<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/christmas-day-nfl-games-schedule-how-to-watch-history');   ga('set', 'title', 'Christmas Day NFL games: Schedule, how to watch, history');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Schedule-how-to-watch-history.jpg"></figure><h1>Christmas Day NFL games: Schedule, how to watch, history</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-12-24T10:03:12-08:00">December 24th, 10:03am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-12-24T10:03:12-08:00">December 24th, 10:03am</time><address><a>Bailey Bassett</a>Bailey Bassett is a sports writer from Denver, Colorado, covering major sports events and athlete backgrounds at ClutchPoints. He has experience covering and writing on high school, collegiate, and professional sports.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Baltimore Ravens</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The NFL is getting more and more progressive with when they schedule games and <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/ian-rapoport-nfl-netflix-christmas-broadcast-exclusive-interview">who they have broadcast them</a>. During Week 17, for the first time ever, Netflix will live stream NFL games, and they will do so on Christmas Day. NFL games on Dec. 25 are increasing in popularity, and this year’s Christmas slate will feature four of the best teams in the league.</p><p>The Kansas City Chiefs will take on the Pittsburgh Steelers, and then the Baltimore Ravens will face the Houston Texans. In this article, we are going to preview both games, but we are also going to look at the history of Christmas Day NFL games.</p><h2><b>Christmas Day schedule 2024</b></h2><p>Chiefs vs. Steelers at 1 p.m. ET</p><p>Ravens vs. Texans at 4:30 p.m. ET</p><p>Both NFL games on Christmas Day will be broadcast exclusively on <a href="https://www.netflix.com/tudum/articles/nfl-christmas-gameday-hosts" rel="noopener">Netflix</a>, except in local markets, both games will be on CBS-affiliated channels. The Chiefs-Steelers game will be in Pittsburgh at Acrisure Stadium, and the Ravens-Texans game will be in Houston at NRG Stadium.</p><h2><b>Chiefs vs. Steelers</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Travis-Kelce.jpg"><figcaption>Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/chiefs-news-kansas-city-first-repeat-super-bowl-champions-since-tom-bradys-patriots">Chiefs are back-to-back defending Super Bowl Champions</a>, and they look fully capable of winning the big game for the third straight season. Kansas City is 14-1 despite a number of key injuries throughout the season. Now, they are starting to get healthy, too, which makes them even scarier.</p><p>Isiah Pacheco recently returned from a leg fracture, and <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/chiefs-news-marquise-brown-eye-opening-take-first-game-back-injury">Hollywood Brown made his season debut</a> during Week 16. They make an offense led by Patrick Mahomes – the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/ranking-50-best-nfl-players-2024-season">best player in the NFL</a> – even more versatile. Pacheco is still getting his legs under him, but at his best, he is a physical runner who provides great balance to the Chiefs’ offensive attack. Brown was one of the team’s biggest offseason additions. He is a burner with incredible speed, and that is a scary thought, considering Mahomes is one of the best deep ball passers in football.</p><p>Even with how much of a juggernaut the Chiefs have been as of recent, they are still vulnerable. Their offensive line play has been suspect, and Mahomes is still dealing with a tweaked ankle. Plus, the Steelers have had a pretty good season in their own right. Russell Wilson has had a bounceback season, and the team’s defense is dominant. T.J. Watt is currently the <a href="https://www.covers.com/nfl/nfl-defensive-player-of-the-year-odds" rel="noopener">odds-on favorite</a> to take home the Defensive Player of the Year award, but he is far from the only elite player on that end.</p><p>With back-to-back losses, though, the Steelers are fading, and they desperately need another win. The absence of George Pickens was a big reason for their struggles in Week 16, but it is looking like the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/steelers-news-george-pickens-status-steelers-showdown">receiver has a good chance to play</a>. The Chiefs have played on Christmas Day four times, and once they play against the Steelers, they will tie the Dallas Cowboys for the most Dec. 25 games. Kansas City is 2-2 on the holiday, while Pittsburgh is 2-0.</p><h2><b>Ravens vs. Texans</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/CJ-Stroud-after-Tank-Dell-injury.jpg"><figcaption>Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>As of now, the Ravens actually trail the Steelers in the AFC North standings. Both teams are 10-5, though, and the Ravens are riding a two-game winning streak. Lamar Jackson might not be the <a href="https://www.vegasinsider.com/nfl/odds/mvp/" rel="noopener">odds-on favorite</a> to win the MVP again this year, but he is certainly playing like the best player in football.</p><p>The signal-caller is well known as one of the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/greatest-rushing-quarterbacks-nfl-history-ranked">best rushing quarterbacks ever</a>, but he also ranks top five in passing yards (3,787) and passing touchdowns (37) this season. The Ravens backfield also includes Derrick Henry, who has had one of the best running back seasons in the league this year in what has been a resurgence of a season.</p><p>The Texans have all of the talent in the world, but their loss to the Chiefs in Week 16 seemingly affected them greatly. Not only did the team lose, but they <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/texans-news-tank-dell-out-for-season-official-injury-diagnosis">lost Tank Dell to a season-ending injury.</a> The receiver is a favorite amongst his teammates, and players such as quarterback <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/texans-news-cj-stroud-teammates-react-tank-dell-knee-injury">C.J. Stroud showed tons of emotion</a> when he went down.</p><p>The Texans can either respond by playing for their injured star, or they can falter and lose to yet another playoff team. The Texans are 0-1 on Christmas, losing their only game on the holiday to the Steelers back in 2017. The Ravens are 2-1 on Christmas Day.</p><h2><b>NFL on Christmas Day history</b></h2><p>The NFL first experimented with Christmas Day games back in 1971. At the time, the regular season schedule only consisted of 14 games, so the Dallas Cowboys-Minnesota Vikings and Miami Dolphins-Kansas City Chiefs matchups were a part of the Divisional Round in the NFL Playoffs. This proved unpopular, though, so the NFL didn’t play on Christmas again until 1989.</p><p>Since then, only regular season games have been played on Christmas Day, and there have been 30 total games on Dec. 25. Games have been played on the holiday in every season since 2020, and in the two seasons prior to this campaign, there were three Christmas Day games.</p><p>Prior to 2020, there were typically only Christmas games if the holiday lined up on a Saturday, Sunday, or Monday. Now, games are played regardless of the day of the week. The Green Bay Packers and Philadelphia Eagles are tied for the most Christmas wins with three. One of those Eagles victories came last season. The Ravens and Las Vegas Raiders also collected wins last Christmas.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Christmas Day NFL games: Schedule, how to watch, history

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/steelers-news-ben-roethlisberger-blasts-nfl-crazy-christmas-schedule');   ga('set', 'title', 'Steelers legend Ben Roethlisberger blasts NFL for crazy Christmas schedule');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Steelers-news-Ben-Roethlisberger-blasts-NFL-for-crazy-Christmas-schedule.jpg"></figure><h1>Steelers legend Ben Roethlisberger blasts NFL for crazy Christmas schedule</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-12-24T09:15:56-08:00">December 24th, 9:15am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-12-24T09:15:56-08:00">December 24th, 9:15am</time><address><a>Ryan Bologna</a>Ryan Bologna is an author at ClutchPoints. He studied journalism and communication at UConn.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NFL</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Pittsburgh Steelers are one of four teams scheduled to play three games in 11 days, concluding with their <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/chiefs-vs-steelers-prop-predictions-for-nfl-christmas-2024">Christmas Day matchup against the Kansas City Chiefs</a>, and former Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger <a href="https://x.com/steelersdepot/status/1871558902015480121?s=46&amp;t=AMDKOuwwa1CGEW7WbYXBBw" rel="noopener">did not hold back</a> on the NFL’s scheduling, ripping the league for not considering player safety in this case.</p><p>“It’s miserable. It’s a shame that the league does this,” Ben Roethlisberger said, according to Steelers Depot. “It just shows that it’s all about money and this is a way that they can, you know, make more money and figure this thing out because it’s not fair for the players. You wanna talk about injuries and making the game safer, changing the kickoff rule and preventing guys on hip-drop tackles, and concussions, and this that and the other, and you’re going to make guys play the most violent game in the world, arguably, three games in 11 days. I mean, there’s no time for your body to get healthy and rest.”</p><p>This stretch of games started with the Steelers’ 27-13 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles on Dec. 15, which was followed by a game on Dec. 21 <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/steelers-most-blame-week-16-loss-ravens">against the Baltimore Ravens, which Pittsburgh lost by the score of 34-17</a>. Coming off of that game on short rest, it will not get any easier for the Steelers, as they will host the AFC’s top team in the Chiefs. The Ravens, Chiefs, and Houston Texans have all been tasked with playing on the same amount of rest during this stretch, so it is a tough ask for all four of the teams, just before the playoffs.</p><h2><b>Steelers’ road to AFC North title is in front of them</b></h2><p>Despite the losses to the Eagles and Ravens, the Steelers still control their own destiny when it comes to the AFC North title. They currently hold the tiebreaker over the Ravens, who hold the same 10-5 record that Pittsburgh does. Baltimore will finish with games against the Texans and Cleveland Browns, while the Steelers have games against the Chiefs and Cincinnati Bengals.</p><p>The Steelers need to at least finish tied with the Ravens in record to win the AFC North. Given the Ravens’ schedule, the Steelers might need to win their final two games to secure the division title, so it might be a tall task given they are paying the Chiefs this week. Regardless, the Steelers still have the opportunity to close out the division on their own terms.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Steelers legend Ben Roethlisberger blasts NFL for crazy Christmas schedule

