Marlon Humphrey did some epic taunting on his pick-6

It was funny, entertaining and controversial. Marlon Humphrey and the Ravens were lucky that they did not get flagged

Baltimore Ravens defensive back Marlon Humphrey probably had the play of the day in Saturday’s 34-17 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Early in the fourth quarter, Humphrey intercepted Steelers quarterback Russell Wilson and returned it 37 yards for a touchdown. It was the first pick-six of his NFL career and the first defensive touchdown of the season for Baltimore.

It was also a major momentum mover, and one could even argue that it iced the game for the Ravens. But beyond all that, it was also a brilliant reading of the opposing quarterback’s eyes and a display of elite athleticism.

It was “showboating” at a hall-of-fame level. The way Humphrey extended his arm out to hold the ball away from his body and pretend it was accessible to the Steelers offensive players in pursuit was epic.

And Humphrey did all this before he was even in the end zone! It was taunting at a legendary level, especially if you happened to be Steelers tight end MyCole Pruitt or wide receiver Calvin Austin.

Humphrey made taunting/showboating an art form here, as it resembled something from the 1999 film Any Given Sunday or the early 2000 ESPN series Playmakers.

It was funny, entertaining, and controversial. Humphrey and the Ravens were lucky that they were not flagged afterward.

Minkah Fitzpatrick broke his ‘turnover curse’ in Week 16 vs Ravens

Minkah Fitzpatrick snagged his first interception of the season in Week 16, a bright spot in the Steelers’ tough loss to the Ravens.

Don’t call it a comeback! Baltimore Ravens QB Lamar Jackson gifted Pittsburgh Steelers FS Minkah Fitzpatrick his first interception of the season in the AFC North divisional showdown in Week 16.

Fitzpatrick had previously addressed his lack of splash plays in 2024, attributing it to a lack of opportunities rather than skill issues this season.

With the Baltimore Ravens on the verge of scoring a touchdown in the fourth quarter, Fitzpatrick positioned himself perfectly for an interception in the red zone.

Jackson’s intended pass was seemingly aimed at WR Rashod Bateman, who had scored a touchdown earlier in the contest, but pressure from Steelers LB Patrick Queen may have forced the Ravens’ QB to miss his mark.

The Pittsburgh Steelers were unable to capitalize on Fitzpatrick’s turnover, as Steelers QB Russell Wilson threw a pick-six to Ravens CB Marlon Humphrey shortly afterward.

Ultimately, despite the disappointment surrounding the Week 16 contest for the Black and Gold, Fitzpatrick’s return to form against the Ravens should excite fans moving forward.

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Marlon Humphrey with pick-six off Russell Wilson for Ravens

Marlon Humphrey with a big pick-six off Russell Wilson

Lamar Jackson threw an interception on Saturday. It was up to the Baltimore Ravens defense to respond.

And respond, they did.

Marlon Humphrey picked off Russell Wilson and returned it 37 yards in the fourth quarter for a TD to make it 31-17 in favor of the Ravens.

The pick-six was the first of Humphrey’s elite career and pushed the Ravens closer to clinching a playoff spot.

National reaction to Marlon Humprhey’s pick six off Steelers QB Russell Wilson

National reaction to Marlon Humprhey’s pick six off Steelers QB Russell Wilson to keep the Ravens AFC North hopes alive

NFL games are pockets of momentum and nothing describes that scenario than the four play sequence between Baltimore and Pittsburgh.

Derrick Henry rushed for 44 yards to put the Ravens in the red zone before a Minkah Fitzpatrick interception gave the Steelers the football back.  Immediately afterward, Russell Wilson was picked off by Baltimore cornerback Marlon Humphrey for a 37-yard pick six to put the Ravens up 31-17 with 13:00 remaining in the fourth quarter.

Social media reacts to everything, and Humphrey’s big play was no different.

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Sights and sounds from first half as Ravens hold a 17-10 lead over the Steelers

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.

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NFL Week 16: Zach Orr is systematic, Ravens rank No. 3 in total sacks

Baltimore Ravens DC Zach Orr is catching stride at the right time of the season and his unit rank No. 3 in the NFL in total sacks.

Baltimore Ravens defensive coordinator Zach Orr is beginning to catch stride at the right time of the season. Using a shell coverage to beguile defenses, the Ravens allow just 20.3 points over their last three games.

Orr’s defense also ranks third in the NFL in total sacks this season. The Ravens picked up three sacks in their victory over the New York Giants in Week 15. With seven quarterback hits and seven pass deflections, the Ravens’ defense held the Giants to a 16 percent conversion rate on 12 third-down conversion attempts.



Linebacker Malik Harrison led the flock with eight tackles and tallied in one of the team’s three sacks mentioned above. Moving forward, Orr needs his unit to remain disciplined versus the run as he slowly deploys combo coverage packages that may lead to turnovers down the stretch. 

With defensive back Nate Wiggins coming into his own, the Ravens may be able to play more man coverage and approach games with a pass rush that complements their high-scoring offense.

Orr’s ability to yield sacks and tackles for loss will be pivotal to the team’s success as the Ravens prepare for the postseason. As the successor to Seattle Seahawks head coach Mike MacDonald, Orr has been nothing less than fantastic. 

Mike Tomlin spares no feelings regarding Russell Wilson’s Week 11 INT

Mike Tomlin addresses Russell Wilson’s costly interception in Week 11 as the Steelers prepare for Thursday Night Football against Cleveland.

While Russell Wilson has led the Steelers to four consecutive victories in each of his past four starts, Head Coach Mike Tomlin was unimpressed with one specific play from Week 11 against Baltimore.

