Baltimore Ravens: Ranking all 5 losses from least to most frustrating

2. Let it slip away at home vs. Steelers:

The Steelers beat the Ravens twice this season and the first time is way more frustrating than the second. This game was the opposite of the battle in New England. In New England Jackson played well enough to win and the team around him failed. Against the Steelers, the Ravens had it. Lamar Jackson supplied the Steelers with two defensive touchdowns and a costly red-zone fumble. With four turnovers the Ravens lost 28-24.

The Ravens had control of the game at one point, turnovers and mistakes just let it slip away. The Ravens outgained the Steelers 457 yards to 221. Baltimore had 79 plays on offense and a huge advantage in time of possession. If you took away either the four takeaways or the nine penalties against the Ravens, the Steelers would have lost. That’s why this game can keep Baltimore fans up at night. The purple and black outplayed their top rival in a lot of ways. They still lost the game.

At the end of this game, it felt like the Ravens had given it to the Steelers. The Steelers got away with one. Ben Roethlisberger only had 182 passing yards. Pittsburgh only ran for 48 yards. The Steelers got a ton of help from the officials. Some of the calls were honest, others were at least highly controversial.

Jackson had a very bad day at the office. There’s just no getting around that. When the criticism is fair, it has to be applied to the franchise quarterback. Jackson literally gifted the Steelers 14 points and made mistakes that took away scoring chances for the Ravens.

Take away just one of the turnovers and the Steelers may not have won this game. Frustration isn’t a heavy enough word for how this game made Ravens fans feel. Winning this game could have been a season-changing experience.