Nicely, that sucked. Once more.
Six days after getting bullied in Philadelphia, the Pittsburgh Steelers hit the highway once more, this time for a visit to Baltimore to tackle the Ravens in a key AFC North matchup. With a win, the Steelers would have locked up the AFC North crown.
Sadly, that didn’t occur Saturday evening. The Steelers had two pricey turnovers from QB Russell Wilson, didn’t have the ball bounce their means on some Ravens errors, and had no solutions for Derrick Henry within the run sport, resulting in a 34-17 loss that dropped them to 10-5 on the season.
Now, it’s a brief turnaround 4 days in a while Christmas Day towards the Kansas Metropolis Chiefs. Let’s get to some grades earlier than shifting focus to the Chiefs.
QB — C
Wilson’s two turnovers had been killers. The primary one, which got here on the finish of a 19-yard scramble, led to a turnover on the Ravens’ 4-yard line, taking away any likelihood at factors for the Steelers. The truth that Wilson utilized his legs fairly a bit within the sport was very encouraging, however he received overzealous on the scramble. He tried to attain when he ought to have simply taken the large chunk play and lived to combat one other down.
Then, the pick-six was only a late, unhealthy throw that was behind TE MyCole Pruitt and was a straightforward walk-in landing for Ravens CB Marlon Humphrey.
Exterior of these two errors, I believed Wilson was strong and gave the Steelers an actual shot within the sport, spreading the ball round, making some big-time throws down the sphere and keen the offense up and down the sphere.
Wilson completed 22-of-33 for 217 yards and two touchdowns, hitting Pruitt for a 1-yard rating and RB Cordarrelle Patterson for a 12-yard landing. He additionally made some magic occur on the transfer, extending performs and connecting with the likes of Calvin Austin III and Ben Skowronek for large performs.
But it surely’s exhausting to beat the 2 pricey turnovers in the long run.
RB — C+
Jaylen Warren emerged because the go-to working again on this sport, out-snapping and out-touching Najee Harris within the loss. Warren ran exhausting and had actual juice to his sport once more, which gave the Ravens some bother at occasions. He completed with 48 speeding yards on 12 carries and chipped in with 5 receptions for 44 yards, although he did have a fumble that he ended up recovering.
We’ll see if that RB shift was simply an in-game factor with Warren having extra success, or if the Steelers are going to show to the previous undrafted free agent extra.
It wasn’t as if Harris was unhealthy, both. He had 42 yards on 9 carries and had a pleasant 11-yard run simply because the Steelers gave the impression to be getting going. However there have been occasions the place he was caught within the mud behind the road of scrimmage, which allowed the Ravens to swarm. Warren wasn’t doing that.
Patterson didn’t see a lot motion offensively, however he made an ideal catch on the 12-yard landing move from Wilson, hauling within the move by way of contact from Ravens LB Malik Harrison and tying issues up at 17-17. That was an enormous second within the sport, however within the blink of an eye fixed, the Ravens went down the sphere and scored to take the lead once more.
WR — C+
Seeing probably the most snaps of any WR on the evening, Calvin Austin III had a extremely strong efficiency as a de facto WR1 for the Black and Gold. Austin hauled in 4 passes for 65 yards, together with an enormous 44-yard shot down the sideline to spark the Steelers. He additionally had a pivotal 16-yard catch to transform a third and 6 on the Patterson landing drive, too.
The one actual adverse for Austin was on the failed 4th and 6 deep shot from Wilson that was well-covered by the Ravens and was such a low-percentage play on a change-of-possession down.
Van Jefferson had a pleasant 21-yard catch to arrange the Steelers’ first rating of the sport and completed with two receptions for 27 yards. Ben Skowronek was a key playmaker till sustaining a hip damage. He had massive 17-yard reception up the seam early after which made a pleasant sliding seize for an 8-yard acquire to assist the Steelers convert after Wilson scrambled and prolonged the play.
Mike Williams completed with three receptions for twenty-four yards, together with an 18-yarder within the second half that was a superb signal. However as soon as once more, his snaps had been restricted, and he wasn’t focused as a lot as he ought to have been.
