With the game on the line, the Ravens couldn't make the play.
After driving 69 yards with one minute, six seconds remaining, Baltimore had a chance to tie the Steelers with a two-point conversion.
The Ravens had all the momentum, but a designed run to the left with Lamar Jackson was blown up by Pittsburgh's defense. Jackson floated a pass in a last-ditch effort, but it fell incomplete, and the Ravens lost, 18-16.
It was a huge game for Pittsburgh (8-2) and the Ravens (7-4) as the Steelers gained ground atop the AFC North standings. There were a ton of swing plays Sunday, but the two-point try might've been the biggest.
"They just stopped it," Jackson said. "They did a good job. ... We just have to get it. We just have to get that."
It's the second time a Jackson two-point conversion attempt was stopped in Pittsburgh. The Steelers also won, 20-19, in 2021 when Jackson's final pass attempt for Mark Andrews fell incomplete.
Running back Derrick Henry wasn't on the field for this year's final attempt, which came after the Steelers called a last-second timeout that halted what looked to be a Jackson run to the right.
After the timeout, the Ravens called a run left and before the snap, there looked to be some confusion between Nelson Agholor and Isaiah Likely, who were key blockers on the play.
Steelers linebacker Nick Herbig shot through a block from Agholor, getting a hand on Jackson and forcing him more into the backfield. That also hindered center Tyler Linderbaum and guard Pat Mekari from getting over on their pull blocks, leaving cornerback Joey Porter Jr. unblocked to take down Jackson.
Head Coach John Harbaugh confirmed that it wasn't a run-pass option, even though Jackson tossed the ball in desperation. It was a run all the way.
"The puller guy got caught up," center Tyler Linderbaum said. "Me and Pat [Mekari] are supposed to get around. Just got caught up. Stuff happens. Play of the game, just how the D-ends are playing, it's a tough block for the receiver there."
The failed two-point try capped a frustrating day for Jackson as he fell to 1-4 as a starter against the Steelers. Jackson had his worst game of the season, going 16-of-33 for 207 yards with an interception and a touchdown.
Jackson did dazzle on the final drive, marching the Ravens down the field with a chance to tie, but the Steelers defense gave him fits for most of the afternoon.
"I can't call it," Jackson said about mistakes continuing to pop up against the Steelers. "I feel like we were taking strides in the right direction, and then something would happen, but I can't call it."
While there were plays Jackson wanted back, there were plenty of other miscues from Baltimore's offense. Henry fumbled on the second play of the game, leading to a Pittsburgh field goal, and right before halftime, former Raven Patrick Queen forced a fumble on Isaiah Likely which Queen recovered. That led to another Chris Boswell field goal as the Ravens entered the half trailing 9-7 with Justin Tucker missing two field goals.
Marlon Humphrey had a clutch end zone interception with the Ravens trailing by five in the fourth quarter, but on the second play of the ensuing drive, Steelers linebacker Peyton Watson stripped a deep ball from Justice Hill's hands for an interception.
"I believe we had a lot of slow starts, if anything, a lot of penalties [and] three turnovers," Jackson said. "Stuff like that, we can't have in these types of games. This environment, knowing it's a division game that's still a Raven rivalry. It's the one who has more possessions of the ball and keeping it safe, and we didn't do a good job of that.
"We can't be beating ourselves in these types of games. We have to find a way to fix that – it's annoying."
Baltimore continued to hurt itself Sunday, getting called for 12 penalties for 80 yards. The Ravens have struggled with flags all season, and they kept getting themself behind the chains against Pittsburgh.
Multiple drives were stalled due to penalties, and Harbaugh and Jackson both expressed the desire to play cleaner games.
The Ravens lead the NFL with 92 total penalties, 10 more than the next closest team, and have given up 763 penalty yards this season.
"It's definitely something we have to do. We have to cut down on the penalties – that is very important," Harbaugh said. "We've done it before on offense. We haven't had some of those in some of our big offensive games. Today that was a big problem."
Baltimore's offense has been stellar this season, but it had its worst game of the season Sunday, and it came on a day when the Ravens defense took a step in the right direction, keeping the Steelers out of the end zone.
"I was hot about that. Our defense played great today," Jackson said. "They held a great team, great offense to 18 points, and we just scored 16 points. We had been putting up all of these points all of this year – it's annoying."
