Baltimore Ravens: Who was at fault vs. Pittsburgh Steelers
After last night’s loss, there were a lot of fingers pointed at the Baltimore Ravens. Who was to blame?
The Baltimore Ravens’ offense exploded for 38 points, how did they still lose? It was a heartbreaking loss for the Ravens. Not many people expected them to win except for most of Baltimore. They had a victory at their fingertip, and let it slip right through.
Even though everyone on the team is responsible for the loss, there were definitely a few players and units that deserved most of the blame. Let’s take a look at who’s mostly at fault, and who isn’t.
Who’s to blame
Brandon Carr
This one is obvious. Carr just flat out could not keep up with Antonio Brown. Brown is an excellent receiver but he wasn’t doing anything special besides outrunning Carr. Carr has played well all year but this wasn’t his type of game. He doesn’t have the speed to keep up with any of the Steelers’ receivers.
Two throws from Flacco
Look, Joe Flacco played great. He played almost as well as I could have hoped for. However, there were two specific plays on offense that essentially costed the Ravens points. The interception on the first drive was bad. There were better throws to get the first down. Even if they didn’t get the first, Justin Tucker is near automatic for a field goal.
Must Read: Ravens lose on Sunday Night Football 39-38: The good, the bad, the ugly
There was another bad play, the big 40-yard pass to Mike Wallace. You might ask, how was this a bad play? Well, it wasn’t. However, Flacco under-threw Wallace badly, causing Wallace to stop to come back and get the ball. If Flacco leads him, it is a definite touchdown. No one was catching Wallace at that point. It isn’t fair to Joe for his name to be on here but those two plays were huge.
C.J. Mosley (Pass Coverage)
The Ravens did a solid job at shutting down Le’Veon Bell and the Steelers run game, Bell only averaged 3.7 yards per carry. Inside linebacker C.J. Mosley played a huge role in that. But, it was in pass coverage where the Alabama graduate faltered. Steelers’ tight ends combined for 14 catches for 149 yards. When Antonio Brown was covered, the middle of the field was wide open for Big Ben.
Pass rush
The guys up front just didn’t show up. Big Ben threw the ball 66 times and was only sacked three times. On Tyus Bowser’s sack, Ben had all day to throw but held the ball too long. The other sack came on a blitz by Anthony Levine. The lack of pass rush up front forced Dean Pees to blitz more and take safeties away from coverage help and that’s when Antonio Brown went off.
Who’s not to blame
Alex Collins
I know it was tough to lose, but I was so happy for Alex Collins. Everyone got to see how special he really is on a national stage. The Steelers were without Ryan Shazier and Collins took advantage of that. He ran all over the Steelers, getting the corner and turning it up. He broke a lot of tackles and extended runs. This was his breakout game and hopefully, that continues.
Offensive Line
Man, these guys continue to exceed expectations. After losing Rick Wagner to free agency along with Alex Lewis and Marshal Yanda to injury, these guys have stepped up. They were fantastic in run blocking, especially Austin Howard and Matt Skura on the right side. Ronnie Stanley did well in pass protection, but T.J. Watt did manage to get by him one time. Overall, it was an outstanding game by this unit who continues to impress despite everything.
Marlon Humphrey
The rookie stepped up. Ravens fans’ were worried about Humphrey on Brown but it ended up being the complete opposite. It turns out Brandon Carr was the one who ended up struggling. Humphrey did a fantastic job and locked every receiver that came to his side. He played physical football and made open field tackles. We have a rising star at the cornerback position.
The Bottom Line
It is unfair to point fingers. This is a team sport and it’s not one players’ fault. It was a disappointing loss, but the Ravens are still in the driver’s seat. Although they technically got knocked out of the sixth and final wild-card spot, they still control their own destiny. If they win out, they are in. That’s entirely possible given their remaining schedule. They also own tiebreakers over many of the other wild-card hopefuls in the AFC.
Next: Five Takeaways from the Ravens’ 39-38 loss to Steelers
We all want to see the Ravens win every game but as long as they get into January, that’s when it means the most. Hopefully, we get to see a rematch of Sunday Night’s game in about a month.