The Ravens fell to the Pittsburgh Steelers, 16-13, at M&T Financial Institution Arena on “Sunday Night Football.”

The Steelers’ win maintains them to life in the playoff chase. With the Ravens’ playoff ticket already punched, the loss does not transform a lot for them, except they no longer control their very own destiny in the race for the AFC North title.

If the Bengals defeated the Costs on “Monday Night Football,” Cincinnati wins the division crown and also a higher seed. If not, the Ravens and also Bengals will have a winner-take-all game in Week 18 in Cincinnati.

The Steelers flipped the script, cracked Baltimore’s run defense.

When these two groups fulfilled simply three weeks back, Baltimore trampled the Steelers on the ground to the tune of 215 rushing lawns. Steelers Head Train Mike Tomlin probably burnt that game tape right into his gamers’ heads, challenging them to punch back.

This moment, the Steelers accumulated 198 hurrying backyards and also held Baltimore to 120. As Ravens Head Coach John Harbaugh claimed afterwards, “they turned the script.”

Steelers running back Najee Harris ended up being the first player to run for 100 yards this season versus the Ravens. It came against a Baltimore protection that went into the game permitting simply 87.5 hurrying lawns per video game, the third-best mark in the league.

There’s no question that the Ravens really felt the lack of Calais Campbell, who missed his second straight game because of a knee injury. He seemed near to playing after a pregame workout but couldn’t. The run defense also simply obtained put on down by an onslaught of 41 runs, Harris’ physical style, as well as the reality that two straight fourth-quarter three-and-outs by the crime put them right back on the field.

It’s not time to seem the alarm system on the Ravens’ run protection, but this was a gut check this unit won’t fail to remember. The locker space was as quiet and distressed as any this season.

Asked to explain his feelings, linebacker Patrick Queen stated, “Pissed off.”

” We got our (curse) whupped,” he stated. “We didn’t play excellent football. We really did not interact sufficient. We weren’t physical sufficient. We simply obtained whupped.”

The Ravens’ offense didn’t run the game out.

The Ravens were no slouches running the round either. J.K. Dobbins almost struck 100 lawns once again. However the Ravens never ever got their 1-2 strike going with him and also Gus Edwards, as well as the most frustrating part was they really did not run it successfully when it mattered most.

With a 13-9 lead, the Ravens went three-and-out on back-to-back fourth-quarter drives. Adhering To a 56-yard Justice Hillside kickoff return, they simply required a few yards to possibly get factors. Instead, Dobbins was hit for a 2-yard loss and also the drive ended up in the negative. On the 2nd three-and-out Dobbins and also the line was packed on third-and-2.

The means the Ravens have actually been running the ball recently, it seemed like they might run against any person, anytime. The Steelers, who went into the game with one of the most effective run defenses, showed they were up to the job. They placed an additional protective electrician in the game and crashed their outside linebackers off the sides– relatively unafraid of much else beating them.

” We must have done a much better task of striking that for certain,” Harbaugh stated. “We allow them do what they want; it wasn’t great.”

Taking into consideration the state of the Ravens’ death attack now, Baltimore can not manage to stub its toe– also if just in some key circumstances– and also expect to win. The defense can’t maintain the challenger out of the end zone every week.

Mark Andrews got cranked up, but the wide receivers not so much.

Mark Andrews isn’t a various player this year than last, and also his competitiveness seems to be at an all-time high.

However there’s no refuting that part of the Ravens’ offending problems has been missed links with its Pro Dish limited end. Andrews is such a major part of the crime, and also he hadn’t topped 63 getting backyards in any of his past eight video games.

That changed Sunday evening, as Andrews logged 100 receiving backyards on 9 catches. He captured every pass that came his method, as the Ravens leaned on him in crucial scenarios.

A beast pass receiver isn’t walking through the doors for the playoff run. If the Ravens’ passing away strike is going to heat up, it’s going to require even more games such as this from Andrews.

The Ravens are also mosting likely to require a lot more from the existing pass receivers. Baltimore’s wideouts (Demarcus Robinson and DeSean Jackson) completed just two catches for 18 yards on 5 targets.

Asked that he was seeking on the game-ending interception, Tyler Huntley claimed, “Simply somebody. [I was] looking for somebody to try as well as just make a play.”

Kenny Pickett could be a headache for years to come.

Ben Roethlisberger dealt the Ravens sufficient headaches throughout the years. Kenny Pickett is far from being in the exact same course as Roethlisberger yet, however it was clear Sunday evening that the novice quarterback has comparable moxie and also is capable of tearing his opponent’s heart out.

The Ravens had Pickett competing his life on various occasions, yet he typically found an open receiver to prevent problem. No toss was prettier than his game-winner, as he flung a perfectly-placed 10-yard touchdown to Harris as he scrambled to his left.

Pickett completed 15-of-27 for 168 yards as well as one touchdown. He didn’t transform the ball over. Those aren’t sparkling numbers, however he got a win in shaking M&T Bank Stadium on primetime television. That’s one that will certainly stick to him for a long time, as well as could be an inflection factor in the next phases of this storied competition.

Extra Points

While the run protection clearly missed out on Campbell, the Ravens secondary should have kudos for the means it stepped up for a second-straight game without Marcus Peters (calf bone). The Steelers’ top three targets of wide receivers Diontae Johnson, George Pickens as well as tight end Pat Freiermuth combined for 8 catches for 105 yards. Brandon Stephens made a superb play separating a goal-line discolor to Pickens on the Steelers’ first drive to compel a basket. Chuck Clark and also others also had strong days in coverage.

The Ravens’ red-zone woes continued offense. They might have gone 0-for-2 had Cam Heyward not bailed them out with a foolish unneeded roughness charge that provided Baltimore brand-new life. Credit History Tyler Huntley and rookie limited end Isaiah Likely for taking advantage of with a rather touchdown pass with 7 seconds left, yet it still has to be far better overall. For a second-straight week, the Ravens did not hand the round off to a running back while at a loss area.

Dobbins continues to look much better with each video game. He’s averaging 99.3 yards per game in the 4 games considering that returning from his midseason surgical treatment. Dobbins has encountered the Steelers three times in his young career. He’s run for 113 yards, 120 yards, and 93 yards.

Baltimore’s protection really did not force a turn over and had a tipped pass flutter to the lawn in between several protectors late in the game. Just as good as the Ravens’ protection is, turn overs have been the distinction in games won and lost.

Ravens-Steelers video games have actually been chosen by three or fewer factors in four straight matches and 18 of 30 since 2008. Generally, it’s a handful of plays that make the difference and also this was no different.

The Ravens might have knocked the Steelers out of the playoff quest and also ensured their first shedding season under Tomlin. Currently, to make the playoffs, the Steelers need to simply win their period finale in the house against the Browns, the Jets to beat the Dolphins (that may be down to their third-string quarterback), as well as the Bills to defeat the Patriots.

With Baltimore’s loss as well as the Los Angeles Chargers’ win, the Ravens currently sit in the No. 6 seed of the AFC playoffs. If they don’t win the department and also the Chargers defeat the Broncos in Week 18, the Ravens will face the Chiefs, Costs or Bengals in the Wild-Card round. Baltimore truly wants an opportunity to win the AFC North next week. “We’re rooting for the Costs [on Monday night] for sure,” Dobbins stated.

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Last Updated:  2 January 2023