookie player Kenny Pickett squeezes the go-ahead touchdown down the dime to running back Najee Harris with less than a minute left.

What’s next?

The Buffalo Bills visit the Cincinnati Bengals for the final game of week 17, watch live Sky Sports Action or Sky Sports Main Event live at 1.30am on Tuesday (January 3).

The Ravens need Buffalo to beat Cincinnati to win the AFC North.

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