The Baltimore defense was dominant in the first half, holding Pittsburgh to 88 yards of total offense, but five dropped passes, and a Justice Hill fumble left the Ravens holding a 10-3 lead at the half.
Odell Beckham Jr. returned to the lineup but has primarily been ineffective, while Mike MacDonald’s defense has swarmed in Marlon Humphrey’s return to the lineup.
Buy Ravens TicketsWith the second half set to begin, here are highlights and key takeaways from the first 30 minutes of action.
Ravens go play-action on first play
Jackson hooked up early with Rashod Bateman, connecting with the wideout for an 8 yard gain on a QB rollout that got the signal-caller away from pressure.
Lamar Jackson huge run
Jackson leads the Ravens with 39 yards on 4 carries.
What a fake! Lamar on the run early 💨
📺: #BALvsPIT on CBS
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus https://t.co/LxW25sxPWA pic.twitter.com/wo0MUDjjnQ— NFL (@NFL) October 8, 2023
Lamar Jackson
After a positive start, the Steelers defense stiffened up, and Jackson finished the first drive 1-4 passing, for 8 yards.
Jackson’s 26 yard run was the longest play of the first drive.
Jackson finished the first half 15-25 passing, for 153-yards, with five dropped passes.
Marlon Humphrey early returns
Pickens dominated the Ravens in matchups last season, but Marlon Humphrey looked strong early on in their Week 5 matchup.
Baltimore has been rotating Humphrey with Ronald Darby.
Justice Hill gets on the board
Hill’s first carry of the game came with the Ravens in the red zone and he turned that opportunity into a 14 yard touchdown run to put Baltimore up 7-0.
Justice Hill making this look easy 😮💨 @Ravens take an early lead
📺: #BALvsPIT on CBS
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus https://t.co/LxW25sxPWA pic.twitter.com/Hc4jNpbZZI— NFL (@NFL) October 8, 2023
Ravens red zone effciency
The Ravens have now scored on 9 straight red-zone possessions after Justice Hill jogged in from 12 yards out.
We strike first 🔥
TOUCHDOWN, @jhill21_ 🔥
Tune in on CBS! pic.twitter.com/16AeCCw4XW
— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) October 8, 2023
That’s amazing efficiency through the first quarter of the season.
Odell Beckham
Beckham returned to the lineup, but didn’t see his first snap until Baltimore’s third drive of the game.
Beckham later got on the board with a 6 yard catch before exiting the game.
Ravens dominant first quarter
The Ravens have outpaced the Steelers 143-20 in yardage after one quarter.
Baltimore held the Steelers offense to 88 yards on 26 total plays in the first half, with 3.4 yards per play average.
Ravens drops
Baltimore came into the game as one of two NFL teams to not have a dropped pass through four weeks.
That streak is over after five dropped passes in the first half, including a Rashod Bateman dropped touchdown pass.
Kenny Pickett
The Steelers’ second-year star is 7-15 passing, for 60 yards in a quiet first half.
George Pickens
The Steelers No. 1 wide receiver has 2 catches for 32 yards on 5 targets against Brandon Stephens and Marlon Humphrey.
Arthur Maulet homecoming sack
In his homecoming to Pittsburgh, Maulet has 1 tackle, 1 sack, 1 tackle for loss and 1 QB hit in the first half.
.@ArthurMaulet2 making plays in Pittsburgh 😏
Tune in on CBS! pic.twitter.com/QAVrzjrXGj
— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) October 8, 2023
Justice Hill
After a solid start, Hill coughed up the football, Baltimore’s 9th fumble of the season.
PUNCHED OUT 💥 @Mr_Ogunjobi
📲: Stream on NFL+ https://t.co/T87FSnfvVk pic.twitter.com/ocvcCxXllV
— Pittsburgh Steelers (@steelers) October 8, 2023
