Derrick Henry’s 162-yard rushing performance broke records, marking the most yards by a Ravens RB against the Steelers defense.
While the 2024 Pittsburgh Steelers defense has enjoyed tremendous success throughout the season, Week 16’s loss to the Baltimore Ravens will be forever etched in history—at the expense of the Black and Gold.
Heading into the contest, the Pittsburgh Steelers boasted one of the NFL’s best run defenses, but Ravens RB Derrick Henry more than put them to the test—rushing for 162 yards on 24 attempts.
Henry’s Week 16 performance against the Steel City was not only dominant but also historic, as no other Ravens player had ever rushed for more yards against any Steelers defense.
Derrick Henry’s 160 rushing yards are the most by a Ravens player vs the Steelers via @ESPNStatsInfo
To play devil’s advocate, the Pittsburgh Steelers faced one of the NFL’s greatest running backs of all-time in Henry—who is in the midst of his greatest season to date—while also missing one of the league’s best run defenders, DeShon Elliott, who was sidelined with a hamstring injury.
It is not only understandable why Henry set the Ravens’ rushing record against the Steelers, but it is also a valuable lesson during the regular season—allowing the defense to hone their craft ahead of a potential deep playoff run.
The Steelers couldn’t slow down Derrick Henry and that was the difference in the game.
Of all the things that went wrong for the Pittsburgh Steelers on Saturday against the Baltimore Ravens, none stood out as much as the team’s inability to slow down the Ravens run game.
Baltimore running back Derrick Henry ran roughshod over the Steelers’ defense to the tune of 162 yards on 24 carries. The image of Henry dragging Pittsburgh defenders will dance in our heads all the way until Christmas like sugar plums.
After the game, head coach Mike Tomlin acknowledges the Steelers’ shortcomings in run defense in the most Tomlin way possible.
“We didn’t control the run game,” Tomlin said. “We never did.”
In fairness, the Steelers were minus defensive tackle Larry Ogunjobi, safety DeShon Elliott and cornerbacks Donte Jackson and Joey Porter Jr. Losing four of 11 starters makes it tough to stop any NFL-caliber offense, much less all the weapons the Ravens bring to the table.
There’s no time for the Steelers to sit around and ponder what went wrong. Pittsburgh is working on a short week and have to prepare to take on the Kansas City Chiefs and their 13-1 record on Christmas day in Pittsburgh.
Pittsburgh couldn’t keep up with the Ravens on Saturday and the Ravens clinch a spot in the playoffs.
Winning in Baltimore was going to be a longshot for the Pittsburgh Steelers but when even more injuries started popping up early in the game, you knew it was over against the Ravens. Pittsburgh fell to 10-5 and into a tie in the AFC North after falling to Baltimore 34-17 on Saturday.
The story for the Steelers was the defense. Pittsburgh went into the game minus three starters and after losing cornerback Joey Porter Jr. just didn’t have enough bodies to keep up with the Ravens offense. Baltimore rose running back Derrick Henry and some efficient passing by quarterback Lamar Jackson to a huge performance. Henry finished with 162 rushing yards and was unstoppable for a banged up Steelers defense.
Pittsburgh’s offense couldn’t get out of its own way and that started with quarterback Russell Wilson. Wilson was responsible for two huge turnovers and wasn’t sharp as he went back to holding onto the football too long and taking three sacks.
The Steelers have now lost two in a row and have not time to worry about it. They have clinched a spot in the playoffs and must now turn around and play the Kansas City Chiefs on Christmas while the Ravens will go against the Houston Texans.
Sights and sounds from first half as Ravens hold a 17-10 lead over the Steelers
It wasn’t a pretty start, but the Ravens again held a halftime lead over the Steelers, 17-10, with 30 minutes left to play at M&T Bank Stadium.
Baltimore had 201 yards of offense and went 2-5 on third downs in the first half. Pittsburgh has 170 yards of offense, 2-4 on third down, and one turnover in a highly intense first half.
With the second half set to begin, here are sights and sounds from the first half.
Look at all those Steelers defenders keyed in on the Lamar Jackson-Derrick Henry on a fake toss. Wiiiiiiiidddddeeee open for Isaiah Likely on the play action. pic.twitter.com/uSWqWXsWsi
Cooper DeJean talked to Whistle’s Air It Out with AJ Greene & Justin Pugh about what it was like to tackle Ravens running back Derrick Henry
The Eagles defeated the Ravens 24-19 in Week 13, further extending their impressive winning streak. Rookie cornerback Cooper DeJean’s play was the biggest and most talked-about of the day.
In the fourth quarter of the Eagles’ 24-19 win over the Ravens, Henry caught a short pass before the league’s second-leading rusher was lifted and driven into the ground by the 21-year-old.