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/steelers-most-blame-week-16-loss-ravens');   ga('set', 'title', 'Steelers most to blame for Week 16 loss to Ravens');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Steelers-most-to-blame-for-Week-16-loss-to-Ravens.jpg"></figure><h1>Steelers most to blame for Week 16 loss to Ravens</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-12-23T20:02:36-08:00">December 23rd, 8:02pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-12-23T20:02:36-08:00">December 23rd, 8:02pm</time><address><a>Brian Buyawe</a>Brian Buyawe is an NBA, NFL, NCAA Football, and NCAA Basketball writer for ClutchPoints. His advanced knowledge of basketball, football, and Formula One started at an early age, allowing him to provide in-depth analysis.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Baltimore Ravens</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Entering Week 16, the Pittsburgh Steelers were no doubt eager to bounce back. Coming off a loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, Mike Tomlin’s squad was looking to vent their ire against none other than their rivals, the Baltimore Ravens. Additionally, a win would allow them to clinch the AFC North once and for all, finishing the in-division race between them and their foes in purple.</p><p>It wouldn’t happen, however. Behind <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/ravens-news-lamar-jackson-shares-immediate-reaction-to-ravens-breaking-steelers-spell">three touchdown passes from Lamar Jackson</a>, the Ravens took home a 34-17 win on Saturday. It wasn’t lopsided at first, as both teams exchanged touchdowns and field goals early on. With over five minutes remaining in the third quarter, the score was 17 all. A Mark Andrews touchdown late in the quarter broke the tie, and <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/ravens-news-marlon-humphrey-avenges-lamar-jackson-pick-6-steelers">a pick-six by Marlon Humphrey</a> early in the fourth gave Baltimore a comfortable cushion. The Steelers’ last two drives ended in punts, making it clear to M&amp;T Bank Stadium spectators that a comeback wouldn’t happen.</p><p>While Pittsburgh still holds the top spot in the division, both they and the Ravens now have the same record (10-5), and the next two weeks will determine who the AFC North crown belongs to. All that being said, what caused the Steelers to fumble this golden opportunity? To answer that, here are the main factors that led to the loss.</p><h2><b>Russell Wilson’s turnovers</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Russell-Wilson-rolls-out-for-a-pass.jpg"><figcaption>© Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/steelers-news-russell-wilson-striking-admission-ravens-debacle">Russell Wilson may have had two TD passes, but he committed two turnovers</a> as well, both of which were arguably costly for the Steelers. The first happened with over 11 minutes remaining in the second quarter. Both the Steelers and Ravens were tied at seven points apiece, and Pittsburgh had a second down at the Baltimore 23. Scrambling out of the pocket, Wilson found himself with an open lane and attempted to run it all the way. Just when he was inside the five-yard line, a Ravens defender managed to hit him and the ball was pried free. Baltimore linebacker Kyle Van Noy recovered the fumble, ending a possession that could’ve nearly given the Steelers the lead. In the ensuing drive, the Ravens scored a touchdown.</p><p>The second of Wilson’s turnovers happened later in the game, when Pittsburgh was trying to cut down a seven-point deficit. With over 13 minutes left in the fourth quarter, Wilson’s intended pass to MyCole Pruitt was picked off by Marlon Humphrey. And as mentioned earlier, the cornerback managed to return it for a touchdown, giving the Ravens a two-score lead.</p><p>Speaking of fumbles, the Ravens committed three of their own. The thing is, none of them were recovered by Pittsburgh. Every time Baltimore lost control of the ball — such as during Desmond King’s punt returns — the ball somehow found itself with a Ravens player. All in all, the Ravens had four fumble recoveries while the Steelers only had one.</p><h2><b>Struggles in coverage</b></h2><p>The Steelers were without several injured starters on Saturday, including safety DeShon Eliott and cornerback Donte Jackson. Their absence was felt as the Pittsburgh defense <a href="https://x.com/ClutchPoints/status/1870588871526039708" rel="noopener">seemed to lack cohesiveness in coverage</a>. This was already seen when Isaiah Likely scored the Ravens’ first touchdown without anyone on him. Fast forward to the third quarter and nearly the same thing happened during Mark Andrews’ TD. Before corralling a pass from Jackson, the tight end — who has the third-most receiving yards among all Ravens players this season — was somehow wide open in the middle of the endzone. By the time realization set in for the defense, it was already too late.</p><p>The road ahead isn’t any easier for Pittsburgh. They’ll be facing the league-leading Kansas City Chiefs on Christmas Day, while a clash with the offense-heavy Cincinnati Bengals awaits to close out the regular season.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Steelers most to blame for Week 16 loss to Ravens

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/chiefs-vs-steelers-prop-predictions-for-nfl-christmas-2024');   ga('set', 'title', 'Chiefs vs. Steelers Prop Predictions for NFL Christmas 2024');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Steelers-Prop-Predictions-for-NFL-Christmas-2024.jpg"></figure><h1>Chiefs vs. Steelers Prop Predictions for NFL Christmas 2024</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-12-23T14:22:03-08:00">December 23rd, 2:22pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-12-23T14:22:03-08:00">December 23rd, 2:22pm</time><address><a>Garrett Kerman</a>Garrett Kerman also goes by the name of The Fight Analyst. He covers all combat sports, from MMA, to boxing, to even bare-knuckle. He is also very well-versed in all American sports when it comes to news and betting analysis. Whether you want betting advice or some breaking news, Garrett is your guy.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Betting</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Kansas City Chiefs head to Pittsburgh to take on the Steelers as they look to capture the No. 1 seed, first-round bye, and home-field advantage in the playoffs on Christmas Day. It is time to continue our NFL odds <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/betting" rel="noopener">series</a> with Chiefs-Steelers prop predictions.</p><figure><img src="https://a.impactradius-go.com/display-ad/3065-2113640"></figure><figure><img src="https://paramountplus.qflm.net/i/492408/2113640/3065"></figure><p>The Week 17 matchup on Christmas Day between the <b>Kansas City Chiefs</b> and <b>Pittsburgh Steelers</b> promises to be a thrilling contest with significant playoff implications. The Chiefs, boasting a 14-1 record and led by quarterback Patrick Mahomes, are aiming to secure home-field advantage in the playoffs. Meanwhile, the Steelers (10-5) are fighting to maintain their lead in the AFC North amidst a tight race with the Baltimore Ravens. Pittsburgh’s defense will need to step up against Kansas City’s potent offense, while their own offense seeks to capitalize on opportunities against a formidable Chiefs defense. Expect a high-stakes showdown at Acrisure Stadium.</p><p><i><b>Here are the Chiefs-Steelers <a href="https://sportsbook.fanduel.com/navigation/nfl" rel="noopener">NFL Prop odds</a>, courtesy of FanDuel. </b></i></p><h2><b>NFL Odds: Chiefs-Steelers Prop Odds</b></h2><p><b>Pat Freiermuth Anytime TD Scorer (+250)</b></p><p><b>Patrick Mahomes Over 16.5 Rushing Yards (-113)</b></p><p><b>Russell Wilson Over 0.5 Interceptions (-114)</b></p><p><b>Xavier Worthy Anytime TD Scorer (+260)</b></p><h2><b>Why Pat Freiermuth Will Score A Touchdown</b></h2><p>Pat Freiermuth has a great opportunity to find pay dirt in this Christmas Day showdown against the NFL-leading Kansas City Chiefs. Freiermuth has been on a touchdown streak, finding the end zone in three out of his last four games, showcasing his growing chemistry with quarterback Russell Wilson. The Steelers face a Chiefs defense that has struggled against tight ends, allowing 6.27 receptions, 72.67 yards, and 0.33 touchdowns per game to opposing tight ends.</p><p>Additionally, with the absence of key receivers like George Pickens, Freiermuth has seen an uptick in opportunities, especially with red zone targets, making him a focal point when the Steelers are inside the 20. The Chiefs’ pass defense ranks 18th in the league, indicating vulnerabilities that Freiermuth can exploit. Given these dynamics, expect Freiermuth to capitalize on his opportunities and find the end zone this Christmas.</p><h2><b>Why Patrick Mahomes Will Have Over 16.5 Rushing Yards</b></h2><p>Patrick Mahomes is likely to surpass 16.5 rushing yards against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Christmas Day. Mahomes has averaged 18.7 rushing yards per game this season, demonstrating his ability to extend plays with his legs. Even after being diagnosed with a high-ankle sprain two weeks ago that had him sit out the remainder of the Chief’s victory over the Browns, Mahomes was able to extend plays with his legs against the pass rush of the Texans rushing for 33 yards on 5 attempts and 1 touchdown. Moreover, the Steelers’ defense has shown vulnerabilities against mobile quarterbacks, allowing 218 yards on the ground this season and 14.53 rushing yards per game to opposing quarterbacks.</p><p>With Mahomes often facing pressure, his instinct to scramble will be crucial. In recent matchups, he has utilized his mobility effectively, especially in critical situations to where he has averaged 19.7 rushing yards per game this season. Additionally, with the Chiefs likely to face a competitive game, Mahomes may need to rely on his rushing ability to keep drives alive.</p><h2>Why <b>Russell Wilson Will Have Over 0.5 Interceptions</b></h2><p>Russell Wilson is likely to throw more than 0.5 interceptions against the Kansas City Chiefs on Christmas Day. Despite a solid touchdown-to-interception ratio of 15 touchdowns to 4 interceptions in 2024, Wilson has faced challenges, particularly under pressure. He ranks among the league leaders in sacks taken, which often leads to rushed throws and mistakes.</p><p>The Chiefs’ defense excels at creating turnovers, currently ranking in the top of the league in interceptions with six in their last two games alone. Their aggressive pass rush can force Wilson into uncomfortable situations, increasing the likelihood of errant throws. With the stakes high and the Chiefs’ defense focused on capitalizing on mistakes, expect Wilson to struggle against their pressure, likely resulting in at least one interception this Christmas.</p><h2><b>Why Xavier Worthy Will Score A Touchdown</b></h2><p>Xavier Worthy is set to score a touchdown against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Christmas Day. As a rookie wide receiver for the Kansas City Chiefs, Worthy has already demonstrated his explosive playmaking ability averaging over 10 yards per catch in his last 6 games. He has been heating up over the last 6 games of the season with 31 catches for 313 yards and 2 touchdowns. His remarkable speed, showcased by a record 4.21-second 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine, makes him a deep threat that defenses struggle to contain.</p><p>The Steelers’ secondary has shown vulnerabilities, particularly against speedy receivers who can exploit mismatches. Worthy’s route-running skills allow him to create separation, making him a prime target for quarterback Patrick Mahomes. With the Chiefs likely to utilize their dynamic offensive scheme, Worthy’s ability to stretch the field will open up opportunities in the red zone. Given his current form and the matchup dynamics, expect Worthy to find the end zone this Christmas, solidifying his impact in the Chiefs’ offense.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Chiefs vs. Steelers Prop Predictions for NFL Christmas 2024

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/steelers-news-george-pickens-status-steelers-showdown');   ga('set', 'title', 'George Pickens’ murky status for Steelers’ Christmas showdown');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/George-Pickens-murky-status-for-Xmas-Day-showdown.jpg"></figure><h1>George Pickens’ murky status for Steelers’ Christmas showdown</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-12-23T13:19:28-08:00">December 23rd, 1:19pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-12-23T13:19:28-08:00">December 23rd, 1:19pm</time><address><a href="https://matthew516sports.substack.com/">Douglas Fritz</a>Douglas Fritz has been writing about sports for almost four decades and publishes a Christian sports newsletter and podcast on Substack at Matthew516Sports. He started as a reporter for the student newspaper at East Tennessee State University, worked his way up to Editor-In-Chief, and began his sports writing career at the Johnson City Press daily newspaper while still in college. During 30-plus years at the Press, he covered University of Tennessee football, men's and women's basketball, ETSU athletics, and high school athletics. Among the people he has interviewed are Dale Murphy, Bobby Cox, John Smoltz, and Bruce Smith. He is also a Christian-based screenwriter (five feature-length and one short), book writer (three completed manuscripts and one novel), and songwriter.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NFL</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Sorting through the <a href="http://fields-injury-update-christmas-day-game-chiefs">injury availability of backup QB Justin Fields</a>, along with <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/steelers-news-george-pickens-has-real-chance-play-week-17-vs-chiefs">standout wide receiver George Pickens</a>, the Pittsburgh Steelers are trying to focus on the Chiefs. However, Pickens <a href="https://x.com/bepryor/status/1871283086584943065" rel="noopener">delivered a murky status</a> for the Christmas Day showdown, according to a post on X by Brooke Pryor.</p><p>George Pickens asked if he’s going to play Wednesday. Pickens: “I hope so. It depends on how however I feel.”</p><p>Interesting? What does “how however” mean?</p><p>Well, if you listen to Adam Schefter, he seems a lot more excited <a href="https://x.com/PatMcAfeeShow/status/1871252553582952623?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1871252553582952623%7Ctwgr%5Efe46ab488e6d947b60b879d01d74f22da57947a8%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.steelernation.com%2F2024%2F12%2F23%2Fsteelers-exciting-george-pickens-chiefs" rel="noopener">about his chances of playing</a> than Pickens, according to a post on X by the Pat McAfee Show.</p><p>“It sounds like the Steelers will get some of those (players) back, most notably George Pickens,” Schefter said. “It sounds like they have a realistic sense that he has a chance to be back there. Which would certainly help the offense. Their season’s on the line here. The division is at stake. I think they had (the Chiefs) game in mind the entire time for Pickens to come back.”</p><h2><b>Steelers WR George Pickens battling hamstring injury</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Pittsburgh-Steelers-WR-George-Pickens.jpg"></figure><p>The Steelers have posted a record of 1-2 without Pickens after entering that stretch with a mark of 9-3. Included in the losses, the Steelers got pushed aside by division rival Baltimore, putting the teams in a first-place tie in the AFC North.</p><p>Pittsburgh entered that game with a plus-18 in turnover margin, but failed to keep pace against the Ravens. Head coach Mike Tomlin said the 34-17 loss landed more on the Steelers defense than <a href="https://www.espn.com/nfl/recap/_/gameId/401671778" rel="noopener">the absence of</a> Pickens, according to espn.com.</p><p>“We didn’t control the run game,” Tomlin said. “We never did. When you don’t, you’ve got to do some splash plays or win the turnover battle in a significant way, and we didn’t do that either. There were some balls on the ground that we didn’t get. Then obviously we turned the ball over going in. It took seven points off the board. And they had a pick-6. The rest is history, as they say.”</p><p>Tomlin said the Steelers could use Pickens against the Chiefs to help counter Kansas City’s <a href="https://atozsports.com/nfl/kansas-city-chiefs-news/mike-tomlin-preparing-for-diverse-chiefs-offensive-attack/" rel="noopener">strong and varied offense</a>, according to atozsports.com.</p><p>“They have a diverse attack,” Tomlin said. “It makes them a tough nut to crack in terms of the ability to utilize all those people and be inclusive in terms of how they distribute the ball. Certainly, they have some guys that are routinely involved in in their assault. [Xavier] Worthy, can’t say enough about him as a young guy. He consistently makes plays week in and week out and is a splash playmaker for him. You see some schematic things that they do to highlight his talents, his speed. He’s run some reverses. He’ll take the top off of coverage in terms of stretching things down the field.”</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