TE — C-
It was good to see MyCole Pruitt get into the top zone on a 1-yard move from Wilson to get the Steelers on the board. It was a pleasant play design, too. However after that, there’s no cause Pruitt needs to be seeing a number of targets in a sport. He was focused on the game-changing pick-six, too, on a play the Ravens have all the time defended effectively this season towards the Steelers.
Pat Freiermuth was primarily non-existent on this sport, which was puzzling. He noticed simply three targets whereas catching three passes for 16 yards and wasn’t a lot of an element within the passing sport. Darnell Washington didn’t see a single goal.
Connor Heyward had one catch for 3 yards, which was his first reception since Wilson took over because the starter in Week 7. The TEs weren’t an element within the run sport, both.
OL — D+
I believed the Steelers ran the ball fairly effectively, settling in after a sluggish begin. The blokes up entrance began to actually transfer folks and management the road of scrimmage within the run sport because the Steelers ran for 117 yards on 24 carries, placing up almost 5 yards a tote.
In move safety, although, the Steelers struggled. Wilson was sacked thrice and needed to try to keep away from quite a few pressures, too. The Steelers actually didn’t have many solutions for Odafe Oweh or Kyle Van Noy on the evening. Even nostril sort out Michael Pierce recorded a sack.
DL — D-
Largely a catastrophe from the Steelers’ defensive position. Granted, lacking Larry Ogunjobi is large, and Cameron Heyward did all that he may, ending with six tackles and a sort out for loss. However this group didn’t management the road of scrimmage in any respect and allowed the Ravens to run at will.
Isaiahh Loudermilk performed numerous snaps instead of Ogunjobi and had 5 tackles whereas Dean Lowry had one sort out and performed fairly just a few snaps, too.
Keeanu Benton flashed as a move rusher early, however he didn’t have an effect towards the run and had only one sort out. Montravius Adams noticed some snaps, too, and was impactful towards the run with one sort out and was persistently within the backfield disrupting issues.
LB — D
Missed tackles are an enormous downside proper now for the Steelers, and it begins at linebacker.
Elandon Roberts missed a sort out in area towards Derrick Henry on a checkdown, although he did redeem himself later flying downhill on third and 1 to report a TFL and pressure a punt. Payton Wilson had three tackles because the Steelers rolled out 3-ILB units at occasions.
Patrick Queen wasn’t impactful in any respect, both, and was a part of some miscommunications, too, which was irritating and led to his pointed feedback after the sport. Queen had eight tackles and a move breakup within the loss.
On the surface, T.J. Watt and Alex Highsmith had their moments, with Highsmith recording a strip-sack on the primary drive of the sport. However exterior of that, simply eight mixed tackles and no actual splash exterior of the strip sack that didn’t bounce the Steelers’ means. Watt had some missed tackles, too.
DB — F
I do know the Steelers had been with out two key starters within the secondary to start out the sport with DeShon Elliott and Donte Jackson on the shelf. Joey Porter Jr. joined them shortly after, so the Steelers had been depleted.
However that doesn’t excuse the struggles in protection and the lack to speak clearly this late within the season.
On two of Lamar Jackson’s three landing passes, there was miscommunication between Minkah Fitzpatrick and veteran defenders in Queen and Cameron Sutton, resulting in straightforward scores. That flat-out can’t occur.
The Ravens went after Cory Trice Jr. over and over, and that wasn’t a shock. A man getting again onto the sphere for the primary time since Week 3, he needs to be focused. The Ravens had an excessive amount of success. In addition they received Zay Flowers matched up on Beanie Bishop Jr. and went for the house run, connecting on an enormous play within the fourth quarter that every one however put the sport away.
It was nice to see Minkah Fitzpatrick get his palms on a soccer once more, recording an interception on an ideal play and browse. But it surely didn’t matter in the long run.
Particular Groups — B+
Heck of a job by Chris Boswell on his 51-yard area aim to finish the half, drilling it with no downside. He’s the very best kicker within the sport, interval.
Punter Corliss Waitman had a robust evening, too, averaging almost 50 yards on 5 punts, downing three of them contained in the Ravens’ 20-yard line.
James Pierre pressured a fumble on Ravens punt returner Desmond King that was there for the taking for the Steelers, however they couldn’t recuperate it. King additionally muffed a punt late within the sport that the Steelers couldn’t get on. Irritating evening.
