The Ravens had been on the Steelers’ 23-yard line going through a fourth-and-2. Quarterback Lamar Jackson had simply linked with extensive receiver Nelson Agholor for 8 yards and the clock was ticking towards the tip of the primary half. A chip-shot discipline objective try from probably the most correct kicker in NFL historical past, Justin Tucker awaited.
Except, with 19 seconds left, middle Tyler Linderbaum thought he noticed linebacker Kwon Alexander cross into the impartial zone and snapped the ball to Jackson, who wasn’t anticipating it and rapidly discovered himself being chased by Steelers exterior linebacker T.J. Watt earlier than flinging a move properly over the top of receiver Zay Flowers up the proper sideline and watching it fall harmlessly to the turf in the long run zone.
Instead of just about actually taking a 13-3 result in the locker room in a recreation Baltimore had largely managed over the primary half-hour, the rating stayed, ominously, a landing aside. The plan, Ravens coach John Harbaugh stated, was to let the clock run down additional to depart no time for the Steelers however that there was a “miscommunication” within the “heat of battle.”
“That was just one of those things operationally that we just have to get better at,” Harbaugh stated.
It was solely one in every of many, and it price the Ravens in a bungling, mistake-filled recreation that they had no enterprise dropping however did, 17-10. The Steelers (3-2) have now received six of their previous seven in opposition to the Ravens (3-2), and this one had a well-known chorus to a few of these earlier showdowns with their AFC North rivals.
Or, maybe, it was one the Ravens deserved to lose, given all their self-inflicted mishaps, particularly down the stretch.
Trailing for the primary time all day, 14-10, and with simply over a minute to play, Jackson dropped again to move from his 44-yard line after having simply hit rookie Zay Flowers for a 19-yard achieve when linebacker Alex Highsmith flew into the backfield and strip-sacked the quarterback. Watt scooped up the ball and returned it to Baltimore’s 19-yard line. Chris Boswell added a 42-yard discipline objective to seal the inconceivable comeback victory in entrance of an introduced 67,272 at Acrisure Stadium, however the Ravens’ issues started lengthy earlier than that.
Clinging to a two-point lead with just below 6 minutes left within the fourth quarter, the Ravens caught a break when the Steelers’ Gunner Olszewski fumbled a punt return and cornerback Kevon Seymour recovered the ball and returned it to Pittsburgh’s 7. Only they botched their luck when on a third-and-goal from the 5-yard line, Jackson was intercepted in the long run zone by 6-foot-2 rookie cornerback Joey Porter Jr. on an tried fade to 5-foot-11 Odell Beckham Jr.
“I was just trying to get my boy a shot,” Jackson stated. “We’ve just got to get in sync — that’s all.”
That might be stated for the remainder of the group, too.
The Steelers then drove 80 yards in eight performs, with quarterback Kenny Pickett connecting with extensive receiver George Pickens down the proper sideline for a 41-yard landing previous cornerback Marlon Humphrey — making his season debut after mid-August foot surgical procedure — to provide the Steelers their first lead at 14-10 and the final rating they’d want.
“You kind of get beat sometimes when you blitz the house, and that was one of those times,” Humphrey stated. “You obviously don’t want to be on the end of the game-winner, but it happens at the corner position, so you just try to limit those to where you can contest those catches and hopefully break it up.”
It was additionally a kind of occasions when the Ravens beat themselves, once more.
As the case was of their Week 3 loss to the Indianapolis Colts, there have been ample alternatives for the Ravens to return out on prime. Again, they couldn’t get out of their very own method.
“We had opportunities,” linebacker Patrick Queen stated. “We didn’t capitalize unfortunately. Same old scenario every time. I’m pretty sick of it. Gotta clean it up.”
That included early within the fourth quarter when main 10-3 and with the ball on their 14-yard line and the group out of the blue woke up, Miles Killebrew broke by the road and blocked Jordan Stout’s punt, sending the ball out of the again of the tip zone for a security.
After Olszewski returned Stout’s 60-yard free kick 24 yards to provide the offense the ball on its 44, Pittsburgh drove 49 yards on 9 performs with Boswell connecting on a 25-yard discipline objective halfway by the quarter.
Never thoughts that within the first half, the Ravens outgained the Steelers 244-88. Or that that they had the ball for 18:24, in contrast with simply 11:36 for the Steelers. Or that they ran 43 performs to Pittsburgh’s 26 and drove into Pittsburgh territory on every of their first three possessions.
There had been different miscues, too.
Tight finish Mark Andrews dropped what would have been a 4-yard landing move from Jackson within the second quarter. One play later, extensive receiver Rashod Bateman adopted swimsuit. Baltimore settled for a 23-yard discipline objective from Justin Tucker, however on their subsequent possession and with the offense on the transfer once more, Justice Hill fumbled simply as he crossed midfield and the Steelers recovered.
It was one in every of 4 fumbles on the day by the Ravens, who’ve coughed it up 12 occasions in 5 video games, the second-most within the NFL. They misplaced six of them, together with two extra Sunday.
It didn’t assist, both, that the Ravens weren’t ready and didn’t attempt to transfer the ball on the bottom once they had the lead within the second half. Despite dashing for 100 yards within the first half, Baltimore had simply eight dashing makes an attempt for 25 yards over the ultimate two quarters and was 0-for-6 on third down. The Steelers additionally outgained them 201-91 in whole yards within the second half.
Still, that they had probabilities to win the sport, till they ran out of them.
“It just felt like at times, there was just too many things going wrong,” Andrews stated. “It’s almost like a sleeping giant, man. We need to wake up.”
Week 6
Ravens vs. Titans
Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London
Sunday, 9:30 a.m.
TV: NFL Network
Radio: 97.9 FM, 101.5 FM, 1090 AM
Line: Ravens by 4
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Source: www.bostonherald.com