The Baltimore Ravens failed to build on their Week 16 win over the Atlanta Falcons as they lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers, 16-13, at home in Week 17 of the 2022 NFL season. Baltimore held a lead at halftime, but the Ravens allowed 10 unanswered points from the Steelers in the fourth quarter. Baltimore was -111 in total yards and also had one turnover in this game. This result pulled the Ravens down to 10-6, which places them in second place in the AFC North. They already qualified for the playoffs but likely won't usurp the division's top spot from the Cincinnati Bengals anymore. Here we'll discuss the four Ravens most to blame for their Week 17 loss vs. the Steelers.
During the Steelers' last two possessions, Baltimore's defense was unable to make a game-changing play. The pass rush was ineffective and the secondary struggled to cover Pittsburgh QB Kenny Pickett. Throughout the game, the Steelers' Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren ran for a total of 187 yards on 34 carries. Baltimore's defense was just unable to stop them.
On offense, the Ravens relied heavily on TE Mark Andrews and RB JK Dobbins. However, their lack of diversity resulted in only three points being scored in the final 30 minutes of the game. They also struggled to convert on third down. The Ravens succeeded on less than half of their 12 attempts. In their next game, the Ravens will face the Cincinnati Bengals, with the outcome potentially impacting the AFC playoff seeding.
For now, let us look at the four Ravens most to blame for their Week 17 loss vs. the Steelers.
Final. pic.twitter.com/DiclEWTJX6
— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) January 2, 2023
4. Coach John Harbaugh
After this big loss, head coach John Harbaugh took responsibility. He acknowledged that the Ravens came out flat in one of their most important games of the season. The defense was unable to make a stop in the fourth quarter, and the offense only managed three points in the second half. Despite being more poised and disciplined than the Steelers, the Ravens struggled with clock management at the end of the first half. As we mentioned, they were also unable to stop Pittsburgh's running game. In fact, the Steelers were able to drive 80 yards on 11 plays to secure the game-winning touchdown as time ran out.
3. Ravens Defense
In this game, both Baltimore's defensive front and secondary struggled against the Steelers. To illustrate, the Steelers ran effectively against the Ravens tackles — Justin Madubuike, Travis Jones, and Broderick Washington. Ravens linebackers Roquan Smith and Patrick Queen also failed to effectively implement their inside blocking. Smith, in particular, had difficulty shedding blocks and tackling. Queen even appeared lost at times. Outside linebackers Odafe Oweh, Tyus Bowser, and Jason Pierre-Paul also struggled to hold the edge. They allowed the Steelers to run successfully both inside and outside. Allowing 198 rushing yards on 40 carries was just too much.
Recall that in the first meeting between these two teams, the Steelers only had 65 rushing yards on 20 attempts. In this game, however, Harris alone had 111 yards and became the first player to surpass 100 rushing yards against the Ravens this season.
Meanwhile, the secondary allowed Pickett to complete 15-of-27 passes for 168 yards and a touchdown. He even threw the game-winning 10-yard touchdown to Harris in the final minute. The Steelers' wide receivers also picked up key first downs. Generally speaking, it was one of the roughest days for the Ravens D.
2. Ravens Receivers
Mark Andrews had a strong game with nine receptions for 100 yards and several first downs. However, the rest of the receiving group only had 30 yards on five receptions.
Obviously, Andrews was a key player for the Ravens. However, toward the end of the game, the Steelers began double-teaming him with safeties instead of linebackers to prevent any big crossing routes over the middle.
With Andrews checked, the Ravens had limited weapons on the outside. In fact, that has contributed to them having one of the least productive receiving groups in the NFL throughout this season. Keep in mind that in Week 17, the wide receivers only had two catches for 18 yards. That's dismal by any standard.
WR Isaiah Likely caught three of his five targets for 12 yards and a touchdown. He was the brightest spot outside of Andrews. Likely scored his touchdown on a pass from QB Tyler Huntley, but he has not exceeded 18 receiving yards in any of the four games that Huntley has started.
1. QB Tyler Huntley
Speaking of Huntley, he played a safe and conservative game. Huntley completed 14-of-21 passes for 130 yards and a touchdown. However, he also over and underthrew receivers quite frequently. He did run the ball well, gaining 24 yards on seven carries. This type of passing attack may be effective against weaker teams, but it is not capable of quickly overcoming a deficit.
Huntley had his team in a position to win the defensive battle. However, they ultimately fell short when he threw an interception on Baltimore's final drive. The majority of Huntley's passing yards also went to Andrews. He was pretty much as predictable as could be. Right now, though, it is still unclear if Lamar Jackson will play in the regular-season finale against the Bengals. As such, Huntley may need to start again as the Ravens prepare for the playoffs.
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