George Pickens’ murky status for Steelers’ Christmas showdown

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/chiefs-news-patrick-mahomes-confident-stance-christmas-clash-steelers');   ga('set', 'title', 'Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes’ confident stance ahead of Christmas clash with Steelers');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Chiefs-news-Patrick-Mahomes-confident-stance-ahead-of-Christmas-clash-with-Steelers.jpg"></figure><h1>Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes’ confident stance ahead of Christmas clash with Steelers</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-12-23T11:38:03-08:00">December 23rd, 11:38am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-12-23T13:22:43-08:00">December 23rd, 1:22pm</time><address><a>Alex House</a>Alex House is a sports journalist who covers the NFL, NBA, and MLB for ClutchPoints. He grew up in a New York sports-heavy region in Connecticut and earned his journalism degree at the University of Rhode Island. His in-depth knowledge of two of the most passionate and raucous fan bases in the country gives him a truly unique writing voice.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Kansas City Chiefs</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>When Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes suffered an ankle injury versus the Cleveland Browns in Week 15, fans speculated that he could miss the next one or two games. The three-time Super Bowl MVP has no intention of resting before his team clinches the No. 1 seed, however.</p><p>Mahomes did not carry an injury designation into Saturday’s matchup against the Houston Texans and looked spry on the field, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/chiefs-news-patrick-mahomes-sets-career-mark-despite-ankle-sprain">rushing for a 15-yard touchdown</a> in the 27-19 win. He <a href="https://x.com/bynatetaylor/status/1871255228458348849?s=46&amp;t=0VgLvCcpTsmLUyl6hpiIew" rel="noopener">expects his ankle to be even stronger</a> for Wednesday’s Christmas showdown with the Pittsburgh Steelers.</p><p>“I think I’ll be in a better place ankle-wise,” Mahomes said, per The Athletic’s Nate Taylor. “It should be in a better place.” With his team only one win or a Buffalo Bills loss away from earning home-field advantage in the playoffs, the face of the NFL is not communicating any physical weakness.</p><p>His high pain tolerance is well known by now, but he is still human. Mahomes must enter the postseason in fair standing if the Chiefs are going to truly pursue their <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nfl-news-tom-brady-did-not-stutter-super-bowl-pick">third consecutive championship</a>. He knows his body, though, and will likely limit the wear-and-tear he incurs during this short break between games.</p><h2><b>Will Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs reach another gear?</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Patrick-Mahomes-with-KC-Chiefs-1.jpg"><figcaption>Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>The 29-year-old QB is somewhat vulnerable because of an inconsistent offensive line and passing attack, but he is ramping up at the right time. Mahomes has thrown eight touchdowns and no interceptions in his last five games, displaying better judgement in the pocket than he did earlier in the season. He will still have to elevate his play if Kansas City is going to once again outlast the Bills, Baltimore Ravens and the rest of <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nfl/kansas-city-chiefs">the AFC field</a> this winter.</p><p>A functional ankle is a central part of that level-up process. TJ Watt and the Steelers will try their hardest to put Mahomes under great stress this week. Such a task is rarely completed to full effect, though. KC is scraping by without a peak No. 15. If he can stay on his feet, avoid turnovers and develop sufficient chemistry with an unpredictable pass-catching group, history could be made on Feb. 9 in the Caesars Superdome.</p><p>That is obviously a lot that has to break right, but Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs (14-1) have built an empire by surviving the adversity in front of them. They will attempt to trudge through another battle on Christmas Day, starting at 1 p.m. ET. in Acrisure Stadium.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes’ confident stance ahead of Christmas clash with Steelers

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/steelers-news-justin-fields-injury-update-christmas-day-game-chiefs');   ga('set', 'title', 'Steelers’ Justin Fields injury update ahead of Christmas Day game vs. Chiefs');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Steelers-news-Justin-Fields-injury-update-ahead-of-Christmas-Day-game-vs.-Chiefs.jpg"></figure><h1>Steelers’ Justin Fields injury update ahead of Christmas Day game vs. Chiefs</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-12-23T06:24:13-08:00">December 23rd, 6:24am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-12-23T06:24:13-08:00">December 23rd, 6:24am</time><address><a>Rexwell Villas</a>Rexwell Villas is an experienced sports writer covering a variety of sports, including the NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, and college football. He's a Communications Arts graduate from the University of Santo Tomas in the Philippines, and he claims to have JR Smith's conscience with his shot selection. He has won a basketball, a baseball, and a football championship in fantasy all within a year.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NFL</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Pittsburgh Steelers are looking to turn things around after suffering back-to-back losses.</p><p>But doing just that is going to be easier said than done, with the reigning <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/chiefs-vs-steelers-predictions-pick-odds-spread-for-nfl-christmas-2024">and two-time defending Super Bowl champions Kansas City Chiefs visiting the Steelers this coming Christmas</a> on Wednesday. It is also possible that Pittsburgh will welcome the Chiefs with quarterback Justin Fields inactive.</p><p>Fields is reportedly dealing with an upper-body issue, which has <a href="https://x.com/RapSheet/status/1870939342916702665" rel="noopener">caused him to miss practices</a> last week and be ruled out for last Saturday’s meeting with the Baltimore Ravens. It’s the same injury that puts his availability for the Chiefs game in question.</p><p>“For the #Steelers estimated injury report, QB Justin Fields (abdominal) was a DNP, while WR George Pickens (hamstring) was limited,” Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network posted on X (formerly Twitter) on Sunday.</p><h2><b>The Steelers QB room amid Justin Fields’ uncertain status for Week 17</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Justin-Fields-running-for-the-Steelers.jpg"><figcaption>Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>The Steelers, who lost to the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 15, 27-13, and to the Ravens, 24-17, in Week 15 and Week 16, respectively, are still expected to roll with veteran quarterback Russell Wilson as the team’s starter under center.</p><p>If Fields gets ultimately ruled out for a second game in a row, that could mean Kyle Allen’s elevation as Pittsburgh’s chief backup quarterback for the showdown versus Kansas City. An absence this Wednesday by Fields would mean his next chance to play will be in Week 18 against the Cincinnati Bengals at Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh.</p><p>It would be ideal for the Steelers to have a healthy Fields in Week 16, but in any case, the pressure on Wilson to deliver in such an important game is high. The Steelers are still atop the AFC North division despite an identical 10-5 record with the Ravens, as Pittsburgh owns the tiebreaker over Baltimore based on a better record in conference games. Over the last two Pittsburgh games, Wilson has passed for 345 yards and three touchdowns with an interception on a 65.45 percent completion rate.</p><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/steelers-news-mike-tomlin-warned-russell-wilson-justin-fields-switch">Fields was the Steelers’ QB1 in all of their first six games</a> in the 2024 NFL season before Wilson, who dealt with a calf issue, got the go signal to assume the starting role. Over that stretch, the Steelers went 4-2, with Fields passing for 1,106 yards and five touchdowns against an interception while also rushing for 231 yards and five scores on 55 carries.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Steelers’ Justin Fields injury update ahead of Christmas Day game vs. Chiefs

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/steelers-news-george-pickens-has-real-chance-play-week-17-vs-chiefs');   ga('set', 'title', 'Steelers’ George Pickens has ‘real chance’ to play in Week 17 vs. Chiefs');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Steelers-news-George-Pickens-has-real-chance-to-play-in-Week-17-vs.-Chiefs.jpg"></figure><h1>Steelers’ George Pickens has ‘real chance’ to play in Week 17 vs. Chiefs</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-12-22T12:48:36-08:00">December 22nd, 12:48pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-12-22T12:48:36-08:00">December 22nd, 12:48pm</time><address><a>Jackson Stone</a>Jackson Stone is a Mercer University senior from Atlanta on track to graduate with a BA in communications. A lifelong sports lover, Jackson is a die-hard fan of all Atlanta teams. He joined ClutchPoints in 2023.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NFL</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>On Saturday, the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/steelers-news-mike-tomlin-pittsburgh-never-did-ravens">Pittsburgh Steelers took a tough divisional loss</a> to the Baltimore Ravens, putting their chances of winning the AFC North on hold for the time being. It <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/steelers-news-russell-wilson-striking-admission-ravens-debacle">wasn’t a great game for Russell Wilson</a>, whose second half pick six essentially ended any chances of a Steelers comeback, and a large part of the reason why was that he was operating without the services of his best wide receiver George Pickens, who missed the contest due to injury.</p><p>On Sunday, head coach Mike Tomlin <a href="https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/43110841/steelers-george-pickens-real-chance-return-vs-chiefs" rel="noopener">gave an update</a> on several key players who missed the contest vs the Ravens, per Brooke Pryor of ESPN.</p><p>“Some guys that didn’t play yesterday who have a real chance this week: Justin Fields, DeShon Elliott, Donte Jackson, George Pickens and Larry Ogunjobi all have an opportunity to play this week,” Tomlin said. “But again, we’ll see what the week leads us from their inclusion.”</p><p>Tomlin also spoke on what the team is missing when Pickens is out of the lineup.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Steelers’ George Pickens has ‘real chance’ to play in Week 17 vs. Chiefs

