For every job, there’s a tool. Sometimes, you need a sledgehammer.

Amid temperatures that slid to freezing, amid blustery winds that swirled at M&T Bank Stadium, the 247-pound hammer that is Derrick Henry pounded away at the vaunted Pittsburgh Steelers defense. Between an offensive line that ripped open wide lanes for him and his bruising physicality, Henry did more damage than the wintry elements. The Ravens totaled 220 yards on the ground, 63 more than any of the Steelers’ other opponents.

Henry’s 162-yard effort in the Ravens’ 34-17 victory was essentially flawless. And it represents the potential of an offense that can go deep into these playoffs.

You probably heard a little about it leading into this week, but the Ravens needed to beat the Steelers in the absolute worst way. Not just because they had lost eight of nine to their rivals going into this latest chapter of the rivalry. Not just because they might well face Pittsburgh again in the opening round of the postseason. Not just because victory itself clinched their playoff ticket and gave them a chance to win the AFC North.

All those things are important, but they aren’t the goal. The goal is to win a Super Bowl. If the Ravens didn’t win this week, it would have been the clearest signal yet that they’re nowhere close to a third franchise Lombardi Trophy.

As good as Lamar Jackson’s three-touchdown performance was (of course, with an interception asterisk), Henry’s dogged, tackle-breaking runs are the stuff winter football is made of. With possible trips to Pittsburgh, Buffalo or — dare we even say it — Kansas City ahead, the Ravens feel a lot better with Henry in their corner.

In this wide-open AFC brawl, running the ball with Henry is like throwing uppercuts with brass knuckles.

“Once he gets going, he goes north to south,” the Steelers’ Cam Heyward said. “It’s hard to break him down. If there’s a crease or a gap that’s pretty wide, he’s going to take advantage of that.”

“Derrick’s a really special back,” Ravens center Tyler Linderbaum said. “He wears on people.”

Ask Pittsburgh tackle Dean Lowry, who got a stiff arm that sent him sprawling to the ground. Or safety Damontae Kazee, who breathlessly ran in his wake down the sideline, only catching Henry 44 yards downfield when a teammate slowed him down. Heck, ask former Raven Patrick Queen, who found himself bowled over and pushed around, bested by King Henry in the ground game.

The 30-year-old didn’t score a touchdown. He did something almost as meaningful. He made the Steelers ache.

Even as he ran between the tackles, Henry got off big, galloping gains — according to Next Gen Stats, his seven “explosive” runs were the most by an NFL back this season. He refused to settle, grinding out 76 yards after contact against a revered defensive line with T.J. Watt and Heyward as its stalwarts.

Coach John Harbaugh credited the coaching staff with using Pittsburgh’s own aggressiveness against it when running up the gut, but it’s Henry who makes these schemes click.

“We have a great runner, so it starts with that,” Harbaugh said. “The ability to come downhill was important to us in this game.”

In Week 11 in Pittsburgh, Henry left a lot to be desired, and nobody was more disappointed than he was. He had 13 carries for 65 yards, including a fumble on his second tote of the game. He called it unacceptable in the moments after that loss. In victory, though, Henry made sure he put a better foot forward.

“The emphasis all week was just finish,” he said. “We know that, if we didn’t turn the ball over or have any self-inflicted wounds, [we’d] give ourselves a chance to win the game, and I think we did that a lot last game.”

It was all the more necessary after a second-quarter play when his third-down counterpart, Justice Hill, landed on his head and appeared to lose consciousness on the sideline. The scary moment was somewhat salved when Hill walked to the locker room without assistance, but he was quickly ruled out of the game.

It’s folly to say Henry is the Ravens’ (or the NFL’s) MVP in a year when Lamar Jackson has thrown 37 touchdowns, more than any other quarterback as of Saturday night. But, after his performance in a game as close to playoff stakes, environment and temperature as Saturday night, it makes sense that Henry could be the force that propels Baltimore over the top this season.

In 2019, the Ravens were flattened by him. In 2024, like a Mark Andrews tush push, he’s throwing his weight behind them, getting them over the line.

We’ve seen that this team can be frustrating and flawed, but at its best — when Henry is on the loose and wreaking havoc on tacklers — there’s no better offense in this league. The threat of Henry opens up the passing game. It gives offensive coordinator Todd Monken the freedom to run just about any play he wishes.

Henry might just be the key to the whole damn thing, the piece that unlocks the puzzle that has dogged Baltimore in the Jackson era.

The road to the Super Bowl doesn’t necessarily come through Baltimore this postseason, but it likely veers somewhere cold. The biggest factor in the Ravens’ favor compared to last year is that, along with whatever wind and snow they might face, Derrick Henry will bring his own force to bear, too.

“I mean, when you feed a guy like that, and he’s eating,” Andrews said, “where else do you need to go to?”