3 takeaways from Ravens Week 18 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers

3. Ravens defense once again faltered late

You could argue that the defensive side of the ball was hit the hardest by injuries. Each position was gashed and the front office at times was struggling to get enough bodies on the field.

At one point in the game, the Ravens had no healthy cornerbacks on the field and the only edge rushers available were Jaylon Ferguson and Justin Houston.

Late in the third quarter, the Ravens suffered another devasting loss with their best edge rusher, Tyus Bowser, to a torn Achilles. Regardless, the defense had several opportunities in the final two games to get off the field. However, they faltered both times.

In overtime against the Steelers, the defense forced multiple third downs and a fourth down at midfield. The Ravens failed to get off the field.

Just like in the first game, Ben Roethlisberger struggled in the first three quarters but then suddenly got hot against this defense. He missed very few throws in the fourth quarter and in overtime and led the Steelers to multiple scoring drives.

Even though the Ravens were heavily decimated by injuries, it was still disappointing to see their defense’s inability to close the game.

It feels like the story of this season will be defined by two words: “injuries” and “almost.”