Tyler Huntley connects with Isaiah Likely on touchdown pass to give Ravens lead

BALTIMORE — It took nearly the entire first half, but the Baltimore Ravens reached the end zone Sunday night against the Pittsburgh Steelers for one of the few times in Lamar Jackson‘s absence.

Ravens backup quarterback Tyler Huntley found tight end Isaiah Likely for a 7-yard touchdown pass with seven seconds left in the second quarter. It marked Baltimore’s fourth touchdown in 17 quarters without Jackson, who missed his fourth straight game because of a knee injury.

Touchdown? Yeah, that’s Likely 🙌 @DaGorilla4

📺: #PITvsBAL on NBC
📱: Stream on NFL+ https://t.co/K8OMv0nWCp pic.twitter.com/3SLTaKzEbV

— NFL (@NFL) January 2, 2023

Huntley’s second touchdown of the season helped the Ravens take a 10-3 lead into halftime. Huntley was 5-of-5 when targeting tight ends in the first half.

The touchdown drive was extended by a Steelers mistake. On third-and-16 from the Pittsburgh 16-yard line, the Ravens were essentially resigned to a field goal attempt when they handed the ball off to running back J.K. Dobbins, who gained 7 yards. But Steelers defensive lineman Cameron Heyward was called for unnecessary roughness for pushing on the pile, giving Baltimore a first-and-goal from the 7-yard line.

This was a rare red zone touchdown for Baltimore. In the previous three games without Jackson, the Ravens had the NFL’s worst touchdown efficiency inside the 20-yard line (22%).