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Ravens backups top Steelers in finale

Steelers come up small in must-win game vs. rival Ravens.

Baltimore Ravens quarterback Robert Griffin III celebrates a touchdown in the second quarter against the Pittsburgh Steelers at M&T Bank Stadium Mitchell Layton-USA TODAY Sports

The Baltimore Ravens came into Week 17 with nothing to play for, so that gave Robert Griffin III the start while MVP Lamar Jackson rested for the playoffs. The Steelers did have something to play for, as a win over Baltimore’s backups and a loss by the Titans would get them in the playoffs, but that wasn’t enough to jumpstart the Steelers awful offense. The Ravens imposed their will on a tough Steelers run defense and controlled the game from start to finish on the ground.

In the end, this game didn’t matter, as the Titans stomped the resting Texans, but it was another indictment on just how bad the Steelers offense has been under Devlin Hodges. The Steelers core remains sound but they very much need a quarterback and there is a good chance Ben Roethlisberger is on the down-side of his career.

Robert Griffin III wasn’t needed to do much, as he only had 11 completions for 96 yards. He looked spry on the ground, rushing seven times for 40 yards, but the heavy lifting was done by Gus Edwards, who got the start with Mark Ingram hurting and resting. Edwards rushed 21 times for 130 yards, helping the Ravens to the most rushing yards in a season.