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/chiefs-vs-steelers-predictions-pick-odds-spread-for-nfl-christmas-2024');   ga('set', 'title', 'Chiefs vs. Steelers predictions, pick, odds, spread for NFL Christmas 2024');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Chiefs-vs.-Steelers-predictions-pick-odds-spread-for-NFL-Christmas-2024.jpg"></figure><h1>Chiefs vs. Steelers predictions, pick, odds, spread for NFL Christmas 2024</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-12-22T08:41:41-08:00">December 22nd, 8:41am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-12-22T09:56:04-08:00">December 22nd, 9:56am</time><address><a>RB Hayek</a>RB Hayek has been writing about sports for over a decade and is currently a member of ClutchPoints' Betting team. In addition, he is also a published author of thriller novels, available on Amazon. Rob went 29-31 against tge spread in November and 43-17 overall.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Betting</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Kansas City Chiefs will face the Pittsburgh Steelers on Christmas Day. It’s a holiday battle at Acrisure Stadium as we share our NFL Christmas odds <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/betting" rel="noopener">series</a> and make a Chiefs-Steelers prediction and pick.</p><figure><img src="https://a.impactradius-go.com/display-ad/3065-2113640"></figure><figure><img src="https://paramountplus.qflm.net/i/492408/2113640/3065"></figure><h2><b>Chiefs-Steelers Last Game – Matchup History</b></h2><p>The Chiefs demolished the Steelers 42-21 in their last game, a 2022 wildcard round win at Arrowhead Stadium. Additionally, the Chiefs destroyed the Steelers in the regular season before that postseason game. Mike Tomlin is 0-3 against Patrick Mahomes. Significantly, this will be the first meeting in Pittsburgh since 2018.</p><p>Overall Series: The Steelers lead 23-14</p><p><i><b>Here are the Chiefs-Steelers <a href="https://sportsbook.fanduel.com/navigation/nfl" rel="noopener">NFL Christmas odds</a>, courtesy of FanDuel. </b></i></p><h2><b>NFL Christmas Odds: Chiefs-Steelers Odds</b></h2><p>Kansas City Chiefs: -2.5 (-110)</p><p>Moneyline: -134</p><p>Pittsburgh Steelers: +2.5 (-110)</p><p>Moneyline: +114</p><p>Over: 43.5 (-110)</p><p>Under: 43.5 (-110)</p><h2><b>How to Watch Chiefs vs. Steelers </b></h2><p>Time: 1 PM ET/10 AM PT</p><p>TV: Netflix</p><p><i><b>*Watch NFL games LIVE with fuboTV <a href="https://www.fubo.tv/lp/football/?irad=356362&amp;irmp=492408" rel="noopener sponsored">(Get Access | Save $30)</a>*</b></i></p><h2><b>Why The Chiefs Could Cover The Spread/Win</b></h2><p>The Chiefs defeated the Houston Texans on Saturday to put themselves in the driver’s seat when it comes to clinching the top seed. However, the win did not come without consequences, as the star defensive lineman <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/chiefs-news-concerning-chris-jones-development-could-playoff-implications">Chris Jones sustained a calf injury</a>, which may keep him out for this game and beyond. The defense has been one of the major reasons why the Chiefs are 13-1 this season. Therefore, losing Jones for any time will hinder them, especially against a tough opponent like the Steelers.</p><p>Patrick Mahomes seemed fine despite a report that said he would be week-to-week with an ankle injury. He went 28 for 41 with 260 yards passing with one touchdown while also rushing for 33 yards and a score. While it has not been the best season for Mahomes, he remains stellar when it matters, ensuring that the Chiefs get enough points to win games.</p><p>And the Chiefs have definitely won a lot of games. Significantly, they have 11 one-score victories this season. As impressive as it sounds, the Chiefs have ground and found ways to close games, escaping game-endangering situations. The Chiefs have won games even without their best offensive players doing well. Ultimately, they won despite just 82 rushing yards combined from Isiah Pacheco and Kareem Hunt on Saturday.</p><p>The defense remains elite, even without Jones. However, they will have a Pittsburgh offense that is inconsistent yet dangerous. The Chiefs must contain an elusive quarterback who can still make plays.</p><p>The Chiefs will cover the spread if Mahomes continues to command the offense and makes big plays. Then, they must contain the Pittsburgh rushing attack.</p><h2><b>Why The Steelers Could Cover The Spread/Win</b></h2><p>The Steelers have thrived all season. However, they suffered their second consecutive loss on Saturday, losing to the Baltimore Ravens. Overall, it was another bad game, and <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/steelers-news-mike-tomlin-pittsburgh-never-did-ravens">Mike Tomlin blamed the run game</a> for the defeat. They allowed Derrick Henry to go off for 162 yards on 24 attempts. Yet, they could not match it on offense, with Jaylen Warren rushing 12 times for 48 yards and Najee Harris rushing nine times for 42 yards.</p><p>Getting the run game going will be the first step for the Steelers. Unfortunately, not many teams have been able to run the ball against the Chiefs this season. But not having to face Jones this week might help them. Additionally, the Steelers need Russell Wilson to have a good game. While he did not play badly last week, he must be extra careful when holding onto the football.</p><p>Of course, the defense has been the heart of this team, which is why the Steelers are in first place in the AFC North. Their subpar performance against the Ravens raised questions of how well they can hold up going into the postseason. Regardless, they will be at home after two consecutive road games and looking to bounce back.</p><p>The Steelers will cover the spread if they can establish the running game and chew clock to keep Mahomes off the field. Then, they must contain Hunt and Pacheco, while also forcing Mahomes into making some bad decisions.</p><h2><b>Final Chiefs-Steelers Prediction &amp; Pick</b></h2><p>The Chiefs are 7-8 against the spread, while the Steelers are 10-5 against the odds. Moreover, the Chiefs are 4-3 against the spread on the road, while the Steelers are 5-1 against the odds at home. The Chiefs are 4-6 against the spread when facing the conference, while the Steelers are 7-3 against the odds when facing the AFC.</p><p>The Chiefs have had a lot of luck this week. However, that luck will end on Christmas Day as they face a Steelers squad that is back home and looking to put themselves in a position to clinch the AFC North.</p><p><b>Final Chiefs-Steelers Prediction &amp; Pick: Pittsburgh Steelers: +2.5 (-110)</b></p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Chiefs vs. Steelers predictions, pick, odds, spread for NFL Christmas 2024

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nfl-rumors-steelers-linked-to-diontae-johnson-reunion-after-rocky-ravens-exit');   ga('set', 'title', 'NFL rumors: Steelers linked to Diontae Johnson reunion after rocky Ravens exit');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/NFL-rumors-Steelers-linked-to-Diontae-Johnson-reunion-after-rocky-Ravens-exit.jpg"></figure><h1>NFL rumors: Steelers linked to Diontae Johnson reunion after rocky Ravens exit</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-12-22T08:40:50-08:00">December 22nd, 8:40am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-12-22T11:54:18-08:00">December 22nd, 11:54am</time><address><a>Jason Patt</a>Jason Patt started as an editor at ClutchPoints in 2018 and became the head of the editorial team in 2022. He also co-hosts Cash Considerations: A Chicago Bulls Podcast for the Blue Wire Network.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Baltimore Ravens</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/ravens-waives-diontae-johnson-after-rocky-stint">Baltimore Ravens waived wide receiver Diontae Johnson</a> on Friday, bringing an end to a short and unsuccessful stint with the franchise after <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/ravens-news-baltimore-diontae-johnson-trade-with-panthers">they acquired him from the Carolina Panthers</a> earlier this season. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported the expectation is Johnson will be claimed and <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nfl-rumors-chiefs-chargers-possible-diontae-johnson-destinations">named the Kansas City Chiefs and Los Angeles Chargers</a> as possible destinations, but NFL insider Ian Rapoport noted Sunday the <a href="https://x.com/RapSheet/status/1870859899271364688" rel="noopener">possibility of a reunion</a> with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Rapoport echoed Schefter on the Chiefs and Chargers front.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">The Insiders on <a href="https://twitter.com/NFLGameDay?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@NFLGameDay</a> with <a href="https://twitter.com/MikeGarafolo?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@MikeGarafolo</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/TomPelissero?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@TomPelissero</a>: <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Seahawks?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Seahawks</a> QB Geno Smith and RB Ken Walker II are both good to go today; <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Ravens?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Ravens</a> WR Diontae Johnson will find out Monday at 4 pm if he’s claimed; <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Lions?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Lions</a> OC Ben Johnson is intrigued by the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Bears?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Bears</a> HC vacancy. <a href="https://t.co/862mfQvFNO">pic.twitter.com/862mfQvFNO</a></p><p>— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapSheet/status/1870859899271364688?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 22, 2024</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>Rapoport also pointed out the interesting timing of the Ravens’ decision to part ways with Johnson. If Baltimore had done it a day earlier, Pittsburgh could’ve swooped in and claimed him in order to play him in the rivalry matchup on Saturday. The Ravens wound up beating the Steelers 34-17 in that game, with Lamar Jackson getting his revenge.</p><h2><b>Diontae Johnson’s NFL career</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Baltimore-Ravens-WR-Diontae-Johnson.jpg"><figcaption>Barry Reeger-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Diontae Johnson played the first five seasons of his career with the Steelers, even earning a Pro Bowl nod in 2021. The wideout caught 107 passes for 1,161 yards and eight touchdowns that season.</p><p>However, Johnson’s production dipped in the years after that, and Pittsburgh traded him along with a 2024 seventh-round pick to Carolina in March 2024 for Donte Jackson and a 2024 sixth-round pick. The wideout caught 30 passes for 357 yards and three scores in seven games for the Panthers before he was then shipped to the Ravens along with a 2025 sixth-round pick for a 2025 fifth-round pick.</p><p>Baltimore had high hopes for Johnson, but it didn’t work out. The veteran wide receiver refused to enter a game against the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 13 and <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/ravens-news-baltimore-suspends-diontae-johnson-refusing-enter-game-eagles">then got suspended</a> for their Week 15 game against the New York Giants after the bye week. He and the team then <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/ravens-news-john-harbaugh-gives-diontae-johnson-devondre-campbell-treatment-after-suspension">mutually agreed for him to stay away</a> from team facilities before he was ultimately released.</p><p>Johnson caught one pass for six yards in four games with Baltimore. Could he now return to where it all began for him in hopes of bouncing back?</p><p>The Steelers have George Pickens, Calvin Austin III, Van Jefferson and Mike Williams as the top wide receivers, with Ben Skowronek and Scotty Miller <a href="https://www.steelers.com/team/depth-chart/" rel="noopener">further down the depth chart</a>. Pickens has had a nice season with 850 receiving yards and three touchdowns, but he has missed the last three games with a hamstring injury. Austin has broken out a bit in Year 2 with 517 yards and four scores. Tight end Pat Freiermuth is also heavily involved in the passing game with a team-high six touchdowns. Jefferson has been rather quiet, though, and Williams hasn’t done much since he came over in a trade with the New York Jets.</p><p>Johnson has the familiarity with Mike Tomlin and Steelers success on his resume, but one has to wonder if they’ll be turned off with how things have played out this year. Stay tuned to see where Diontae Johnson lands.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

