Ouch. It sucks losing, but it is even worse when you lose to your rival at home! The Baltimore Ravens maintained the lead until the fourth quarter when the Pittsburgh Steelers tied it up before scoring the game-winning field goal as the clock expired.
“That was a typical Pittsburgh-Baltimore game,” Ravens coach John Harbaugh said. “It’s amazing how it works out that way.
For Ravens fans the 23-20 loss was a tough pill to swallow. With a win, the Ravens would have clinched a playoff spot, now they have to wait and hope they can maintain enough of a lead to win the AFC North.
The Ravens “showed up” in the first half, but fizzled in the second and blew every chance they had to win the game. They had a 13-3 lead at half time, then lead 20-13 before the Steelers tied it up and won by a field goal.
Not only did the Ravens lose the game, they also ended their 15 game consecutive win streak at home, it was the longest winning streak in the National Football League (NFL).
The loss happened in front of the second largest audience in Ravens history (71,442).
Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco fizzled as he went 16 for 24 for 188 yards with one touchdown and one interception.
Running back Ray Rice was non-existent; he had 12 carries for 78 yards and one touchdown.
With starting quarterback Ben Roethlisberger injured, the Steelers started third string quarterback Charlie Batch who outplayed Flacco. Batch went 25 for 36 for 376 yards with one touchdown and one interception.
Even with the Ravens forcing three turnovers and converting two of the takeaways into touchdowns, they failed to take control of the game. Flacco lost a fumble in the fourth; the Steelers recovered the ball and scored a field goal to win the game.
Ravens linebacker Terrell Suggs left the fourth quarter with an arm injury. On Monday they said his arm needs further evaluation. No word on whether he will be able to play next week.
The game was a repeat of what we’ve been seeing all season. No clue why offensive coordinator Cam Cameron does not use Rice to run the ball. When you give him 12 carries you are going to lose the game!
I don’t understand why head coach John Harbaugh lets this happen. It is simple, us fans know what they need to do to win, why haven’t they figured it out?
The Ravens are still 9-3, but they play inconsistently and if they can’t beat the top ranked defense, how are they going to beat other teams? <Sigh> Once again time will tell how things pan out. It’s time to shake off the loss and start prepping for next week’s game the Redskins.
Zennie Abraham