The Ravens' biggest rivalry has become a recurring nightmare.
Foiled again by penalties, missed opportunities, and turnovers in Week 11, the Ravens suffered an 18-16 defeat in Pittsburgh that continued their recent futility against the Steelers.
Pittsburgh has won eight of its last nine games against Baltimore, all by seven points or less. Three turnovers, two missed field goals, and 12 penalties doomed the Ravens, as Lamar Jackson's career record against the Steelers fell to 1-4 as a starter.
Here are my thoughts on a defeat that kept the Steelers (8-2) in first place in the AFC North, and left the Ravens (7-4) dealing with more frustration against their rival:
The Steelers' success against Jackson remains a major problem for Baltimore.
When it comes to defending Jackson, it's almost like the Steelers have a cheat code that they won't share with anyone else.
Failing to complete 50% of his passes (16-of-33, 207 yards, one touchdown, one interception, 46 yards rushing) Jackson felt the wrath of Pittsburgh's defense all day. He had balls batted down at the line of scrimmage, he was sacked twice and pressured often, and he could not create enough positive plays, even when escaping the pocket. He only completed five passes to wide receivers and the offense looked disjointed much of the game.
Meanwhile, the turnovers didn't help, and the Steelers were the aggressors on defense. Former Ravens linebacker Patrick Queen (10 tackles) made a huge strip just before halftime that led to a Pittsburgh field goal. Pittsburgh linebacker Peyton Wilson outfought Justice Hill for the ball to make an interception in the second half, and linebacker Nick Herbig set the tone by forcing Derrick Henry to fumble on the game's second play.
Jackson's brilliant play has saved the Ravens at times this year, but the Steelers didn't allow that to happen. In his previous eight games, Jackson had a passer rating of 100+ and was the NFL's best player over that stretch. In this game, Jackson's passer rating was 66.1, and in his five career starts against Pittsburgh, Jackson has 11 turnovers and has taken 22 sacks.
With the league's No. 1 offense and more weapons than Jackson has ever had against Pittsburgh, the Ravens thought their offense would shine. It didn't. That will force the Ravens' players and coaches to keep looking for answers before their rematch against Pittsburgh in Week 16.
"We've got to put more points on the board," Jackson said. "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."
Penalties keep hurting Baltimore.
The Ravens were whistled 12 times for 80 yards, and many of those flags were drive killers that erased positive plays or put Baltimore in long-yardage situations. Left guard Patrick Mekari continued to have a tough time avoiding penalties.
It's hard to move the ball consistently when almost every drive is marred by a flag. Baltimore almost overcame the mistakes by putting together a 69-yard touchdown drive on its final possession, with Jackson finding Zay Flowers for a 16-yard scoring play. However, the Steelers swarmed Jackson on his failed two-point conversation run, which denied the Ravens a chance to steal a victory.
It was hard to argue that the Ravens deserved a better fate. They simply made too many mistakes.
"We have to cut down on the penalties – that is very important," Head Coach John Harbaugh said. "We haven't had some of those in some of our big offensive games. Today that was a big problem."
How Justin Tucker performs the rest of this season will be huge.
Tucker's two missed field goals in this game were costly, and he is clearly having his most difficult season.
With seven games remaining, it's almost a guarantee that Tucker will attempt more huge kicks that will help determine whether the Ravens win or lose. He's the greatest kicker in league history and watching him drill a 54-yard field goal after the two misses bodes well for the stretch run.
However, Chris Boswell of the Steelers made all six of his kicks against the Ravens, and his consistency helped make the difference. Tucker needs to return to his best self to give Baltimore its best chance for a special season.
"Part of the challenge that every player, every coach, every team faces is remaining confident, and … I'm still confident I'm going to go out there and nail every single kick," Tucker said.
A stronger defensive performance was a positive sign for Baltimore.
The Ravens didn't give up a touchdown and eliminated the coverage mistakes in the secondary that have been a major problem this season. With Ar'Darius Washington starting at safety in place of Marcus Williams, the secondary looked connected and made key plays in the red zone.
Cornerback Marlon Humphrey had a clutch end zone interception with the Ravens trailing by five in the fourth quarter. He continues to make plays in big moments for Baltimore.
Recently signed cornerback Tre'Davious White had two pass breakups in the end zone against George Pickens and looked like he could be a valuable addition down the stretch. Odafe Oweh (2.5 sacks) led a pass rush that got after Russell Wilson, sacking him four times.
If the Ravens continue to play like they played defensively in this game, more victories will follow.
Extra Points
- Linebacker Roquan Smith left in the fourth quarter with a hamstring injury and didn't return. Harbaugh didn't have an update on Smith after the game.
- Baltimore's 16 points was its lowest-scoring game of the season. The previous low was 20 points Week 1 against the Kansas City Chiefs.
- Henry (13 carries, 65 yards) has not reached 100 yards in four career games against the Steelers. The Ravens are 5-0 when Henry tops 100 yards and 2-4 when he does not.
- Washington had a solid game at safety and finished second on the team in tackles (11) behind Smith, who had 13 tackles before leaving the game.
- Humphrey's fourth-quarter interception increased his career-high to five picks for the season.
- The Steelers were 0-4 in the red zone with a turnover as the Ravens didn't give up a touchdown for the first time this season.