DeJean admitted that he “didn’t expect to fully pick him up and put him on the ground, it kind of just happened like that,” the star defensive back told reporters afterward.
During a recent interview with Whistle, DeJean provided more insight into the hit and what it was like to get a clean tackle on one of the most imposing NFL players in league history.
While appearing on Air It Out with AJ Greene & Justin Pugh, DeJean stated that although Henry wasn’t running after the catch, he still felt the collision and raved about Henry’s physicality.
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The New York Giants and Baltimore Ravens face off on Sunday afternoon at MetLife Stadium. Here are three prop bets to consider.
The New York Giants (2-11) host the Baltimore Ravens (8-5) at MetLife Stadium this Sunday afternoon in a game that has seen the point spread balloon to 16 as the week has progressed.
BetMGM has the over/under at 43 total points, indicating they are predicting a comfortable, low-scoring Ravens victory on Sunday. The moneyline is an unbettable Ravens -1400, Giants +800.
There won’t be a whole lot of action on many of those wagers but there are a few prop bets we’ll be looking at. Here are our top three.
Dustin Satloff/Getty Images
Giants QB Tommy DeVito OVER 200 passing yards (+155)
This is a gamble because Tommy DeVito has played so sparingly this year. He threw for 189 yards against Tampa Bay in his one start three weeks ago on 21-of-31 passing. He should do a little better here as the Giants will likely be playing catch-up against a Baltimore defense that is last in the league in passing yards allowed per game (264.9).
Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
Ravens RB Derrick Henry OVER 100 yards rushing (-160)
Not a great bet because of the low payout but could be used as an anchor in some large parlays. Derrick Henry is chasing Saquon Barkley for the NFL rushing title and has been excellent all year, averaging 108.2 yards per game and 5.9 yards per carry. The Giants are 29th in the NFL against the run (141,7 YPG allowed) and although their defensive front played well last week, they’re still way undermanned.
Scott Galvin-Imagn Images
Giants WR Malik Nabers OVER 100 yards receiving (+375)
There’s money to be made on this one as Malik Nabers will certainly get the targets against a very suspect Ravens secondary. Baltimore has allowed over 40 FPS to wide receivers this season, the third-highest in the NFL. Nabers hasn’t had a 100-yard game since Week 4, so he’s way overdue. The Ravens haven’t allowed a wide receiver over 100 since Ja’Marr Chase torched them for 264 yards in Week 10, hence the number being so high.
Here’s a look at some potential bargains for daily fantasy from the New York Giants-Baltimore Ravens Week 15 game on Sunday afternoon.
The New York Giants (2-11) host the Baltimore Ravens (8-5) in what oddsmakers are predicting will be a mismatch as the Ravens are favored by 16 points as of midweek.
The Giants are on an eight-game losing streak while the Ravens are coming off their bye week.
The Giants have seven losses by eight points or less and have been their own worst enemy. They are also banged up beyond recognition while the Ravens are 5th in the AFC standings and have designs on the postseason.
The fantasy angles are simple in this game, so we’ll limit the options to three.
Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
Ravens RB Derrick Henry
The Giants have allowed 147.1 yards per game on the ground this season, the fourth-highest in the NFL. They are getting trampled and things just got harder as they lost nose tackle Dexter Lawrence for the season and their second-best lineman, Rakeem Nunez-Roches, is hurting and may not play this week.
Derrick Henry is second in the NFL in rushing with 1,407 yards behind only the unconscious Saquon Barkley and the Giants are allowing the fifth-most FPS to running backs this year. He will be heavily used in DFS this week but he will cost you ($8,300 on DraftKings), but it might be worth it.
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Giants WR Malik Nabers
Malik Nabers has not been spectacular, but he’s been steady considering the Giants’ quarterback situation and their shoddy play-calling and execution. He is fourth in the NFL in targets despite missing two games.
The Ravens have allowed the third-most FPS to wide receivers this season and there’s no indication that they’ll be able to bottle up Nabers on Sunday. The Giants must stay committed to getting the ball to him. With few other options, that shouldn’t be a problem.
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Ravens QB Lamar Jackson
Of course. How can one avoid the Ravens’ best weapon against this Giants’ defense? Lamar Jackson is leading all NFL quarterbacks in FPS per game on every platform.
This week, Jackson is in a must-win situation against an inferior opponent and will not take his foot off the gas pedal. He leads all NFL QBs in rushing (684 yards) and seventh in passing yards (3,290), second in touchdown passes (29), and has the second-fewest interceptions (3) of any player with over 300 passing attempts.
In addition, Jackson has been sacked just 19 times.
The Ravens will be one of the Giants’ toughest opponents of the season on paper and the oddsmakers believe that to be the case as well. Big Blue opened up as just over two-touchdown home underdogs ahead of Sunday.
