John Harbaugh, Ravens Gamble Costly in Loss to Steelers
The Ravens gambled ... and lost.
Lamar Jackson threw a 6-yard touchdown pass to Sammy Watkins with 12 seconds left that pulled the Ravens to within one point against the Pittsburgh Steelers. However, Jackson could not connect with Mark Andrews on the 2-point conversion and the Ravens lost 20-19 in Week 13.
“We just didn’t execute," Jackson said. "We weren't on the same page. That's all."
Baltimore coach John Harbaugh said after the game that the Ravens had run out of cornerbacks, including Marlon Humprey, because of injuries.
The win kept the Steelers playoffs hopes alive and dropped the Ravens out of the top spot in the AFC playoffs. Baltimore is still first place in the AFC because Cincinnati lost to the Los Angeles Chargers 41-22.
Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger showed Jackson why it's so important to get rid of the ball quicker.
Jackson absorbed seven sacks and threw an interception. Meanwhile, Roethlisberger deftly avoided Baltimore's pass rush and did not have a turnover, which was a key difference in the game.
“The ball was being held, trying to push the ball downfield a little bit at times," Ravens coach John Harbaugh said. "We gave them enough time to get to him for sure. There were plenty of times where he ran out of there too and made some huge plays, extending plays. That does … We talk about that in our press conferences quite a bit. So that's kind of Lamar's a unique guy that way. [But] seven sacks are too many.”
Roethlisberger threw a 5-yard touchdown to Diontae Johnson and converted the two-point conversion with just over a minute left in the game that proved to be the game-winner.
Baltimore has scored fewer than 20 points in each of the past four games. The Ravens have also lost three consecutive times to the Steelers.
The Ravens defense had played well the entire game but the offense did not give them any support and they faded in the second half of the game. Pittsburgh scored 17 points in the fourth quarter.
Roethlisberger threw a 29-yard touchdown pass to Johnson with 14:01 that cut the Ravens' margin to 10-9 with 14:01 left in the game.
Baltimore got a 41-yard pass interference penalty on Minkah Fitzpatrick against Marquise Brown on the next possession. However, the Ravens had to settle for a 28-yard field goal by Justin Tucker.
That proved to be costly because the Steelers were able to put together the go-ahead drive,
The Ravens pulled to within one on the touchdown pass from Jackson to Watkins. However, Andrews could not haul in a short pass from Jackson on the 2-point conversion.
“[We’re] trying to win the game right there," Ravens coach John Harbaugh said. "We were pretty much out of corners at that point in time. It was an opportunity to try to win the game right there.”
Jackson was 23 of 37 for 253 yards with a touchdown and an interception for an 80.1 rating. He also ran for 55 yards on eight carries.
Jackson has thrown more interceptions over his past four games (8) than he did in his in 2019 when he was named NFL MVP when he had just six picks.
Roethlisberger completed 21 of 31 passes for 236 yards with two touchdowns and a 111.8 rating.
After Jackson threw an interception on the Ravens' opening possession, he put together one of the most successful drives of the season. He marched his team 99 yards before Devonta Freeman ran for a 3-yard score, The drive took 10 minutes and 27 seconds,
It was the first 99-yard drive in the 52 games between the two teams. It was also just the third 99-scoring drive in franchise history.
Chris Boswell managed a 53-yard field goal to cut the margin to 7-3 at the half.
The Ravens dominated the time of possession, holding the ball 23:30, compared to 6:30 for the Steelers.
The Ravens have gone four straight games without allowing a touchdown in the first half.
