Ravens studs and duds from Week 13 loss against Steelers

4. Anthony Averett, CB, Ravens

It must be difficult to stand out next to Marlon Humphrey, but Averett stood out in the worst way.

Averett has started in Baltimore’s defensive backfield in place of the injured Marcus Peters this season, but his performance against the Steelers left much to be desired.

Throughout the game, he struggled in coverage, missed tackles, and got called for a pass interference penalty that negated a Patrick Queen interception late in the fourth quarter.

Cornerback is one of the hardest positions to play and Averett has been targeted more due to his relative inexperience, but he’s clearly the weak link in the secondary.

Hopefully, he gets better, especially with Humphrey likely done for the season.

5. Ravens’ defense (fourth quarter)

This is more of a caveat dud than anything — the Ravens’ defense performed well for three quarters against the Steelers, allowing just three points.

Then, in the fourth quarter, the defense folded and gave up 17 points.

Pittsburgh didn’t really change their offensive game plan, so it comes down to Baltimore not having the close-out mentality needed to ice the game.

Part of the Ravens’ fourth-quarter slump could be attributed to injuries and an overall feeling of sluggishness. The Ravens had grinded their way to gritty victories before, and maybe they just got tired of it. There’s only so much this Ravens roster can take.

And that is the theme of Baltimore’s Week 13 loss: overcoming adversity up until the point they couldn’t.

The Ravens’ luck has finally run out, and at a terrible time, too — their defeat to the Steelers has huge divisional and playoff implications and shakes up the AFC North even more.

Thanks to the Cincinnati Bengals’ loss, Baltimore still remains at the top of the AFC North, but this game could be just the beginning of the Ravens’ impending downfall.

A loss like this was bound to happen. It was only a matter of when.