NFL rumors: Steelers linked to Diontae Johnson reunion after rocky Ravens exit

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/steelers-news-mike-tomlin-pittsburgh-never-did-ravens');   ga('set', 'title', 'Mike Tomlin reveals what Steelers ‘never did’ vs. Ravens');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Steelers-news-Mike-Tomlin-reveals-what-Pittsburgh-never-did-vs.jpg"></figure><h1>Mike Tomlin reveals what Steelers ‘never did’ vs. Ravens</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-12-22T07:40:54-08:00">December 22nd, 7:40am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-12-22T07:40:54-08:00">December 22nd, 7:40am</time><address><a>Troy Finnegan</a>Troy Finnegan is an Associate Editor at ClutchPoints. He graduated from the University of Colorado Boulder in 2023 with a degree in journalism and minors in communications and sports media, as well as a critical sports studies certificate. He has had a passion for sports his entire life, and enjoys covering and writing about all sports.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NFL</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/steelers-news-patrick-queen-on-defensive-performance-vs-ravens">Pittsburgh Steelers dropped a massive AFC North clash</a> against the Baltimore Ravens on Saturday 34-17, giving the Ravens the inside track to winning the division and earning a home game on Wild Card weekend. The Ravens handled the Steelers for the entire second half as Derrick Henry ran wild and Lamar Jackson made play after play to lift the Ravens over the top.</p><p>The Steelers have now lost two games in a row after dropping <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/steelers-news-targeted-by-rex-ryan-fiery-rant-loss-eagles">another blowout against the Philadelphia Eagles</a> last weekend, and their AFC North lead that was once two games has now evaporated to zero.</p><p>After the game, Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin didn’t hide his feelings when <a href="https://x.com/bepryor/status/1870630844525904090" rel="noopener">discussing what went wrong</a> on Saturday, according to Brooke Pryor of ESPN.</p><p>“We didn’t do what we needed to do in order to secure victory,” Tomlin said, per Pryor. “We didn’t control the run game. We never did.”</p><p>Tomlin’s assessment went hand-in-hand with that of star edge rusher Alex Highsmith, who <a href="https://x.com/bepryor/status/1870661603697271113" rel="noopener">was extremely disappointed</a> with the performance of his unit on the defensive side of the ball.</p><p>“We didn’t do a good job controlling the line of scrimmage today,” Highsmith said, per Pryor. “Embarrassing to say the least. How they ran, the way they ran the ball against us.”</p><p>The Ravens ran for 220 yards on Saturday with <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/ravens-news-derrick-henry-makes-ravens-history-unreal-feat-vs-steelers">162 of those coming from Henry</a> on just 24 carries and the Ravens scored the final 17 points of the game after Pittsburgh tied things up at 17 late in the third quarter. In the first meeting between the two teams, the Ravens could only muster 124 rushing yards.</p><h2><b>Steelers pushing for AFC North title with two games remaining</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Tomlin-Steelers.jpg"><figcaption>Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>The Steelers have seen their division lead slip away as the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/ravens-news-john-harbaughs-two-word-reaction-securing-12th-playoff-berth-17-seasons">Ravens have caught them</a> over the last two weeks, leaving both teams at 10-5 heading into the final two weeks of the season.</p><p>Mike Tomlin and company still control their own destiny in the AFC North, as a pair of victories in Week 17 and 18 will give them the division title based off of a tiebreaker. However, their path to get there isn’t admirable.</p><p>While the Ravens will have to deal with the Houston Texans and the Cleveland Browns to finish off the regular season, the Steelers have to take on the Kansas City Chiefs and the Cincinnati Bengals. Pittsburgh’s path is much more difficult, and it likely has no room for error as the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/ravens-news-lamar-jackson-shares-immediate-reaction-to-ravens-breaking-steelers-spell">Ravens will be heavy favorites</a> in both of their remaining games.</p><p>The difference between a division title and a wild card spot is a massive one. Not only does the winner get to play at home for at least one playoff game, but the path to the AFC title game and the Super Bowl is much clearer. If you win the AFC North snd come into the playoffs as the No. 3 seed, you are likely looking at a date with the Denver Broncos or the Los Angeles Chargers, while the No. 5 or 6 seed likely results in a road game against the Kansas City Chiefs in the Divisional Round if you can make it though game one.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Mike Tomlin reveals what Steelers ‘never did’ vs. Ravens

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/ravens-news-lamar-jackson-shares-immediate-reaction-to-ravens-breaking-steelers-spell');   ga('set', 'title', 'Lamar Jackson shares immediate reaction to Ravens breaking Steelers spell');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Ravens-news-Lamar-Jackson-shares-immediate-reaction-to-breaking-Steelers-spell.jpg"></figure><h1>Lamar Jackson shares immediate reaction to Ravens breaking Steelers spell</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-12-21T23:24:48-08:00">December 21st, 11:24pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-12-21T23:24:48-08:00">December 21st, 11:24pm</time><address><a>Brayden Haena</a>Brayden Haena is an Associate Editor at ClutchPoints. A die-hard San Francisco Giants fan and a football fanatic, Brayden further channels his baseball enthusiasm through his podcast, where he delves into the latest in sports with engaging commentary. He also serves as the Defensive Coordinator for Heritage High School. His commitment to sports journalism is evident in his diverse experiences with ContraCosta.news and his dedication to delivering compelling and insightful content.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Baltimore Ravens</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/ravens-news-john-harbaughs-two-word-reaction-securing-12th-playoff-berth-17-seasons">Baltimore Ravens took a major step forward in their quest for the AFC North crown</a> on Saturday night, winning 34-17 over the Pittsburgh Steelers. The win clinched a playoff spot for the Ravens and snapped a troubling streak, as Baltimore had lost eight of its last nine matchups against Pittsburgh before this game.</p><p>The Ravens’ star quarterback, Lamar Jackson, was instrumental in the victory. Despite his impressive performance—15-of-23 passing for <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/ravens-news-marlon-humphrey-avenges-lamar-jackson-pick-6-steelers">207 yards, three touchdowns, and one interception</a>—Jackson remained humble and reflective after the game. Speaking about the win’s significance, Jackson said, “Any win feels good, especially against a rival like this,” via a tweet from NFLonFOX on X.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">"Any win feels good, especially against a rival like this." 🔥<a href="https://twitter.com/Lj_era8?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Lj_era8</a> speaks to <a href="https://twitter.com/ErinAndrews?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ErinAndrews</a> following the <a href="https://twitter.com/Ravens?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Ravens</a> huge victory over the Steelers. <a href="https://t.co/CnXxkrKOox">pic.twitter.com/CnXxkrKOox</a></p><p>— FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) <a href="https://twitter.com/NFLonFOX/status/1870629815768039727?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 22, 2024</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>Jackson’s leadership shone brightly, as he broke his own franchise record for single-season touchdown passes with his 37th of the year. The record-breaking throw came in the third quarter, a 7-yard touchdown pass to tight end Mark Andrews. Head coach John Harbaugh praised Jackson’s resilience under constant pressure from the Steelers’ defense, which blitzed on 68% of his dropbacks. “I thought Lamar was fantastic,” Harbaugh said. “He stood in there and made some throws. He always does.”</p><h2><b>Lamar Jackson, Derrick Henry lead Ravens to another postseason berth</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Lamar-Jackson_f8d05f.jpg"><figcaption>Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/ravens-news-derrick-henry-makes-ravens-history-unreal-feat-vs-steelers">Derrick Henry also played a pivotal role in the Ravens’ victory,</a> rushing for 162 yards on 24 carries. Henry’s performance marked his fourth season surpassing 1,500 rushing yards, putting him in elite company alongside Barry Sanders, Walter Payton, Eric Dickerson, and Edgerrin James. While Henry didn’t find the end zone, his bruising runs wore down <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6011686/2024/12/21/steelers-ravens-score-result-takeaways/" rel="noopener">Pittsburgh’s injury-depleted defense</a>, allowing the Ravens to dominate time of possession.</p><p>The Ravens’ defense stepped up in critical moments, forcing two game-changing turnovers. Marlon Humphrey’s fourth-quarter pick-six effectively sealed the game, putting Baltimore ahead 31-17 and <a href="https://www.baltimoreravens.com/news/lamar-jackson-ravens-record-passing-touchdowns-steelers-mark-andrews" rel="noopener">extinguishing any hopes of a Steelers comeback</a>. Ar’Darius Washington’s forced fumble earlier in the game was another key play, halting a potential Pittsburgh scoring drive inside the Ravens’ 5-yard line.</p><p>Despite the strong showing, Jackson was not fully satisfied with his own performance, particularly a fourth-quarter interception in the red zone. “That interception really got me mad,” Jackson admitted. “That one turnover could have been the difference, but shoutout to ‘Marlo’ and the defense because those guys [played] lights out all game.”</p><p>With the win, the Ravens tied the Steelers at 10-5 atop the AFC North but still trail due to a tiebreaker. Baltimore will face the Texans and Browns to close the regular season, while Pittsburgh takes on the Chiefs and Bengals.</p><p>For Jackson and the Ravens, Saturday’s victory was more than just a step toward the playoffs—it was a statement. As Andrews aptly put it, “He’s Houdini. He’s Lamar. He’s special, and he did it again today.”</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Lamar Jackson shares immediate reaction to Ravens breaking Steelers spell

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/steelers-news-russell-wilson-striking-admission-ravens-debacle');   ga('set', 'title', 'Russell Wilson drops striking admission following Ravens debacle');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Steelers-news-Russell-Wilson-drops-striking-admission-following-Ravens-debacle.jpg"></figure><h1>Russell Wilson drops striking admission following Ravens debacle</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-12-21T21:11:17-08:00">December 21st, 9:11pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-12-21T21:30:16-08:00">December 21st, 9:30pm</time><address><a>Mike Gianakos</a>Mike Gianakos is the former editor-in-chief of High Times magazine, where he also spearheaded the video department and event production. He is a longtime podcaster and even longer suffering NY Jets fan.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Baltimore Ravens</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Pittsburgh Steelers missed an opportunity to clinch the AFC North, losing to their division rivals the Baltimore Ravens in Week 16. The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/steelers-news-patrick-queen-on-defensive-performance-vs-ravens">Steelers defense disappointed</a> in the 34-17 defeat, allowing more than 27 points for just the second time this season. Despite Pittsburgh’s defensive shortcomings Saturday, quarterback Russell Wilson <a href="https://x.com/MikeDeFabo/status/1870645811442569242" rel="noopener">blames himself</a> for the loss.</p><p>Wilson committed two costly turnovers against Baltimore. “I put that game on me, just in the sense that there were two great opportunities there,” he told reporters, per The Athletic’s Mike DeFabo on X.</p><p>After tying the game with a touchdown at the start of the second quarter, the Steelers had a chance to take the lead in their following possession. After driving to the Ravens’ 23-yard line, Wilson scrambled all the way down to the four before fumbling. Baltimore recovered and Pittsburgh could only put three more points on the scoreboard in the first half.</p><p>While the veteran passer’s fumble hurt the team, his second turnover was a back breaker. At the start of the fourth quarter Steelers’ head coach Mike Tomlin opted to go for it on fourth and six from the Ravens 45-yard-line. Pittsburgh turned the ball over on downs, giving Baltimore a short field. Derrick Henry, who <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/ravens-news-derrick-henry-makes-ravens-history-unreal-feat-vs-steelers">rushed for a franchise-record</a> 160 yards against the Steelers, got down to the 11-yard-line before Minkah Fitzpatrick bailed his coach out with a red zone interception.</p><p>However, after getting the ball back in a one-score game, Wilson was immediately picked off by Marlon Humphrey. The Ravens’ cornerback went 37 yards <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/ravens-news-marlon-humphrey-avenges-lamar-jackson-pick-6-steelers">for a game-sealing pick-six</a>.</p><h2><b>Russell Wilson couldn’t lead the Steelers past the Ravens in Week 16</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Russell-Wilson_d94e2e.jpg"><figcaption>Mitch Stringer-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Although Russ has enjoyed a solid debut season with the Steelers, the team is now 6-3 in his nine starts and 10-5 overall. Last week, Pittsburgh kept its <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/steelers-news-russell-wilson-chance-end-59-year-drought-week-15">59-year losing streak in Philadelphia</a> alive as the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/steelers-news-targeted-by-rex-ryan-fiery-rant-loss-eagles">Eagles dominated</a> in a 27-13 win. On Saturday, the team lost its second straight game, getting bullied by Baltimore.</p><p>The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/afc-playoff-picture-after-steelers-texans-clinch-their-spots-in-week-15">Steelers already clinched a playoff berth</a> and the Ravens qualified for the postseason with Saturday’s win. But Pittsburgh had a chance to lock up the division and a top four seed in the AFC with a Week 16 win. Now, they’ll have to hope to play better than Baltimore down the stretch with matchups against the Kansas City Chiefs and the Cincinnati Bengals to close out the season.</p><p>The return of top target George Pickens should help Wilson and the Steelers’ offense. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/steelers-news-rule-out-george-pickens-justin-fields-for-ravens-matchup">Pickens was ruled out</a> against the Ravens with a hamstring injury and the third-year wideout has now missed the last three games.</p><p>Pittsburgh will look to rebound on Christmas Day against the Chiefs. Kansas City improved to an NFL-best 14-1 with Saturday’s win over the Houston Texans.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Russell Wilson drops striking admission following Ravens debacle

