Ravens ensure Steelers have to earn it. Baltimore came into Saturday night needing a win to avoid missing the playoffs and handing the AFC North to Pittsburgh. The Steelers can still end the Ravens’ season if they beat the Browns on Sunday, but Baltimore at the very least staved off elimination for another day. The Ravens did so by going into Lambeau, against a team with its playoff ticket punched, and finding a way to win without star quarterback Lamar Jackson, who was out with a back injury. Baltimore ran it a ton, smartly leaning on Derrick Henry, but Tyler Huntley was also reliable. Although he didn’t have many explosive plays through the air, throwing for just 107 yards and one touchdown, he was safe with the ball and accurate, completing 16 of 20 attempts. The defense, too, despite several gaffes, delivered when needed. A fourth-down stop on a daring attempt by Matt LaFleur from his own 34-yard line and a Mike Green fumble recovery on successive second-quarter possessions allowed the Ravens to extend a lead that would hold the rest of the night. And with the Packers threatening to make it uncomfortable late, Marlon Humphrey collected a tipped-ball interception to remove any doubt. Now, the Ravens wait. If Cleveland upsets the Steelers, Baltimore and Pittsburgh play for the division in Week 18. Packers are collapsing despite clinching playoffs. Green Bay is in the postseason. It’s also in deep trouble. Three weeks ago, the Packers were riding a four-game winning streak into another potential statement game against the Broncos. They then lost Micah Parsons to a season-ending torn ACL in a defeat in Denver. The next week, the Packers overcame a concussion to quarterback Jordan Love to hold a 16-6 lead over the Bears with just over two minutes remaining in the game — only to suffer a shocking loss. They were gifted a postseason berth on Christmas thanks to the fortuitous collapse by the Lions, but they’ve now dropped three straight after Saturday night. Performance-wise, this was the most disheartening result of the team’s losing streak as it pertains to Green Bay’s playoff outlook. The defense was nowhere to speak of. After allowing 150 rushing yards to the Bears in Week 16, their second most this season prior to Saturday, the Packers allowed 175 to Baltimore — in the first half. By the final whistle, that number bloomed to a humiliating 307, the most by a visiting team in Lambeau since 1978. There’s almost no chance this result would’ve been different had Love cleared concussion protocol and suited up, either. Malik Willis played his heart out, potentially earning himself a QB1 look somewhere in 2026. He made multiple big-time plays with his both his legs and his arm to keep the Packers in it for as long as possible. Now locked into the NFC’s No. 7 seed, Green Bay must spend the entire playoffs traveling. It’s unlikely to be a prolonged road trip if this is the new normal. Henry runs all over Packers. Derrick Henry didn’t see a carry for the final 12 minutes and change of last week’s loss to the Patriots. He received 15 carries over the first two possessions alone against Green Bay, turning them into 82 yards and two touchdowns. By the end of the game, he had a new-career high in carries with 36, four touchdowns and 216 rushing yards, his most as a Raven. He now has seven career games with 200-plus rushing yards, the most in NFL history. It was remarkable to see Henry, who turns 32 on Jan. 4, run roughshod over the Packers. He dismantled their best efforts of defending him in every which way, finding tough yards up the gut, stiff arming would-be tacklers into unknown dimensions and breaking free around the edge for multiple massive gains. Tyler Huntley certainly helped Baltimore in putting on its rushing clinic. He added 60 yards on the ground and picked up a number of key first downs on designed runs or savvy scrambles, and Keaton Mitchell contributed 31 yards on nine carries. Make no mistake, though: This was a Henry special, and his utter dominance served as another reminder of why they call him the king.
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Next Gen Stats Insight for Ravens-Packers (via NFL Pro): In his first start of the season, Malik Willis completed 18 of 21 passes for 288 yards and one touchdown. Willis was particularly effective throwing deep (20-plus air yards), completing 6 of 7 attempts for 197 yards and the score, the third-most deep passing yards by a quarterback in a game this season.
NFL Research: Derrick Henry logged his seventh career game with three-plus rushing TDs and 100-plus rushing yards, tying Marshall Faulk for the third most in NFL history.Â