Winners and Losers From Ravens' Deflating Loss to Steelers

In a Week 14 game between two AFC North rivals, the Baltimore Ravens fell to the Pittsburgh Steelers 27-22 in the final leg of their three-game homestand. The second straight loss dropped their record back below .500 to 6-7, putting them a game behind their archrivals with four games left.

Here are the handful of standouts who put them in position to prevail, and those whose struggles and inconsistent execution cost them dearly in the team's seventh loss of the season.

Winners

WR Zay Flowers: The homegrown Pro Bowler had one of his best games of the season with his game-high 8 receptions and team-leading 124 receiving yards, being his most since his monster outing in Week 1. He was unguardable in coverage and elusive in open space once he got the ball in his hands, making defenders miss and gaining extra yards. The Ravens should've done more to get the ball to him on their two fourth-quarter red-zone drives that stalled and resulted in short field goals, because that could've been the difference.

35-yard completion to Zay Flowers!!! Tune in on CBS. pic.twitter.com/X9Res8ieY3
— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) December 7, 2025

CB Marlon Humphrey: After getting torched on the Steelers' first play from scrimmage of the game on a 52-yard dime from Aaron Rodgers to D.K. Metcalf, the four-time Pro Bowler locked in and had a strong day in coverage the rest of the game. He recorded 4 total tackles, including 3 solos, and led the team with a trio of pass breakups, the third of which came on a key third-down in the fourth quarter the forcing a three-and-out.

RB Derrick Henry: The five-time Pro Bowler carried the ball a season-high 25 times, but it felt like he still should've gotten more touches with how hard he was running, especially in the second half when the Ravens opted not to abandon the run. Henry led the team with 94 rushing yards to clinch his seventh career 1,000-yard rushing season and second straight as a Raven. He also picked up 8 receiving yards on his lone reception to bring his scrimmage to 102 yards on 26 total touches.

RB Keaton Mitchell: Prior to exiting the game in the third quarter with a knee injury, the third-year pro was having his best and most productive game of the season. He still finished second on the team in rushing behind Henry with a season-high 76 yards, most of which came on his sixth and final carry that resulted in a 55-yard sprint that he nearly took to the house before getting pushed out of bounds.

56-YARD RUN BY @_KeatonMitchell!!!!

Tune in on CBS! pic.twitter.com/M1Tlf4ZMi2
— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) December 7, 2025

Losers

Baltimore Ravens tight end Isaiah Likely (80) reacts after scoring a touchdown against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 14. — Dec 7, 2025; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Baltimore Ravens tight end Isaiah Likely (80) reacts after scoring a touchdown against the Pittsburgh Steelers during the second half at M&T Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Peter Casey-Imagn Images | Peter Casey-Imagn Images

NFL catch rule: The officiating crew for this game had a horrendous day at the office with a trio of pivotal calls that went against the home team, but none was more impactful than the overturning of what probably would've ended up being the game-winning touchdown and tight end Isaiah Likely's second of the game and season. Instead of sticking with the original ruling on the field and making him the hero of the game, they made him come up on the wrong end of should've been a pivotal scoring play for the second week in a row, in which he lost control of the ball.

However, unlike like his costly fumble against the Cincinnati Bengals short of the goal line, this time around, he was already in the end zone with clear possession, two feet down and an extension of the ball. Yet, instead of his team taking their first lead since the first quarter, their deflated offense had to trot back onto the field and wound up turning the ball over on downs two plays later.

NOT A CATCH??? pic.twitter.com/6DVGReCUt2
— Mr Matthew CFB (@MrMatthew_CFB) December 7, 2025

DC Zach Orr: Just when it looked like the second-year play-caller's unit appeared to have turned a corner after being the main catalyst of their win streak, it was back to being the unorganized, undisciplined, and ill-prepared bunch that plagued them during the team's rough start to the season for the first three quarters.

While they locked in and came up with a trio of stops to force punts and only yielded 8 yards of total offense the entire fourth quarter, the damage had already been done. The Steelers caught them by surprise with the bomb to Metcalf to open the game and gashed them for three more key chunk plays that extended drives and put them in position to score. Aaron Rodgers diagnosed and put his offense in the right plays to take advantage of Orr's overaggressive blitzes, and a miscommunication late in the third led to a blown coverage that allowed the Pittsburgh running back Jaylen Warren to waltz into the end zone untouched for a back-breaking touchdown that wound up being the game-winning margin of victory in the end.

QB Lamar Jackson: The two-time league MVP continued to look healthier in this game than he has since returning from injury, but still didn't look all the way back to his old self. He ran the ball with more decisiveness and effectiveness, but was still just off the mark on a few passes that would've gone for chunk gains or at least moved the chains.

Jackson accounted for multiple scores for the first time since Week 9 and recorded a passing and rushing touchdown in the same game since the season opener, but he also committed his sixth turnover in the past four games with an ill-advised lofted pass intended for a running back, which was instead corralled by his cousin, cornerback James Pierre, and the Steelers turned the opportunity in a 29-yard scoring drive. The sequence that cemented him in the losers section for the second week in a row was the lack of urgency and awareness he showed on the final drive of the game, despite getting the ball back with just under two minutes left and one more timeout.

Pass rush: Although the Ravens front was going up against a future Hall of Famer in Rodgers, at 42 years old and not much mobility left to speak of, they weren't able to generate any semblance of consistent pressure, whether they were blitzing or just rushing four. Second-round rookie outside linebacker Mike Green whiffed on a pair of sack opportunities, including one where he let Rodgers duck under his takedown attempt. Baltimore finished with no sacks and just one quarterback hit despite having their full complement of pass rushers on the active roster healthy.

Pass protection: While Rodgers was given ample time to throw the ball and find his targets, Jackson was under constant duress throughout the game. He was sacked twice, with the first resulting in a Ravens punt and the last sealing their fate as time expired.

If it weren't for his improved mobility and ability to find a way to unload the ball before getting dragged down to the ground, he would've been sacked even more. The Steelers still managed to log 5 quarterback hits, as the main culprits for the lapses in the integrity of the pocket were the two starting guards, Andrew Vorhees and Daniel Faalele, who repeatedly lost reps in comical fashion.

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