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/steelers-news-patrick-queen-on-defensive-performance-vs-ravens');   ga('set', 'title', 'Steelers’ Patrick Queen doesn’t hold back about defensive performance vs. Ravens');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Steelers-news-Patrick-Queen-did-not-hold-back-about-Pittsburghs-defense-after-loss-to-Ravens.jpg"></figure><h1>Steelers’ Patrick Queen doesn’t hold back about defensive performance vs. Ravens</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-12-21T18:40:10-08:00">December 21st, 6:40pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-12-21T18:42:58-08:00">December 21st, 6:42pm</time><address><a>Lorenzo J Reyna</a>Lorenzo J Reyna has joined ClutchPoints as Associate Editor of NFL &amp; NCAA Football. He's equipped with past experience for both realms through his recent stops at Pro Football Network and Heavy while also writing for 247Sports. His Twitter/X handle is @LJ_Reyna and his Instagram is @lj_zo_rey.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Pittsburgh Steelers</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Pittsburgh Steelers entered M&amp;T Bank Stadium with the chance to celebrate the AFC North title. In front of their hated rival the Baltimore Ravens, too. Instead, the Steelers’ defensive performance left Patrick Queen in a vulgar mood.</p><p>Queen, facing his former team, endured an embarrassing 34-17 defeat Saturday night. The loss allowed Baltimore to stay in the race for the division title. The veteran linebacker didn’t hold back <a href="https://x.com/BrianBatko/status/1870645435389616522" rel="noopener">on his true feelings after the game</a>, captured via Brian Batko of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.</p><p>“Guys gotta take a long look in the mirror and get better,” Queen began inside the locker room.</p><p>Queen didn’t end his rant. He dropped an F-bomb to make his point more clearer.</p><p>“If you’re supposed to be in a certain position, you gotta be in that f—— position. It’s that simple,” Queen said.</p><p>Queen didn’t stop showing his blunt side, which including more NSFW rhetoric to illustrate how emotional it got with him.</p><p>“If we ain’t doing our job at a high level, this s— is gonna get ugly real quick with the teams that’s coming up,” Queen added.</p><h2><b>How Ravens gashed Steelers and Patrick Queen</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Derrick-Henry-and-Patrick-Queen.jpg"><figcaption>Mitch Stringer-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Queen stood out with eight tackles and four solo stops on the evening. Both marks led the Steelers.</p><p>However, Saturday established itself as a rather forgettable evening for a team positioned to clinch the outright AFC North title.</p><p>Derrick Henry pummeled the Steelers defense with 162 rushing yards. The 30-year-old even outran up to six Steelers defenders on an early fourth quarter rumble that stretched 44 yards.</p><p>Fortunately for the visitors, Minkah Fitzpatrick intercepted a Lamar Jackson pass inside the the 10-yard line to stall the drive. However, Marlon Humphrey iced the game with his own interception — taking the pick back to the end zone and taunting the Steelers in the process.</p><p>But tracing back to Queen and the Steelers defense, Pittsburgh surrendered an astonishing 220 rushing yards on the night. Baltimore emerges as the first team to scale past the 200-yard mark against this Steelers run defensive unit.</p><p>Queen showed a foul mood after the game. Baltimore stayed in the division title race by dismantling Pittsburgh. Queen and the Steelers now must redeem themselves fast. The 14-1 Kansas City Chiefs are arriving to the Steel City next week. One more loss, then a Ravens victory over the Houston Texans, officially loses the division title chances for Queen and the Steelers.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Steelers’ Patrick Queen doesn’t hold back about defensive performance vs. Ravens

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/ravens-news-derrick-henry-makes-ravens-history-unreal-feat-vs-steelers');   ga('set', 'title', 'Derrick Henry makes Ravens history with unreal feat vs. Steelers');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Ravens-news-Derrick-Henry-makes-Baltimore-history-with-unreal-feat-vs.-Steelers.jpg"></figure><h1>Derrick Henry makes Ravens history with unreal feat vs. Steelers</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-12-21T18:24:19-08:00">December 21st, 6:24pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-12-21T18:24:19-08:00">December 21st, 6:24pm</time><address><a>Brayden Haena</a>Brayden Haena is an Associate Editor at ClutchPoints. A die-hard San Francisco Giants fan and a football fanatic, Brayden further channels his baseball enthusiasm through his podcast, where he delves into the latest in sports with engaging commentary. He also serves as the Defensive Coordinator for Heritage High School. His commitment to sports journalism is evident in his diverse experiences with ContraCosta.news and his dedication to delivering compelling and insightful content.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Baltimore Ravens</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>On Saturday, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/derrick-henry-lamar-jackson-join-madden-25-99-club-after-new-ratings-update">Derrick Henry etched his name into Baltimore Ravens history</a> with an electrifying performance in a crucial AFC North showdown against the Pittsburgh Steelers. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/ravens-news-marlon-humphrey-avenges-lamar-jackson-pick-6-steelers">The Ravens prevailed 34-17, securing their spot in the postseason</a> and tying them with Pittsburgh at the top of the division standings.</p><p>Henry was the heart of the Ravens’ offense, rushing for <a href="https://x.com/bepryor/status/1870624034271952980" rel="noopener">162 yards on 24 carries</a>—an impressive<a href="https://www.nbcsports.com/nfl/profootballtalk/rumor-mill/news/lamar-jackson-derrick-henry-power-ravens-over-the-steelers-into-the-playoffs" rel="noopener"> average of 6.8 yards per attempt.</a> His performance marked the most rushing yards by a Ravens player against the Steelers, surpassing the previous record of 150 yards set by Latavius Murray in 2021 and Justin Forsett in 2015. As Brooke Pryor noted on X, formerly Twitter, “Derrick Henry’s 160 rushing yards are the most by a Ravens player vs. the Steelers.”</p><p>The Steelers entered the game boasting the NFL’s fourth-ranked run defense, but they were no match for Henry. From the outset, the four-time Pro Bowler gashed Pittsburgh’s defense with chunk plays, showcasing his trademark power and explosiveness. By halftime, Henry had already eclipsed his disappointing Week 11 total of 65 rushing yards against the Steelers, amassing 75 yards in just two quarters.</p><h2><b>Derrick Henry was running all over the Steelers defense on Saturday</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Derrick-Henry-1.jpg"><figcaption>Mitch Stringer-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Baltimore’s offense was firing on all cylinders, accumulating 418 total yards to Pittsburgh’s 315. Lamar Jackson played a pivotal role, completing 15 of 23 passes for 207 yards and three touchdowns, earning a passer rating of 115.4. Jackson’s touchdown strikes included connections with Isaiah Likely, Rashod Bateman, and Mark Andrews, covering 9, 14, and 7 yards, respectively. Zay Flowers also contributed significantly, hauling in five receptions for 100 yards.</p><p>While Henry didn’t find the end zone, his relentless ground attack kept the Steelers’ defense on its heels and allowed the Ravens to control the tempo. Henry also added 27 receiving yards, further showcasing his versatility.</p><p>Defensively, the Ravens capitalized on Pittsburgh’s mistakes. Marlon Humphrey delivered the dagger with a 37-yard pick-six in the fourth quarter, extending Baltimore’s lead to 31-17. Ar’Darius Washington and Kyle Van Noy combined to force a critical red-zone fumble earlier in the game, preventing the Steelers from taking their first lead.</p><p>For Pittsburgh, quarterback Russell Wilson struggled under pressure, throwing for 217 yards, two touchdowns, and a costly interception. His miscues, coupled with the Steelers’ inability to contain Henry, put their AFC North title hopes in jeopardy. The Steelers now face a challenging schedule with matchups against the Kansas City Chiefs and Cincinnati Bengals, while the Ravens will look to capitalize on games against the Houston Texans and Cleveland Browns.</p><p>As the Ravens gear up for the final stretch of the season, Derrick Henry’s record-setting performance serves as a reminder of the team’s potential to dominate when it matters most.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Derrick Henry makes Ravens history with unreal feat vs. Steelers

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/ravens-news-marlon-humphrey-avenges-lamar-jackson-pick-6-steelers');   ga('set', 'title', 'Ravens’ Marlon Humphrey avenges Lamar Jackson with bonkers pick-6 vs Steelers');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Ravens-news-Marlon-Humphrey-avenges-Lamar-Jackson-with-bonkers-pick-6-vs-Steelers.jpg"></figure><h1>Ravens’ Marlon Humphrey avenges Lamar Jackson with bonkers pick-6 vs Steelers</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-12-21T17:30:43-08:00">December 21st, 5:30pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-12-21T17:31:42-08:00">December 21st, 5:31pm</time><address><a>Dakota Zientek</a>Dakota Zientek graduated from the University of Iowa in 2020 and has been writing about the NFL ever since. As a die-hard NFL fan, Dakota's fandom rides with the Chicago Bears through thick and thin -- regardless of how much pain it has caused his heart throughout the years. One day, he believes he will celebrate the Bears winning a Super Bowl. Maybe even... a few?</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Baltimore Ravens</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>In a hotly contested <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/steelers-vs-ravens-predictions-pick-odds-spread-for-nfl-week-16-2024">Week 16 battle against the Pittsburgh Steelers</a>, the Baltimore Ravens defense bailed their <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nfl-mvp-power-rankings-josh-allen-holds">MVP-caliber quarterback</a> Lamar Jackson out after a costly turnover. As the game reached the final quarter of play, Jackson threw his first interception in over a month with the Ravens only up by one touchdown. However, just two plays later, Ravens cornerback Marlon Humphrey avenged Jackson with an interception, returning it for a touchdown.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">PICK-6!!</p><p>Marlon Humphrey with the INT as he runs it in for the TD 🔥<a href="https://t.co/9IEYTXPAvk">pic.twitter.com/9IEYTXPAvk</a></p><p>— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) <a href="https://twitter.com/ClutchPoints/status/1870620582154506378?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 22, 2024</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>While this play happened with plenty of time remaining in the fourth quarter, it appeared to be the straw that broke the camel’s back.</p><p>Aside from Humphrey’s pick-6, the only other points scored in the fourth quarter was a game-sealing 23-yard field goal from Justin Tucker.</p><p>So, while Jackon’s interception wasn’t ideal, it didn’t cost the Ravens much, as they defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers 34-17.</p><p>After the game, head coach John Harbaugh <a href="https://x.com/jeffzrebiec/status/1870632386750214258" rel="noopener">noted how crucial</a> Humphrey’s interception was, per Jeff Zrebiec on X.</p><p>“It was massive,” Harbaugh said, referencing Humphrey’s game-changing pick-6.</p><p>And with this win, Baltimore officially punched their ticket to the 2024 NFL Playoffs.</p><h2><b>Marlon Humphrey avenges Lamar Jackson, Ravens clinch playoff spot</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Lamar-Jackson_e6d16d.jpg"><figcaption>Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Considering the playoff implications in this Week 16 matchup, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/ravens-news-marlon-humphrey-drops-fiery-revelation-ahead-of-steelers-rematch">it was expected to be a hard-fought battle</a>.</p><p>Now, after securing the victory, the Ravens are tied with the Steelers in the AFC North, as both teams hold a 10-5 record.</p><p>Another wrinkle making postseason seeding complicated is their identical divisional record of 3-2. With both teams winning one game each in their two-game series, their head-to-head record is tied at 1-1.</p><p>So, winning their last two games of the season is the best course of action for the Ravens to clinch the AFC North.</p><p>The Ravens face the Houston Texans and the Cleveland Browns to conclude their regular season, as the Steelers finish the year against the Kansas City Chiefs and the Cincinnati Bengals.</p><p>At face value, the Ravens appear to have an easier path to clinching the AFC North than the Steelers. However, just because they should win doesn’t mean they will.</p><p>As the 2024 season wraps up, plenty of eyes will be tuning in, watching how the AFC North finishes.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Ravens’ Marlon Humphrey avenges Lamar Jackson with bonkers pick-6 vs Steelers