The offense was struggling to score touchdowns against a stingy Ravens defense, and Wilson almost made a spectacular touchdown pass to TE Darnell Washington.

Wilson escaped pressure, scrambled to his right, and threw up a jump ball to the 6’7″ dynamic tight end in the end zone, but Washington watched it fly past his head and into the arms of Ravens CB Marlon Humphrey.

While the blame game was to be expected, Tomlin wasted no time letting everyone know who he believes was at fault: “I just wish Russ hadn’t thrown it.”

The Pittsburgh Steelers brought Wilson in to make plays for their offense, and Tomlin shouldn’t be surprised nor discourage Wilson’s willingness to take these risks.

Tomlin and the Wilson-led Steelers offense will look to get back on track against the Cleveland Browns on, Thursday Night Football, on November 21st at 8:15 PM EST.

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Have the Ravens solved their defensive struggles with a reshuffled secondary?

Have the Ravens solved their defensive struggles with a reshuffled secondary?

By far, the Baltimore Ravens‘ biggest weakness and biggest surprise through 11 weeks of the 2024 season has been the secondary’s play. The Ravens entered the season with what looked like one of the league’s top coverage units on paper, but reality disagreed once the pads came on.

All-Pro safety Kyle Hamilton, cornerback Marlon Humphrey, and rookie first-round cornerback Nate Wiggins have all had good seasons. Still, the drastic falloff from veteran free safety Marcus Williams and cornerback Brandon Stephens to go with poor play from newly acquired safety Eddie Jackson has tanked Baltimore’s pass defense. Through 11 weeks, the Ravens have allowed the most passing yards in the league.

After allowing quarterback Joe Burrow to throw for 428 yards and four touchdowns, with wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase going for 264 yards and three touchdowns through the air against the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 10, Baltimore decided to make changes on the backend of the defense. Williams was benched for the second time this season, while Hamilton and Ar’Darious Washington formed the starting safety duo against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 11. This was a change for Hamilton, as the do-it-all star is best known for his game-wrecking ability closer to the line of scrimmage, but after the results against the Steelers, he may have found a new home on the defense to finish this year.

The Ravens’ secondary stifled quarterback Russell Wilson, holding him to 205 passing yards, zero touchdowns, and -7.41 expected points through the air. Wide receiver George Pickens was held under 100 yards and out of the endzone, with cornerback Tre’Davious White having a pair of impressive pass deflections against him to prevent touchdowns. White played 24 snaps against Pittsburgh, eating into Stephens’ role on the boundary.

While the Steelers offense has not been one of the league’s best this season, Wilson’s ability to connect with Pickens down the field was something to fear coming into the game, and Baltimore kept a lid on the duo for the most part. The Ravens will face more formidable challenges to see if reshuffling the secondary has fixed the issues plaguing the defense, starting with a Monday Night Football showdown against star quarterback Justin Herbert and the Los Angeles Chargers.

Todd Monken sat on the wall & Monken did make the Ravens fall

Of course the Pittsburgh Steelers were ready for Baltimore Ravens OC Todd Monken and his very predictable pass attack in NFL week 11.

In NFL week 11, the Pittsburgh Steelers were ready for Baltimore Ravens offensive coordinator Todd Monken and his predictable pass attack.

Quarterback Lamar Jackson finished week 11 with just 207 passing yards and completed only 16 of his 33 pass attempts. More incompletions than completions are always a recipe for disaster, but what’s more incomplete is the explanation as to why running back Derrick Henry only received 13 carries on the ground in Sunday’s 18-16 loss.

Monken continues to get into big games just to abandon his strongest player, Henry, who leads the NFL in rushing yards. Henry continues to lurk in the shadows behind Monken, who wants badly to make the Ravens a pass-first offense.

The Ravens’ defense held its ground, granting the team another opportunity with a fourth-quarter interception by defensive back Marlon Humphrey. Still, the Ravens’ offense got stifled in the red zone when Monken called a quarterback sweep from the two-yard line as if the Steelers were going just to let Jackson walk in. 

What about Henry? Why wouldn’t Monken hand the ball to a man ranking No. 1 in the NFL in rushing yards? Ravens fans have been asking these same questions since the team squandered the AFC Championship in January. The saga continues, and thanks to Sunday’s loss, the Ravens are now two games behind the Steelers in the AFC North.

Ravens fall to 7-4 as offense sputters in 18-16 loss to Steelers in Week 11

Ravens fall to 7-4 as offense sputters in 18-16 loss to Steelers in Week 11

Lamar Jackson will have to wait a few weeks to get that much-needed win over the Steelers after the Ravens sputtered in neutral for most of the afternoon in an 18-16 loss to Pittsburgh at Acrisure Stadium.

The NFL’s No. 1 ranked quarterback in QBR, Jackson was 16-33 passing for 207 yards (6.3 avg), one touchdown, one interception, and a 66.1 rating, the lowest of this season.

Jackson had four carries for 46 yards, while Derrick Henry was held to 65 yards (5.0 avg) on 13 carries and one rushing touchdown, tying the single-season franchise record for touchdowns.

Zach Orr’s maligned defense held Pittsburgh to 4-16 on third downs and 303 total yards, but Pittsburgh held the football for 36:22, compared to Baltimore’s 23:38.

The Steelers held the Ravens ‘ top-ranked offense to 329 yards and just 124 yards rushing. Justin Tucker’s two missed field goals will further magnify the two-point loss. On the day, Tucker was 1-3 on field goal attempts, while Steelers kicker Chris Boswell was a perfect 6-6, including a 57-yard field goal.

Baltimore will quickly regroup before a massive Monday night matchup against Jim Harbaugh and the 6-3 Los Angeles Chargers.

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