ExtremeRavens Posted Monday at 12:48 AM Posted Monday at 12:48 AM PITTSBURGH — The secret is no longer a secret. If an opposing team has a good defensive line and athletic defensive backs, then the Ravens are beatable. It had already happened three times this season and it happened again Sunday in Baltimore’s 18-16 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers before a crowd of 67,551 at Arcrisure Stadium. The victory put Pittsburgh in first place in the AFC North but more importantly, a blueprint has been put out for knocking off the Ravens. The Kansas City Chiefs did it to open the season, followed by the Las Vegas Raiders and later the Cleveland Browns. What do they all have in common? The Chiefs have stud defensive tackle Chris Jones, the Raiders have defensive end Maxx Crosby and Cleveland has Myles Garrett on one end and Dalvin Tomlinson in the middle. Then came the Steelers. They have Cameron Heyward in the middle and T.J. Watt on the outside. Most teams like to blitz or bring pressure, but Pittsburgh can get consistent pressure with their front four. It drives Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson a little nutty. “It’s been that way ever since last year, I believe, going back to the AFC championship game — we killed ourselves,” Jackson said of the Ravens’ penalties and turnovers. “The Chiefs game [in] the [season] opener, we killed ourselves. [The] Raiders [game], we killed ourselves, and today, it’s the same thing. We can’t be beating ourselves in these types of games. We have to find a way to fix that — it’s annoying.” But Jackson also needs to give these teams credit. They can control him with four players, and the Steelers usually remain disciplined. Sunday’s game got a little sloppy with the teams being penalized 19 times for 125 yards, but good teams, especially in the postseason, get good pressure with their front four. Jackson was sacked twice Sunday but was pressured or hit six other times. The Ravens’ best play is always when Jackson runs around and allows his receivers to get open, but that wasn’t the case Sunday. He had six passes batted down, including two at the line of scrimmage by Heyward. Pittsburgh’s eight victories in the past nine meetings between the teams have come by a touchdown or less. It’s like a new TV series: “Lamar Under Wraps.” He panicked and made some poor decisions throwing back into the middle of the field and even once attempting a pass when he was already out of bounds. But this isn’t just about Jackson. The Ravens thrive on their strong running game, which sets up the play-action passing attack and run-pass options with Jackson and running back Derrick Henry. Henry had only 65 yards on 13 carries and Jackson completed just 16 of 33 passes for 207 yards and one touchdown. He finished with a passer rating of 66.1. “Yeah, it’s big,” said Steelers linebacker Patrick Queen, a former Raven who led his team with 10 tackles. “Just being on that side and coming to this side is big. Knowing what Lamar can do, knowing what the offense can do, especially with all the weapons and how much older everyone is now. It’s not that young Ravens team anymore. “It’s definitely a huge game. You know how this division goes and how it turns out. I think our defense went out there and trusted us to do our job. Nobody tried to do anything different. Nobody tried to be Superman. We just went out there and trusted each other and balled.” The Steelers bothered Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson on Sunday, keeping the two-time MVP out of a rhythm. (Matt Freed/AP) The Ravens had 329 yards of total offense but never found a rhythm. They couldn’t pound the ball because Pittsburgh often crashed the line of scrimmage with cornerbacks and safeties took away the Ravens’ famed toss play to Henry. The Ravens were only 4 of 11 on third down, and most teams strive to be near 50%. Pittsburgh controlled the clock for 36:22 compared with 23:38 for the Ravens. The Ravens couldn’t stay on the field. Heyward had four tackles with one quarterback hurry. Watt had three tackles with one sack and two pressures on Jackson. Nose tackle Keeanu Benton had three tackles and end Larry Ogunjobi had five to lead all the linemen. That’s a pretty good day. Against the Ravens, that’s excellent because it takes them out of their offense. Pass protection is not the Ravens’ forte. Jackson, though, was more concerned with the penalties and the turnovers. The Ravens were flagged 12 times for 80 yards. They lost two fumbles and threw one interception. “It’s annoying. We’re busting our behinds just like anybody else,” Jackson said. “We’re trying to put points on the board, and we’re getting costly penalties each and every drive. Every time we were out there, I believe there was almost a penalty each and every drive — that’s crazy. But it’s a part of football. We just have to overcome it and put points on the board.” There might also be some pressure mentally because the Steelers have dominated this series recently. “If anything, we’re just too hyped at the beginning,” Jackson said. “Because I believe when we settle down, we start making things happen. In this type of game, it’s a momentum game, it was swinging for both teams. And those guys had the best swing at the end.” It was more like a punch, one that landed squarely in the gut. Have a news tip? Contact Mike Preston at epreston@baltsun.com, 410-332-6467 and x.com/MikePrestonSun. View the full article Quote
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