ExtremeRavens Posted 6 hours ago Posted 6 hours ago The Ravens were left despondent in the aftermath of a 27-22 loss to the Steelers on Sunday, having let slip a winnable must-win game. Here are five things we learned from the AFC North showdown: Two feet down in the end zone sometimes isn’t enough To directly criticize a referee is (often) a nonstarter. Players and coaches know such scrutiny is subject to a fine. So they danced around answering for a controversial call that could define this season’s home stretch: Tight end Isaiah Likely caught the fourth-quarter go-ahead touchdown with under three minutes remaining — and officials overturned it. NFL vice president of instant replay Mark Butterman explained that Likely needed a third step in the end zone while maintaining control of the football. He told the pool reporter that Likely had his right then left foot down with control. “Then the third step,” Butterman explained, “is an act common to the game, and before he could get the third foot down, the ball was ripped out.” Officials disallowed the touchdown. It sucked the life out of M&T Bank Stadium, which burst with more pep than it had in weeks. Did the Ravens think it was a touchdown? There was a politician’s approach, masking confusion and frustration, in how they handled the most pressing question of the night. Coach John Harbaugh, when asked if he believed it was a clean play, said, “You know what, I believe a lot of things.” He made no other mention of Likely, pivoting to his understanding of a comparable rule for another call that favored Pittsburgh, which was Teddye Buchanan’s overturned interception minutes earlier. “They made a call,” Likely said, “and we have to live with what the referees say at the end of the day.” That sums up the response from much of the locker room. In some form or another, they all said, “It’s not my decision.” Wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins waited until reporters cleared out to share his frustration on social media in a since-deleted post: “13 years in this league, how many steps do you need in the end zone for a TD?” That play might haunt the Ravens. It will be hotly debated in Baltimore bars for weeks to come. Images of Joey Porter Jr. popping the ball loose from Likely’s white gloves will circulate Ravens group chats until the end of time — much like his big toe from Week 1 in Kansas City last year, or more recently, his goal-line fumble last week. And yet, Likely’s overturned touchdown wasn’t the only referee ruling worthy of inquiry. In the second quarter, the Steelers lined up for a chip-shot field goal that would have made it a 10-point game. It was called back and Pittsburgh was awarded an automatic first down for unnecessary roughness against Ravens defensive tackle Travis Jones, who, according to referee Alex Moore, made contact with the snapper and “ran him over.” Moore told the pool reporter afterward that “it does not necessarily matter who is contacted first,” the center or the left guard, but “the snapper is still by rule a defenseless player.” Thus, one official deemed Jones’ forcible contact unnecessary against a defenseless player. Jones neglected to criticize: “That’s above my pay grade,” he said. The Steelers moved up 15 yards and scored a touchdown the very next play. By the final quarter, the Ravens crawled back within striking distance. Pittsburgh led by six with about seven minutes remaining. Rodgers’ pass was batted down at the line of scrimmage. It landed somewhere between his arms and Buchanan’s. The rookie linebacker wrestled it loose. What was thought to be their first turnover of the day set the home sideline ablaze. Officials called it an interception until they watched it back. Butterworth explained the offense had “initial control of the ball and ended up being down by contact.” Nuances of NFL officiating are confusing. The rulebook, if printed out, would resemble an old phone book. Sunday taught the Ravens a few new wrinkles in the rules, but they learned the hard way. The Ravens have no more room for error Jackson sat hunched over in his locker. A white ski mask covered the better part of his head, leaving some breathing room for his eyes, which stared intently at nothing in front of him. Jackson had already changed out of his cleats and into slides. He wasn’t ready to take off the pads or jersey and concede this night over. Jackson later described his frustration to be “through the roof.” Harbaugh planted himself in the adjacent stall, leaning over to console his star quarterback. Those two were supposed to author what would have been the Ravens’ third Super Bowl in as many decades. Instead, they shared the far corner of the home locker room 14 weeks into the season and confronted collapse. What exactly was said, we’ll never know. Jackson revealed only that his coach encouraged him “to just stay locked in.” With Sunday’s loss, Baltimore’s playoff odds plummeted from what would have been 75% with a win, according to The New York Times’ simulator, to now 31%. ESPN has them even further out of contention. “Four games left,” Harbaugh said. “The season is not over.” Ravens coach John Harbaugh shakes hands with Steelers coach Mike Tomlin following an AFC North showdown in Baltimore. Pittsburgh prevailed, 22-17. (Karl Merton Ferron/Staff) The Ravens have a rematch with the Bengals next weekend in Cincinnati. They’ll head to Green Bay to face the playoff-bound Packers. Then the Patriots, who own the NFL’s best record, come to town before a season finale in Pittsburgh. It’s an uphill climb that complicates Baltimore’s road to a third straight AFC North title. The Ravens could ill afford to lose two of three straight divisional games. Against the Bengals on Thanksgiving, “it was turnovers” that lost them the game. Five, to be specific. “But this one here,” Jackson said, “I don’t know what happened.” They had a chance late. The Ravens reclaimed possession with two minutes left and one timeout at their own 26-yard line. Sixty-one seconds later, they were stuck in the same spot, having burnt the timeout. Both Harbaugh and Jackson used the word “chaotic” to describe the final drive. A few chunk plays pushed them to Pittsburgh’s 30-yard line. On the final play, eyes upfield toward the end zone, hoping for a miracle, Jackson scrambled. He’d already been sacked once. Steelers linebacker Alex Highsmith took a wide angle and corralled Jackson before the buzzer. The