7 Steelers surprises in Saturday’s win against the Ravens
Each week our SCU staff and contributors picks the “surprises” from the Pittsburgh Steelers latest matchup. Check out more below to see which plays and situations surprised us the most!
On Saturday the Pittsburgh Steelers traveled to face the Baltimore Ravens for their Week 18 matchup at M&T Bank Stadium.
The Steelers improved to a 10-7 record with a 17-10 win, which also secured a postseason berth. Here are some of the surprises from that game.
Third-straight win
For the first – and only – time this season, the Steelers won their third-straight game…
Playoff bound!
And with some help from the Tennessee Titans defeating the Jacksonville Jaguars, the Steelers are going back to the playoffs!
Mason’s rating
Who would’ve thought, but Mason Rudolph has kept some good company over this short span of time, matching the likes of two other NFL quarterbacks:
Mason Rudolph started 3 games this season
Yet he had the SAME amount of starts with a 110+ Pass Rating (3) as Patrick Mahomes and Justin Herbert. pic.twitter.com/8rQIs9p4Ub
— NFL on CBS 🏈 (@NFLonCBS) January 8, 2024
In fact, Rudolph adequately compares to his upcoming Wild Card round opponent, Buffalo Bills QB Josh Allen. Allen has gone 60 of 89 (67.4%) for 765 yards, 3 touchdowns and 4 interceptions over his last three games.
Rudolph is 53 of 71 (74.7%) for 716 yards, 3 touchdowns and 0 interceptions over his last three games: a 120.4 QB rating compared with Allen’s 86.6.
Harris tops 1,000
With 112 yards on the ground on Saturday against Baltimore, Najee Harris has topped 1,000 yards rushing for all three of his seasons in the NFL. He officially finishes the year with 1,035 yards and 8 rushing touchdowns.
Both of Harris’ 100-yard games have come in the final two of the season with 122 and 112 yards respectively. Over the last three games, Harris has had four rushing touchdowns and 312 yards (4.3 per attempt) on 72 carries.
Warren: WR2?
Want an obscure Steelers stat for trivia night? Behind WR George Pickens (63 receptions, 1,140 receiving yards) who was the second-leading receiver on the team this season?
While Diontae Johnson was a distant second – in both yards behind Pickens and ahead of the next receiver – it was RB Jaylen Warren who would have the second-most receptions with 61.
That’s the most by a Steelers running back since 2021 (Harris, 74) and 2017 (Le’Veon Bell, 85).
Watt wins sack race
Steelers LB T.J. Watt had two sacks against the Ravens this weekend. That put him, for the third time in his career – and the only player to have ever done so three times – as the NFL leader in sacks with 19.0.
Godwin Igwebuike makes highlight reel play
Did you just stop in your tracks and ask yourself, “Who is Godwin Igwebuike?”
Chances are you forgot that (equally as hard to pronounce) Gunner Olszewski was the Steelers kick returner to start the season. Following a boneheaded toe-tap catch to field a kickoff inbounds, Gunner found himself on the waiver wire while the Steelers and special teams coach Danny Smith searched for a new return specialist. (And no, it’s not Bud Dupree: who used to wear number 48!)
The former Lions running back, Igwebuike, has had few opportunities to showcase his talents. However, on Saturday, he got to showcase that he’s not only a talented enough player to have a roster spot in the NFL, but he’s also a bright player who knows the rules!
Seriously, checkout this clip below, which even made headlines from the official NFL account!
One of the smartest plays you'll see. 💯
Godwin Igwebuike fields the kickoff while laying out of bounds to force the penalty on Baltimore.
📺: #PITvsBAL on ESPN/ABC
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus https://t.co/WxnOXJY8R6 pic.twitter.com/1CU8rcLj0w— NFL (@NFL) January 6, 2024