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/steelers-news-joey-porter-jr-exits-vs-ravens-with-calf-injury');   ga('set', 'title', 'Steelers’ Joey Porter Jr exits Ravens game with calf injury');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Joey-Porter-Jr-exits-vs-Ravens-with-calf-injury.jpg"></figure><h1>Steelers’ Joey Porter Jr exits Ravens game with calf injury</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-12-21T15:43:58-08:00">December 21st, 3:43pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-12-21T16:03:00-08:00">December 21st, 4:03pm</time><address><a>Matty Breisch</a>Matty Breisch is a multifaceted writer who specializes in NFL and WWE content at ClutchPoints. He can be read at Heavy, FanSided, Philadelphia Sports Network, and right here at ClutchPoints. Are you ready to read about football and wrestling? Well, you've come to the right place.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NFL</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>In a Saturday <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/ravens-news-justice-hill-leaves-steelers-concussion">slate of football games filled with unfortunate injuries</a>, the Pittsburgh Steelers suffered one of their own to starting outside cornerback Joey Porter Jr., who left the game versus the Baltimore Ravens with a calf injury.</p><p>Starting the game in his usual spot, Porter went down in the third quarter with an apparent leg injury. He tried to play through it, making his return on the following drive, but was ultimately <a href="https://x.com/ASaunders_PGH/status/1870612583608426599" rel="noopener">ruled out for the remainder of the games</a> as the clock wound down in the third, leaving the team to rely on their depth at the position moving forward.</p><p>Coming into the game with an already diminished defensive backfield, with CJ Henderson and Ryan Watts on IR and both Donte Jackson and DeShon Elliott ruled out for the game before it began, the Steelers have been forced to play both 2023 seventh-round pick Cory Trice Jr. and James Pierre at outside cornerback to close things out against the Ravens alongside Damontae Kazee, and Minkah Fitzpatrick.</p><p>So far, the Steelers diminished defensive secondary hasn’t marked disaster for Mike Tomlin’s squad, as Lamar Jackson’s seeming inability to put up huge numbers against Pittsburgh has been on full display in Week 16. Still, It feels incredibly unlikely that Jackson will finish out the game with just 158 yards, his total through three quarters, especially if the Steelers can even things up at 24 all. With clear targets at both perimeter corner spots both in the passing game and on outside zone runs, the Ravens may have just found the advantage needed to get their first win of the season against their arch-rivals.</p><p>Will Porter Jr. miss extended time down the stretch? Only time will tell, but if he does, it could seriously impact the Steelers’ passing defense moving forward, which has <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/pittsburgh-steelers-bold-predictions-for-week-16-vs-ravens">already been their weakness on that side of the ball</a> when compared to their incredibly stout rushing defense.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Steelers’ Joey Porter Jr exits Ravens game with calf injury

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/ravens-news-justice-hill-leaves-steelers-concussion');   ga('set', 'title', 'Ravens’ Justice Hill leaves Steelers game with concussion');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Justice-Hill-leaves-Steelers-game-with-concussion.jpg"></figure><h1>Ravens’ Justice Hill leaves Steelers game with concussion</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-12-21T14:50:22-08:00">December 21st, 2:50pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-12-21T15:23:27-08:00">December 21st, 3:23pm</time><address><a>Dakota Zientek</a>Dakota Zientek graduated from the University of Iowa in 2020 and has been writing about the NFL ever since. As a die-hard NFL fan, Dakota's fandom rides with the Chicago Bears through thick and thin -- regardless of how much pain it has caused his heart throughout the years. One day, he believes he will celebrate the Bears winning a Super Bowl. Maybe even... a few?</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Baltimore Ravens</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>In their <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/pittsburgh-steelers-bold-predictions-for-week-16-vs-ravens">Week 16 battle against the Pittsburgh Steelers</a>— a possible upcoming playoff matchup— the Baltimore Ravens <a href="https://x.com/AdamSchefter/status/1870599626899996874" rel="noopener">ruled out</a> their rotational running back Justice Hill with a concussion, per Adam Schefter on X.</p><p>Behind one of the top running backs in the league, Derrick Henry, Hill has been a change-of-pace running back for the Ravens. However, against the Steelers, Hill rushed just twice for 30 yards.</p><p>Now, after being ruled out of Saturday’s matchup against the Steelers, his 2024 season could be in jeopardy, especially considering the seriousness of head injuries.</p><p>The Ravens could clinch a playoff spot with a win against the Steelers, but they’ll need to rely on the rushing game of <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/derrick-henry-lamar-jackson-join-madden-25-99-club-after-new-ratings-update">Lamar Jackson and Henry</a>, as Hill’s day is over.</p><h2><b>Ravens can clinch playoffs with Week 16 win vs. Steelers</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Justice-Hill.jpg"><figcaption>Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Sitting one spot behind the Steelers in the AFC North, this Week 16 matchup has major playoff implications.</p><p>If the Ravens beat the Steelers on Saturday, their ticket to the 2024 NFL Playoffs gets punched.</p><p>However, if the Steelers win, they clinch the AFC North, securing one of the top four seeds in the postseason.</p><p>After losing Hill with a concussion, their path to the playoffs became a bit more difficult, as the backup running back offered a nice change of pace to Henry and Jackson— with both players leading the Ravens’ rushing attack.</p><p>In 2024, Hill appeared in all 15 games of the 2024 season before exiting Week 16. Throughout his 15 appearances, Hill rushed for 228 yards and a touchdown. As a receiver, Hill was a safety net for Jackson, adding 42 receptions for 383 yards and three scores.</p><p>So, while he isn’t Henry, he’s a key part of this Ravens offense that’s looking to <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nfl-news-why-rams-ravens-buccaneers-are-viewed-as-dangerous-playoff-threats">make a splash in the playoffs</a>.</p><p>Rasheen Ali, a fifth-round pick in 2024 out of Marshall, sits behind Hill on Baltimore’s depth chart as he takes over as the new change-of-pace back for Henry and Jackson.</p><p>Now, Hill can return in 2024, especially for a possible playoff run. However, returning in Week 16 has been ruled out for Hill, and his regular season designation remains uncertain.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Ravens’ Justice Hill leaves Steelers game with concussion

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/pittsburgh-steelers-bold-predictions-for-week-16-vs-ravens');   ga('set', 'title', 'Pittsburgh Steelers bold predictions for Week 16 vs. Ravens');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/PUB-1218-Pittsburgh-Steelers-bold-predictions-for-Week-16-vs.-Ravens.jpg"></figure><h1>Pittsburgh Steelers bold predictions for Week 16 vs. Ravens</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-12-21T08:01:00-08:00">December 21st, 8:01am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-12-21T08:01:00-08:00">December 21st, 8:01am</time><address><a>Matty Breisch</a>Matty Breisch is a multifaceted writer who specializes in NFL and WWE content at ClutchPoints. He can be read at Heavy, FanSided, Philadelphia Sports Network, and right here at ClutchPoints. Are you ready to read about football and wrestling? Well, you've come to the right place.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Editorials</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>In Week 16, the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/steelers-vs-ravens-predictions-pick-odds-spread-for-nfl-week-16-2024">Pittsburgh Steelers and the Baltimore Ravens</a> are in for one of the more interesting games of the 2024 NFL season.</p><p>On one hand, the game is on a Saturday, which technically happens every year but is a bit of a left turn when it happens every year, especially with a slate of games on Christmas coming up this Wednesday. The game also has incredible ramifications on the playoffs depending on which team wins and how the rest of the weekend shakes out, with the potential for the AFC North to be clinched or broken wide open, depending on how things shake out.</p><p>And last but not least – one could actually argue most – is the fact that it’s the Steelers versus the Ravens, which is among the biggest rivalry games in all of football, nay, sports, period.</p><p>Now granted, the Steelers have been coming out on top more often than not in these outcomes, and it’s been seriously bothering the Ravens to the point where Marlon Humphrey has <a href="https://www.baltimoreravens.com/news/transcripts-press-conferences-12-17-24" rel="noopener">made it his mission</a> to beat Pittsburgh on the way to a very Baltimore playoff berth.</p><h2><b>1. The Steelers and Ravens run for under 300 rushing yards combined</b></h2><p>If there’s one thing the Steelers and Ravens both like to do, it’s run the ball.</p><p>Ranking in the top 10 in rushing attempts and yards on the season, even if the Ravens have been far more efficient, Pittsburgh and Baltimore both like to establish the run before they air it out, forcing stacked boxes to really open up the passing game.</p><p>Unfortunately for, well, both teams, really, stopping the run is kind of a calling card for both the Steelers and Ravens as well, with the former having the <a href="https://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/pit/2024.htm" rel="noopener">fourth-ranked rushing defense</a> with 1,321 yards allowed and the Ravens performing even better, allowing just <a href="https://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/rav/2024.htm" rel="noopener">1,130 rushing yards through 15 weeks</a> despite facing off against prolific rushing teams like the Philadelphia Eagles, Los Angeles Chargers, and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.</p><p>Now granted, neither team is at 100 percent going into the contest; the Steelers have Larry Ogunjobi questionable for the game, and the Ravens have given Odafe Oweh the same designation. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/steelers-news-promising-tj-watt-injury-update">TJ Watt looked questionable for the game</a> for much of the week, and even though he’s been given the green light to go in this game, he might be limited, too. Still, when you consider just how important slowing down the run is to both teams, expecting either to put up big numbers on the ground is incredibly unlikely, leading to this game being a pass-first showdown between two very different teams.</p><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/George-Pickens_524abc.jpg"><figcaption>Barry Reeger-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h2><b>2. The Steelers do their best to test the Ravens’ passing defense</b></h2><p>For much of the 2024 season, the Ravens have been the unfortunate owners of the worst passing defense in the NFL.</p><p>In Week 16, they’ve officially ditched that title, though not by much, with Baltimore now <i>only</i> ranking 31st against the pass, 3,625 yards through the air on 526 attempts. Now, normally, that would have an opposing team licking their chops, as even a team as inept as the Giants was able to flirt with 300 passing yards against the Ravens’ defense with a backup under center, but can the Steelers really be trusted to do the same? They are without George Pickens for the second week in a row and struggled to get much going from a passing perspective in Week 15 against an Eagles defense that is as good as it gets through the air.</p><p>Was that just a byproduct of facing the architect of the NFL’s in-vogue defensive scheme? Or are the Steelers just not that good of a passing offense without their top guy? In Week 16, if the Steelers’ passing offense looks like Week 15 instead of Week 14, not even mentioning their incredible efforts in Week 13, it will be incredibly hard to win this game in a commanding fashion, if at all. Mike Williams, Van Jefferson, Calvin Austin, it’s time to step up or watch as fans in the Steel City <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/3-interesting-landing-spots-for-diontae-johnson-after-ravens-exit">beg desperately for a reunion with Diontae Johnson</a>, who might just be the only man who can fix this offense until Pickens is able to finally come back into the lineup at full strength.</p><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Russell-Wilson-playing-for-the-Steelers.jpg"><figcaption>Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h2><b>3. The Steelers have tough conversations after a Week 16 loss</b></h2><p>When the Steelers played the Ravens earlier this season, they benefitted from one of the worst games you will see all year from Lamar Jackson.</p><p>That’s right, despite being arguably the NFL MVP in 2024, turning in the best season of his NFL career versus a resume with an actual MVP Award on it, Jackson was making poor decisions, airballing passes to receivers, and, ultimately, playing losing football where he is usually the engine of winning.</p><p>But why? Sure, the Steelers have a good rushing defense, but their passing D isn’t exactly prolific, ranking 22nd overall. They are the best team in the NFL when it comes to turnover differential, from making smart decisions with the ball on offense to forcing big plays on defense, and very few opposing quarterbacks have been immune to that fact. And yet, in Week 16, it took a pick, two forced fumbles, and an uncharacteristically inefficient performance by an MVP-caliber QB to squeak out a two-point win at home.</p><p>Is that trend sustainable? Can the Steelers go from allowing almost 300 yards to Jalen Hurts and the Eagles, who rank dead last in passing offense, to holding Jackson at bay for the second time in as many months? Will Russell Wilson turn in another massive performance through the air like his Week 13 effort down his top receiver, or will a game manager-y game prove simply not enough to get Pittsburgh where it needs to be?</p><p>Are the Steelers a better team than the Ravens overall? Maybe yes, maybe no, but right now, Pittsburgh is missing key pieces where it matters most, is coming off of a surprisingly lopsided loss, and is playing an opponent who is absolutely desperate to pull out a win in front of their hometown fans just before Christmas. If that isn’t a recipe for a loss, I don’t know what is.</p><p>Fortunately, even if the Steelers lose, they will still be playoff-bound and could end up playing Baltimore a third time depending on who ends up winning the division.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Pittsburgh Steelers bold predictions for Week 16 vs. Ravens