clock hit triple zeros with the quarterback on his butt. “I feel like each and every week there’s no room for error,” Jackson said. Now more than ever. Jackson ended his drought. It still wasn’t enough. It had been three months since his last rushing score, Week 1 against Buffalo. Jackson had failed to score, with his legs or his arm, since Week 10 in Minnesota, which was a month ago. The two-time NFL Most Valuable Player’s snowballing struggles raised eyebrows about his health. That led to questions concerning Jackson’s ability to lead a playoff push. On Sunday, an imperfect performance offered some optimism. Jackson looked a bit more nimble than he has of late. There were designed runs. “I felt like I was moving pretty well,” he said. And fewer head-scratching throws compared to recent weeks. Harbaugh thought he “played really well.” Jackson threw for 219 yards with one touchdown and an interception. He also picked up 43 yards on seven carries. That second-quarter do-it-himself touchdown allowed Ravens fans everywhere, full of angst about their quarterback’s recent stretch, to sigh a bit of relief. A funny thing happened on the other side of halftime. The Ravens had the ball down in the red zone, which no longer guarantees points. Keaton Mitchell set them up nicely with a 55-yard rush. Three players later, Jackson dropped back to pass. Then he crept up near the line of scrimmage. A confident forward step forced Pittsburgh’s defense, specifically a spying linebacker Patrick Queen, to bite just a smidge. That opened a lane for Likely in the back of the end zone, where the tight end who didn’t just get paid a hefty extension caught his first touchdown of the year. Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson used his legs well against the Steelers, but his efforts still weren't enough in a 27-22 loss. Jackson finished with 43 rushing yards and a score on seven carries. (Karl Merton Ferron/Staff) On a day the Ravens needed the offense to click, Jackson normally would have relied on his security blanket, Mark Andrews. Rather, it was Zay Flowers whom he went back to again and again. Flowers was targeted 11 times. He caught eight of them and dropped one, totaling 124 yards. That’s Flowers’ best outing since Week 1. Jackson thrice found him on a long ball for at least 30 yards. “It was what we’ve come to expect in how he plays,” Harbaugh. He’ll need to be even sharper moving forward. It’s the only thing that can keep this season from spiraling. Aaron Rodgers turns back time Rodgers hadn’t completed a downfield pass since Week 8. The 42-year-old quarterback either misfired or threw an interception every time he uncorked one with at least 20 yards of air distance. His backup, Mason Rudolph, failed, too. On Sunday, Pittsburgh’s drought ended rather quickly. DK Metcalf burned cornerback Marlon Humphrey up the right sideline on the offense’s first play. Rodgers caught him in stride for a 52-yard pickup on a drive that ended in Rodgers’ first rushing touchdown in two years. The old guy’s still got it — apparently. Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers runs into the end zone untouched against the Ravens in the first quarter of Pittsburgh's 27-22 win. (Kenneth K. Lam/Staff) Rodgers targeted Metcalf 12 times. The 27-year-old, two-time Pro Bowl selection caught seven (three deep balls) for 148 yards. That’s the best outing any receiver has had against Baltimore’s secondary so far this season. In all, Rodgers threw for 284 yards. Baltimore’s secondary had its share of highlights. Humphrey got Metcalf back with a pair of crucial pass breakups, one in the end zone and another on third down in the game’s waning minutes. But the Ravens’ defensive backs, who have locked down respectable pass attempts in recent weeks and arrived Sunday at full strength, got picked apart by Rodgers. The Steelers knew this game had do-or-die implications, too. And they ended Baltimore’s run of seven straight games forcing a turnover. “We knew what was on the line today,” Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said. “That’s why you go do business with a guy like Aaron. Thick days, like today, he’s a been there, done that guy. Beyond the experience component of it, he relishes it. You can just tell. That’s the benefit of having a guy like him.” ‘The AFC North is the mid division’ One team has to make the playoffs. Thems the rules. So here’s a question worth chewing on: Through 14 weeks, which team — Ravens, Steelers, Bengals or Browns — looks best equipped to make the playoffs? And which looks most ready to win a playoff game? They’re probably different answers. The former now appears to be the Steelers, who stole sole possession of first place in the AFC North with four games left on the schedule. The latter is up for debate, but just might be the Bengals, whose odds to reach the postseason are seemingly out of reach. By that logic, the team representing the hardened AFC North, a division that prides itself on toughness and sustained success, described by Ravens safety Kyle Hamilton as “the purest form of football,” might be represented by a team with single-digit wins. Before Sunday, none of the four were above .500. Now, the Steelers are 7-6. The Ravens are below .500. The 4-9 Bengals lost a shootout in snowy Orchard Park, New York, against the Bills, letting slip their last chance at a miracle climb up the standings. And the Browns are the Browns (3-10). “It’s weird,” Humphrey said last week. “Maybe I’m on ESPN a little too much, and I guess the AFC North is the mid division. I think that’s not normal, but it is two teams that literally can control their own narrative.” Much of this season’s home stretch consists of the four teams duking it out. The Ravens will see Cincinnati and Pittsburgh once more each. Both the Steelers and Bengals have another game against the Browns. Amidst the handshake line after the final whistle on Sunday, CBS cameras followed Tomlin. The Steelers coach blew a fat kiss to the camera. It was reported before kickoff that the Steelers won’t fire Tomlin no matter how this season ends. It’s never a good sign when that has to be verbalized. Still, it’s his team, which hadn’t won a road game since September, that now has the leg up in the North. Have a news tip? Contact Sam Cohn at scohn@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/samdcohn. View the full article Quote
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