The line has moved further in the Ravens’ direction following the news that Tommy DiVito would be back at quarterback for Big Blue.
The Ravens are considered a Super Bowl contender by many and have a small margin for error going into Week 15 if they want to catch the Pittsburgh Steelers for the AFC North division title.
Here are three causes of concern going into Sunday’s matchup.
Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
Derrick Henry
Just like other big-name running backs who left their former teams to find a new team this past offseason, to say Derrick Henry has been impressive is an extreme understatement. He has been a workhorse for the Ravens and is on pace to have the highest yards per rush of his career along with the highest total touchdown season of his career.
The Giants have been one of the worst teams against the run this season and it was a concern going up against Alvin Kamara ahead of last week’s game, especially given the injuries on the Giants defensive line.
But Big Blue’s defense held their own, limiting Kamara last week. This week, however, the Giants will welcome one of the league’s best running backs and certainly one of the hardest to tackle.
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The Injury Bug
The Giants’ misfortunes with injuries continued this week. In addition to their best players on each side of the ball remaining out for the season, the Giants saw two more notable members of their secondary, Tyler Nubin and Tre Hawkins, go on season-ending IR this week.
The Giants will also turn back to Tommy DeVito under center with Drew Lock in a walking boot due to a heel injury. Sunday will be the Giants’ third quarterback switch in the last four games.
They will also likely be without offensive lineman Jon Runyan as the laundry list of injuries continued to grow on Wednesday.
Rob Carr/Getty Images
The Situation
Lamar Jackson has lost just twice to an NFC team in his career, including once against the Giants in 2022.
The Ravens are also fresh off a bye week and well-rested going into Week 15 as they trail the Steelers by two games in the AFC North standings. The Giants are 0-7 at MetLife Stadium this season.
All of that to say, the Giants are heavy underdogs for a reason in Week 15.
Cooper DeJean is one of the best rookie defensive backs in the NFL this season.
One of our favorite prospects from the 2024 NFL draft was former Iowa cornerback Cooper DeJean. We loved his ability to excel at any spot in the secondary and his ridiculous athleticism. We also loved his willingness to stick his nose in there and defend the run.
When DeJean fell to the Philadelphia Eagles in the second round, it felt like a perfect fit. DeJean has quickly worked his way into the lineup and has become one of the Eagles playmakers in the secondary.
Lasst week against the Baltimore Ravens, DeJean made a showstopping tackle on future Hall of Fame running back Derrick Henry when he ignored the 50-pounds weight disadvantage and absolutely planted Henry in the open field. You can see the play below in case you missed it.
Cooper DeJean: 6′0″, 198 lbs
Derrick Henry: 6′3″, 247 lbs
The Ravens have five players who are the leading vote-getters at their position in the AFC: QB: Lamar Jackson, RB: Derrick Henry
ILB: Roquan Smith, CB: Marlon Humphrey, SS: Kyle Hamilton
The Ravens (8-5) are one of the most exciting teams in the NFL. That popularity can be seen in the Pro Bowl voting. After one week of voting, star quarterback Lamar Jackson leads all players in balloting for the 2025 Pro Bowl Games. He has received 44,681 votes. Ravens running back Derrick Henry is 2nd among all players with 40,729 votes.
The leading vote-getters so far for the 2025 #ProBowlGames 👀
Philadelphia running back Saquon Barkley (40,602), Buffalo quarterback Josh Allen (36,574), and Detroit running back Jahmyr Gibbs (35,637) round out the top five.
The Detroit Lions lead all clubs in total votes received, followed by the Baltimore Ravens, Kansas City Chiefs, Minnesota Vikings, and Pittsburgh Steelers.
Fans can vote as often as they would like to help determine the 88-man roster and send the league’s best players at each position to Orlando for the Pro Bowl Games until Monday, Dec. 23, across a variety of platforms, including:
On club sites (i.e., https://www.baltimoreravens.com/pro-bowl-games/vote)
Social voting — During the final two weeks of voting (Dec. 9 – Dec. 23), fans can vote directly on “X” (formerly Twitter) by tweeting the first and last name of the player, tagging the player’s official Twitter handle or creating a hashtag including the player’s first and last name. All three of these methods must include the hashtag: #ProBowlVote. Social votes will count as double during the final two days (Dec. 22 – Dec. 23).
Player selections will be determined by the consensus votes of fans, players, and coaches, with each group’s vote counting as one-third toward determining the all-star players who will be selected for this year’s Pro Bowl Games. The NFL is the only sports league that combines voting by fans, coaches, and players to determine its Pro Bowl teams. NFL players and coaches will cast their votes on Friday, Dec. 27.
If the season ended today, Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels would be the starter over Jalen Hurts (Eagles) and Jared Goff (Lions), among others in the NFC.
