BALTIMORE — Ravens cornerback Marlon Humphrey didn’t view the Pittsburgh Steelers as a hump Baltimore needed to get over, even though the AFC North rivals had won eight of nine matchups going into Saturday’s crucial divisional showdown at M&T Bank Stadium.

Finally, the Ravens did it anyway. And it was Humphrey who delivered the knockout punch.

Clinging to a 24-17 lead early in the fourth quarter after Steelers safety Minkah Fitzpatrick intercepted Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson at the Steelers’ 11-yard line, the former All-Pro returned the favor, jumping in front of Russell Wilson’s pass to tight end MyCole Pruitt and racing 37 yards down the left sideline for a touchdown. It was his sixth interception of the season — and first career pick-six — and helped deliver a 34-17 win.

Baltimore improved to 10-5, clinched a playoff berth and pulled into a first-place tie with Pittsburgh with two weeks remaining in the regular season, keeping alive their hopes for another AFC North title.

Nearly as importantly, it finally marked a shift in the Ravens’ past mistake-filled performances against their archnemesis.

In a series that over those previous nine meetings was separated by an average of fewer than four points per contest, often one or two plays usually made the difference.

That was the case again, but this time the breaks went Baltimore’s way, including one of the night’s biggest hits by the Ravens’ smallest defender.

With the ball on Baltimore’s 23-yard line and the game tied at 7 early in the second quarter and the Steelers driving toward a second straight touchdown as Wilson broke from the pocket and raced toward the end zone for what looked like an easy touchdown, diminutive safety Ar’Darius Washington came flying out of nowhere and drilled the quarterback, knocking the ball out at the 3. Linebacker Kyle Van Noy recovered it to halt the momentum and Jackson and the Ravens made them pay for it.

Perhaps buoyed by the stop, the offense resumed moving the ball with ease and by the chunk with tight end Isaiah Likely hauling in a 19-yard pass and Justice Hill bouncing a 25-yard run around the left side.

The latter came at a price, with Hill knocked out of the game with a concussion after landing on his head, but it didn’t slow Baltimore.

One play later, Jackson hit Zay Flowers for a 14-yard gain and the play was padded by a 15-yard facemask penalty on Pittsburgh. Three plays later, Rashod Bateman broke to the outside on safety Damontae Kazee and Jackson hit him for an easy 14-yard touchdown in the back corner of the end zone to cap a 96-yard drive to instead put the Ravens up 14-7.

Leading 17-10 at the half, the Ravens kept their offense rolling in the second half.

Jackson opened Baltimore’s opening possession of the third quarter with a 16-yard completion to his favorite target, Mark Andrews. He finished it in the same manner five plays later, with the tight end wide open in the middle of the end zone for a 7-yard touchdown.

It was the 37th touchdown pass of the season for Jackson, who broke his own franchise record, fittingly to his top target over the years.

Then with the Steelers facing a fourth-and-6 from the Ravens’ 45 at the start of the fourth quarter, Wilson’s deep pass down the middle of the field was broken up by safety Kyle Hamilton. One play later, Derrick Henry broke off a 44-yard run and the Ravens appeared to be poised to score again. Henry finished the game with 162 rushing yards on 24 carries and 27 receiving yards on two catches.

But Jackson (15 of 23 passing, 207 yards, three touchdowns) threw behind Bateman and into the arms of Fitzpatrick, briefly giving the Steelers life, until Humphrey snuffed it out moments later.

The Ravens now face a quick turnaround with a Christmas Day game against the Texans in Houston, while the Steelers will play the AFC’s top team, the Kansas City Chiefs, in Pittsburgh, also on Christmas.

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