He may be a rookie, but Pittsburgh Steelers defensive lineman Derrick Hermon already seems to understand good NFL teams rebound quickly from disappointing defeats. If the Pittsburgh Steelers are going to make the playoffs this season, that’s exactly what they must do.
The Steelers will face the Baltimore Ravens during Week 18. The winner will capture the AFC North title and earn a home playoff game. The loser will be done playing football until August.
A day after missing a chance to clinch the AFC North versus the Cleveland Browns, Harmon explained to reporters how the Steelers will rebound.
“Don’t let a loss get to your heart,” Harmon said, via TribLive.com’s Joe Rutter. “And don’t let a win get to your head.”
The Steelers snapped their 3-game winning streak with a 13-6 loss to the Browns on Sunday. The defeat dropped the Steelers to 9-7, which is one game ahead of the Ravens.
If the Ravens beat the Steelers in Week 18, though, Baltimore will win the AFC North via a tiebreaker. Should the Steelers win or the game ends in a tie, Pittsburgh will capture the division crown.
Derrick Harmon Impact on Steelers Run Defense
The Steelers defeated the Ravens in Week 14 with receiver DK Metcalf leading the way on offense. However, Metcalf won’t be available, as he serves the final game of his suspension this week.
That’s the bad news. The good news, though, is Pittsburgh’s run defense should be more equipped to stop Derrick Henry and the Ravens than they were on December 7.
Harmon missed the Week 14 matchup in Baltimore. Without him, the Steelers yielded 217 rushing yards.
But since then, the Steelers have allowed 52 rushing yards per game the past three weeks. Harmon started the two most recent contests.
In Harmon’s 11 games this season, the Steelers defense has averaged permitting 87 rushing yards. During the games where he hasn’t played, the Steelers have yielded 165.6 rushing yards per contest.
Clearly, the rookie is already a major factor in Pittsburgh’s run defense. The Steelers might need him to play his best game Sunday to beat the Ravens.
Henry rushed for 216 yards and four touchdowns in Week 17 versus the Green Bay Packers.
Steelers, Ravens Set to Renew Rivalry
For the second consecutive year, the Steelers and Ravens will meet with the loser going home.
The AFC North rivals squared off in the wild card round last year. With everything on the line, Henry and the Ravens ground game had a field day, running for 299 yards.
That loss was a major reason why the Steelers drafted Harmon in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft.
This Sunday, the Steelers and Ravens will renew their rivalry as the last game of the regular season.
Including last year’s playoffs, the Steelers are 9-3 in the last 12 meetings against the Ravens. At home, Pittsburgh is 4-1 versus Baltimore over the past five campaigns.
None of that will matter much, though, when the two teams meet at Acrisure Stadium. How Harmon and his teammates respond to the Browns loss will determine whether the Steelers win the AFC North.
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