In Week 14 of the NFL season, the Baltimore Ravens and the Pittsburgh Steelers met for the first time this season, with the division lead at stake. Meanwhile, Shedeur Sanders gave the Cleveland Browns cause for optimism after a loss, while the Cincinnati Bengals’ playoff hopes took a nosedive.
Pittsburgh Steelers (7-6)
The first meeting between the Steelers and Ravens ended with a 27-22 victory for Pittsburgh. The Steelers now have sole possession of first place in the AFC North with four games remaining in the regular season.
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Pittsburgh’s passing attack came to life against Baltimore, as Aaron Rodgers turned back the clock with a classic performance in the air while hitting multiple deep throws to his wide receivers. The veteran quarterback completed 23 of 34 pass attempts for 284 yards and a touchdown while also running for a score. Rodgers found DK Metcalf for multiple explosive plays against the Ravens, something that had been largely absent this season. Metcalf finished the game with a season-high 148 receiving yards on seven targets, marking only the second time he crossed 100 yards in a game this season.
James Pierre had an early interception for the Pittsburgh defense, but the unit as a whole had trouble stopping Baltimore’s offense from moving the ball. The Steelers allowed the Ravens to rush for 217 yards after giving up 249 to the Buffalo Bills a week ago.
Baltimore Ravens (6-7)
Baltimore lost its second straight division game at home with its 27-22 loss to Pittsburgh. The Ravens are now once again under .500 and in survival mode as they hope to make their way into the playoffs.
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Despite an early interception, Lamar Jackson had perhaps his best game since returning from injury earlier this season. Jackson finished the game 19-of-35 passing for 219 yards, one touchdown and one interception, while adding another 43 yards and a touchdown on the ground. Jackson seemed much more mobile than he has in recent weeks, which is a great sign if Baltimore wants to have a chance to finish strong this season.
Unfortunately, the officiating overshadowed most of the discourse surrounding the game, as the Ravens found themselves on the wrong end of three questionable calls. Perhaps the most controversial was an overturned touchdown catch by Isaiah Likely, when the tight end fumbled the ball in the end zone before he could take a third step. A Teddye Buchanan interception that was overturned as a catch by Rodgers was another cause for concern. An unnecessary roughness penalty against Travis Jones on a field goal attempt was the third, leading to a touchdown for the Steelers on the next play.
Cincinnati Bengals (4-9)
Any hope the Bengals had entering Week 14 of making the playoffs with Joe Burrow back at the helm was short-lived as they fell to the Bills in a shootout 39-34.
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Cincinnati led for much of the game before a late pick by Burrow gave Buffalo the lead in the fourth quarter. Burrow started strong before throwing two interceptions. He finished the game with 25 completions in 36 attempts for 284 yards, four touchdowns and two interceptions. Tee Higgins led the team with 92 receiving yards and two touchdowns on six receptions. Higgins appeared to hit his head hard on the ground several times during the game, but was allowed to finish playing. After the game, he was placed in the concussion protocol for the second time in recent weeks, leading to scrutiny over his clearance to return to the field in Buffalo.
The Bengals aren’t mathematically eliminated from the playoffs yet, but it will take a combination of things going right for them, plus winning the remaining four games on their schedule, to find their way to the postseason for the first time since 2022.
Cleveland Browns (3-10)
Despite losing 31-29 to the Tennessee Titans in Week 14, the Browns left the game with some reason for emotion.
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Shedeur Sanders had the best performance by a Cleveland quarterback this year on Sunday. The rookie finished the game with 23 completions in 42 attempts for 364 yards, three touchdowns and one interception, while also rushing for 29 yards and another touchdown. Kevin Stefanski has since announced that Sanders will remain the team’s starter for the remainder of the season. Fellow rookie Harold Fannin led the team with 114 receiving yards and a touchdown on eight receptions.
Myles Garrett had his 20th sack of the season against Tennessee. Garrett is now 2.5 sacks away from tying the single-season sack record set by Michael Strahan and later tied by TJ Watt. With four games left, it’s a safe bet that Garrett will be the new record holder.