Week 11 held a big test for the Baltimore Ravens. Entering their game as the NFL’s top offensive team, John Harbaugh’s squad was up against a familiar foe in the Pittsburgh Steelers. Besides the storied rivalry at play and how the game would eventually determine who ran the AFC North moving forward, the Steelers boast one of the league’s best defenses. In other words, it was a tough nut to crack for Lamar Jackson and his weapons.
That nut stayed uncracked, unfortunately. Losing the game with a final score of 18-16, the Ravens took home their fourth defeat of the season. They were held to a season-low in both points and yardage as the Steelers employed stifling coverage on every drive. To make things worse for Baltimore, they’ve now lost four straight games to their rivals in the past five years. This also puts Lamar Jackson’s record vs. Pittsburgh at 2-5.
While the Steelers weren’t really much better with the ball as Sunday’s game was a full-blown defensive affair, it doesn’t change how the Ravens’ performance was also caused by uncharacteristic mistakes on offense. To go further into detail, here’s what went wrong for the visiting team in Week 11.
Justin Tucker’s missed field goals
In games that are decided by a mere few points, every possession usually counts. And for the Ravens, Justin Tucker’s field goal attempts during the first half could’ve definitely helped had they gone through. The most accurate kicker in NFL history struggled to find his touch, going 1-of-3 to finish the afternoon.
Tucker’s two misses transpired on consecutive drives in the first quarter. Both were chances to tie, as the Ravens were just down by three on each occasion. The first was a 47-yard attempt while the other was from 50 yards out, with the ball going wide left both times.
To make things more concerning, Tucker is on pace for his worst season in terms of efficiency. Following Week 11’s game, he is now 78.9% from the field. On the bright side, Tucker’s misses have all occurred from far out. He’s still perfect from the sub-40-yard range through 11 games, so that’s at least a comforting thought.
The lack of ball security and penalties
The Ravens had trouble taking care of the football. Just in the opening drive of the game, Derrick Henry fumbled the ball while being tackled during a second down. It wasn’t Baltimore’s only fumble. With less than a minute to go before halftime, the Ravens held a one-point lead. Isaiah Likely caught a short left pass from Lamar Jackson, but Steelers linebacker Patrick Queen was able to jar the ball loose from Likely and recover it. In the ensuing drive, Pittsburgh converted a field goal to put themselves up at the half.
Another painful moment for the Ravens happened in the fourth quarter, when Jackson’s intended pass to Justice Hill was intercepted by Payton Wilson. To be fair, the pass could’ve gone either way. Wilson and Hill both had their hands on the ball, with the former wrestling it away from the latter while both fell to the ground. Still, the Ravens trailed by just five points here, and the Steelers again made a field goal in the following drive.
Oh, and as for the penalties, the Ravens committed 12 of them. That’s too many for each to be enumerated in detail, but a lot of those factored into why Baltimore had trouble gaining yardage. The result? A loss of 80 yards all in all.
John Harbaugh’s confusing endgame decision
Following a touchdown by Zay Flowers with 1:06 remaining, the Ravens needed a two-point conversion to tie. However, Lamar Jackson’s run attempt was foiled, essentially handing the game to the Steelers. One noticeable aspect of Baltimore’s final play was the absence of Derrick Henry.
While Harbaugh did indicate that a Pittsburgh timeout played a part in the decision to sideline his RB1 (per The Vault’s Sarah Ellison), it was still questionable to not insert one of the league’s best power backs for a play — a very crucial one at that — near the endzone. Henry also scored one of the Ravens’ two touchdowns during the game, so that makes it all even more confusing. This was no doubt a big “what-if” moment since it left fans to wonder what could have happened if the coaching staff had decided otherwise.