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/3-interesting-landing-spots-for-diontae-johnson-after-ravens-exit');   ga('set', 'title', '3 interesting landing spots for Diontae Johnson after Ravens exit');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/3-best-landing-spots-for-Diontae-Johnson-after-Ravens-exit.jpg"></figure><h1>3 interesting landing spots for Diontae Johnson after Ravens exit</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-12-20T16:19:39-08:00">December 20th, 4:19pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-12-20T16:20:42-08:00">December 20th, 4:20pm</time><address><a>Matty Breisch</a>Matty Breisch is a multifaceted writer who specializes in NFL and WWE content at ClutchPoints. He can be read at Heavy, FanSided, Philadelphia Sports Network, and right here at ClutchPoints. Are you ready to read about football and wrestling? Well, you've come to the right place.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Editorials</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>After weeks and weeks of questions, whispers, and rumors at all levels of NFL interest, the Baltimore Ravens have made it official: <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/ravens-waives-diontae-johnson-after-rocky-stint">Diontae Johnson has been waived</a>.</p><p>That’s right, after being acquired ahead of the trade deadline, refusing to check in against the Philadelphia Eagles, being suspended one week, <i>and</i> excused from practice the next, Johnson has officially been sent to waiver wires, where he could theoretically end up being claimed by any team – that can afford his contract – or end up being an unrestricted free agent he no one takes the bait.</p><p>A disappointing end for Johnson? For members of Ravens Nation, you bet, but hey, after failing to find a spot in Baltimore’s offense, Johnson now provides some serious drama just before Christmas, with plenty of teams in need of wide receiver help for one reason or another.</p><p>But where should Johnson land? Are there teams that make more sense than others moving forward? Why yes, yes there are, from rebuilding teams, to playoff hopefuls and even an old friend in Allegheny County with a need at wide receiver.</p><h2><b>3 potential landing spots for Diontae Johnson</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Drake-Maye-10-throws-a-pass-against-the-Indianapolis-Colts.jpg"><figcaption>© Eric Canha-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h2><b>1. New England Patriots</b></h2><p>Alright, so why would the Patriots, a team with a 3-11 record, waste everyone’s time by claiming Johnson off of waivers? New England hasn’t won a game since early November – no, not <i>that</i> <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uKpcxWG7asA">Early November</a> – despite getting some very good play out of rookie quarterback Drake Maye, and is fully eliminated from the playoffs as a result.</p><p>Well, simple, really: Johnson would make Maye better.</p><p>In 2024, the Patriots’ receiving corps has been rough. They released JuJu Smith-Schuster before the season, released KJ Osborn in the middle of the season, and have<a href="https://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/nwe/2024.htm" rel="noopener"> flirted with benching</a> Kendrick Bourne at times in 2024 in favor of giving more looks to receivers like Demario Douglas and Kayshon Boutte. While Johnson isn’t <i>that</i> big of an upgrade over Bourne, a solid WR2 in most schemes, he’s already shown that he can be a force for a rebuilding team looking to build up the confidence of their young quarterback, catching 30 of the 58 balls thrown his way by the Panthers earlier this season for 357 yards and three touchdowns.</p><p>Plus, there’s a precedent for this sort of a move in 2024, a few, actually.</p><p>Most notably, when the Denver Broncos made the surprising decision to waive veteran wide receiver Josh Reynolds, he didn’t end up going to a team like the Chiefs or the Ravens – <a href="https://www.espn.com/nfl/insider/story/_/id/42780250/nfl-week-14-predictions-fantasy-sleepers-upset-picks-stats-latest-buzz-2024" rel="noopener">teams who showed interes</a>t in his services, according to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler – but instead, the Jacksonville Jaguars, who have been one of the worst teams in the NFL in 2024. After losing veteran receivers Christian Kirk and Gabe Davis – plus tight end Evan Engram – to IR, the Jaguars decided to add another veteran to help out Trevor Lawrence and Mac Jones down the stretch.</p><p>So far, the results have been underwhelming for Reynolds, as he’s <a href="https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/R/ReynJo00.htm" rel="noopener">caught exactly zero passes</a> for the Jaguars and has only been targeted on time so far, a far cry from his 93-yard game for the Broncos back in September. Still, every case is different, and if Johnson wants to prove he’s worthy of a new ten-figure contract, he needs to show up and show out down the stretch, which the Patriots could allow him to do. If it worked for Yannick Ngakoue at outside linebacker – also, ironically enough, claimed off of waivers from the Ravens – a similar result could come for Johnson too.</p><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Purdy-to-Aiyuk.jpg"><figcaption>Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h2><b>2. San Francisco 49ers</b></h2><p>Alright, the could really be any team deep in the hunt for a playoff spot with a need at wide receiver, be it the Chiefs, the Eagles, or a certain squad that wears black and yellow – more on them later.</p><p>Sitting at 6-8, the 49ers could win out down the stretch and still not make the playoffs, as they are currently two games behind the Los Angeles Rams and Seattle Seahawks in the NFC West with three games left to play. But with injuries across the board, including <a href="https://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/sfo/2024.htm" rel="noopener">three running backs on IR</a>, Brandon Aiyuk out for the year since Week 7, and nicked-up players across the board, the 49ers could use some additional firepower down the stretch, especially with showdowns against the Miami Dolphins, the Detroit Lions, and Arizona Cardinals left to play.</p><p>In 2024, George Kittle, Jauan Jennings, and Deebo Samuel are all doing their job, even if the collegiate Gamecock has struggled mightily in 2024 versus his career expectations. Still, the 49ers haven’t really gotten much out of their WR3 spot since Aiyuk went down in October. Rickey Pearsall has done his best, with players like Jacob Cowing, Ronnie Bell, and Chris Conley all catching passes in 2024, but the passing game really hasn’t reached the same heights as in years passed because Brock Purdy has had arguably his worst supporting cast as a pro.</p><p>Could Johnson step in and make plays for the 49ers, kicking Jennings back to his old position to become the 49ers’ new X receiver? Potentially so. But would the 49ers really risk bringing in a wide receiver who quit on his team after the whole <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/49ers-news-kyle-shanahan-admits-devondre-campbell-mistake-after-fiasco">De’Vondre Campbell debacle</a>? That is a much more interesting question.</p><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Pittsburgh-Steelers-wide-receiver-Diontae-Johnson-18-tries-to-cut-back-against-the-Bills.jpg"><figcaption>© Jamie Germano/Rochester Democrat and Chronicle / USA TODAY NETWORK</figcaption></figure><h2><b>3. Pittsburgh Steelers</b></h2><p>And last but not least, the team that Johnson was being linked to even before he was released by the Ravens: the Pittsburgh Steelers.</p><p>Need proof? Well, look no further than what ESPN’s Fowler had to say on the subject earlier this month, noting that the Ravens were <a href="https://www.espn.com/nfl/insider/story/_/id/42780250/nfl-week-14-predictions-fantasy-sleepers-upset-picks-stats-latest-buzz-2024" rel="noopener">actually afraid</a> to release the former Steeler out of fear that he would land back in Pittsburgh as the two teams duke it out for the top spot in the AFC North.</p><p>“Something to keep in mind if Baltimore cuts Johnson: It plays Pittsburgh — Johnson’s old team — in Week 16,” Fowlers wrote for ESPN. “Whether the Steelers would want him back is unclear, but the way some people around the league see it: The threat of him sharing Ravens offensive intel with Pittsburgh could make Baltimore hold on to him.”</p><p>Fortunately for the Ravens, they got their wish, as Johnson won’t find a new home until a few hours before Monday Night Football. Unfortunately, he could still land back in Pittsburgh, where he knows Mike Tomlinson well, even if they have a new offensive coordinator in Arthur Smith and a new quarterback in Russell Wilson – plus Justin Fields, who still gets a snap or two here or there. While Johnson had some personal issues in Pittsburgh before he was traded to Carolina, which is nothing new for wide receivers who play in the Steel City, the Steelers have a very good chance to make the playoffs and could use additional help at wide receiver while George Pickins recovers from a hamstring injury.</p><p>Could time heal all wounds? Would Johnson be willing to take on a big role for the Steelers over the next few weeks only to become a complementary piece for Pittsburgh when Pickins returns to the field? While Johnson effectively told the Ravens, ‘It’s you, not me,’ because he didn’t play enough to satisfy his own statistical aspirations, who knows, maybe a return to Pittsburgh and a chance to chase a ring would be the best-case scenario for all parties involved. Really, the only question that would need to be asked is what number would Johnson take since Mike Williams got number 18 when he was acquired from the New York Jets shortly after the Toledo product was traded to Baltimore.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

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