Cornerback Marlon Humphrey finally got his long-awaited first career pick six. And it couldn’t have come at a better time, tight end Mark Andrews said with a small smile.

Because that was true in multiple ways.

First, it changed a tense game completely. Second, it ended a hectic week. Humphrey’s son Duke was born a few days ago, keeping him awake at night and distracted from work.

Yet he was there when his team needed him. Early in the fourth quarter, the Ravens were holding on to a tenuous 24-17 lead against their rivals, the Pittsburgh Steelers, a team that has beaten them in close games in wild ways.

Quarterback Lamar Jackson had just thrown an interception, only his fourth of the season (one of the others was also against the Steelers). It felt like the perfect time for Pittsburgh to draw on whatever magic it has worked against the Ravens in recent years.

Steelers quarterback Russell Wilson, who had taken a beating from the Ravens’ defense for much of the game, handed the ball to running back Najee Harris. He gained 3 yards.

Wilson got the ball again. This time, the Ravens were ready for some “boot action,” outside linebacker Kyle Van Noy said. Sure enough, Wilson faked a handoff to Harris and rolled to his right. Meanwhile, outside linebacker David Ojabo hit the tight end and released, with an open lane toward Wilson.

“He got pressure to make Russell make a decision, and [he] made a poor one on that, and we took advantage,” Van Noy said.

Wilson tried to throw the ball to MyCole Pruitt, who was about 13 yards downfield along the right sideline. Pruitt never had a chance. Humphrey cut him off, snagged the ball and easily returned it 37 yards. He danced into the end zone, holding the ball out — seemingly taunting a Steelers player chasing him. But Humphrey explained after the game that he was acknowledging Ojabo’s part in the interception.

“And I want to make this pretty clear: When I was running with the football, I saw David Ojabo, a really great teammate of mine, and I was trying to pitch him the football,” Humphrey said. “Some people brought up to me that it looked like taunting or something, but I was trying to pitch him the football, and there’s no taunting there at all. I just want to make that very clear. Ojabo is a great guy. I wanted to pitch it to him. Then I got in the end zone, and it was good.”

Suddenly, the Steelers were 14 points behind when, seconds before, it felt as if they had a chance to tie it.

“Marlo’s interception came at a very pivotal moment to whereas it [momentum] was definitely shifting, and when we got that, it was a huge play,” linebacker Roquan Smith said. “[...] When you up about two scores in that third, fourth quarter, that’s some good standings. And then those guys are gonna start to press, and that’s what happened. And we just finished them on out.”

The Steelers did not score after the interception.

Ravens wide receiver Tylan Wallace said the offense felt the momentum shift, too. It embarked on a six-minute drive, salting the game away before scoring a field goal to give the Ravens a 34-17 win. The Ravens moved to 10-5, clinched a playoff berth and kept their chance of winning the AFC North and hosting a playoff game alive.

Humphrey’s interception was a long time coming. The eight-year veteran has had plenty of big plays in his time with the Ravens. He’s had at least one interception a year since he arrived as a rookie. He’s forced 14 fumbles, including eight in 2020, and he’s made five fumble recoveries, two for touchdowns.

He’s having an exceptional year, with five interceptions, 12 pass defenses, a forced fumble and half a sack. Humphrey said he’s exceeding his own expectations.

“I think I put my goals for this year a little too low,” he said. “I think I had on there six interceptions and one pick six and some forced fumbles, and I can’t remember everything.”

But Humphrey had never turned a pick into a touchdown.

And it’s weighed on him. He’s mentioned in media interviews and on his podcast how much he wanted that sort of signature play. When he finally got it, he bumped up another stat that had been bothering him.

“It really feels good to be able to get a pick [and] get in the end zone,” Humphrey said. “Coming into this game, I had zero interception [return] yards, so I was like, ‘Man, hopefully I’m not the first guy to have five or six picks with zero yards,’ so it was good to try to get that average up.”

The timing was ideal. It was a pivotal moment in a game that will determine postseason standings. It helped break a four-game losing streak to the Ravens’ biggest rivals. And it came after a “hell of a week” for Humphrey that was filled with joy — and sleepless nights.

After Duke was born, Humphrey was racing back and forth to spend time with family and fulfill his practice duties. It was a short week, too, ahead of a two-games-in-five-days stretch. Despite that, he played as energized as if he slept like, well, a baby.

He finished with three tackles and the interception — but the game ball didn’t go to him, coach John Harbaugh said. It was meant for Duke.

“Hopefully, we see the ball next to the baby and see a nice photo,” Van Noy said.