5 days Ago By Mike Preston
Here’s how the Ravens (7-4) graded out at every position after an (8-2) on Sunday at Acrisure Stadium: Lamar Jackson had an off day. He missed open receivers and seemed lost when pressured. Pittsburgh controlled him with a lot of four-man rushes and got a lot of pressure from the outside with outside linebackers Elandon Roberts and T.
J. Watt. Jackson completed 16 of 33 passes for 207 yards but had an interception and finished with a passer rating of 66.
1. Neither he nor the offense were in sync. Pittsburgh has won eight of nine against the Ravens, and Jackson is 1-4 as a starter.
Until proven otherwise, the Steelers own him. I figured the Ravens would run Derrick Henry more, but that apparently wasn’t in the game plan. Henry rushed 13 times for 65 yards and had a long of 31, but Pittsburgh appeared ready, crashing the line of scrimmage with safeties and cornerbacks.
Pittsburgh was committed to not getting beat by Henry or allowing Jackson to throw a lot out of the pocket. Hill had two carries for 13 yards and four receptions for 28, but the possible reception turned into an interception by Payton Wilson in the fourth quarter was a game-changer. The Ravens had 329 yards of offense, but it was a quiet 329 yards.
The Ravens didn’t have good balance, with 19 rushing plays compared with 33 passes. Jackson was sacked twice but pressured six other times. Both tackles, Ronnie Stanley and Roger Rosengarten, struggled on the outside and left guard Patrick Mekari was called at least twice for illegally being downfield.
The Ravens were also penalized 12 times for 80 yards, with the offensive line a frequent culprit. The Ravens averaged 12.9 yards a reception and they got decent performances from tight end Isaiah Likely (4 catches, 75 yards) and slot receiver Zay Flowers (2 catches, 39 yards, TD), but the Ravens also had a couple of key drops.
Like the rest of this group, the Ravens have to find a rhythm. A key to this offense is Jackson moving around and allowing his receivers to get open, but Pittsburgh kept the pressure on Jackson and receivers struggled with Jackson under pressure. Tight end Mark Andrews only had two catches for 22 yards with a long of 14.
The Steelers kicked six field goals but they pounded the Ravens’ defensive line, rushing 34 times for 122 yards. Harris had 63 yards on 18 carries and Warren had 41 on nine, and Pittsburgh controlled the middle of the Ravens’ defensive line and the perimeter. Despite Pittsburgh’s small-ball passing game, this group got after the Ravens pretty well even though tackles Nnamdi Madubuike and Broderick Washington finished with five tackles each.
Outside linebacker Odafe Oweh had five tackles, including 2 1/2 sacks. Fellow outside linebacker Kyle Van Noy had a decent game rushing the passer and forced quarterback Russell Wilson to move several times. Weakside linebacker Malik Harrison had six tackles and Trenton Simpson had five, but Pittsburgh found success running off the edges in the second half.
Middle linebacker Roquan Smith led the Ravens in tackles with 13 but had trouble slipping and getting off blockers before exiting with a hamstring injury. Regardless, this group turned in a decent game. Wilson completed 23 of 36 passes for 205 yards, and it was interesting that the Ravens couldn’t slow him down.
Pittsburgh either went with quick passes to receiver George Pickens or over the middle to tight end Darnell Washington, who averaged 21 yards a catch on two receptions. Tre’Davious White played well, even though he should have been called twice for pass interference on Pickens, but at least he gives the Ravens options at cornerback. Safety Ar’Darius Washington had 11 tackles and Kyle Hamilton had 10.
Cornerback Brandon Stephens had five tackles including half a sack, but he did give up a 37-yard reception to Pickens in the second half. Regardless, Pittsburgh didn’t play bombs away against this group. Related Articles Justin Tucker missed field goals of 47 and 50 yards, both of which were wide left.
Tucker converted on a 54-yard attempt in the third quarter but that won’t stop all the questions about his leg strength for the rest of the year. The Ravens were fortunate that punter Jordan Stout had a good day, averaging 54.3 yards on six punts, including a long of 70 yards.
I wasn’t thrilled by Keaton Mitchell returning kickoffs but I have a better appreciation of him now as he returned three kickoffs for 79 yards. Those missed field goals should have been a turning point for the Ravens. It seems coach John Harbaugh comes up with some silly decisions every game.
On the 2-point conversion attempt that could have tied the game, the Ravens showed the play as Pittsburgh called timeout. Instead of changing up, the Ravens ran Jackson to the left instead of to the right. Huh? Not smart.
It also wasn’t smart for Harbaugh to attempt to move the ball down the field in the final minute of the first half, with a short pass to Likely turning into a fumble and three Pittsburgh points. The offense never got into a rhythm, but at least the defense played well enough to win, even though the Ravens allowed 303 yards of total offense..
