Mark Andrews is the same player he was last year, and his level of competition appears to be at an all-time high.
There is little disputing, though, that the Ravens'
offensive struggles have been exacerbated by lost opportunities with their Pro
Bowl tight end. Despite being a crucial component of the offense, Andrews
hadn't surpassed 63 receiving yards in any of his previous eight contests.
There won't be a huge wide receiver entering the building for the postseason run. Andrews needs to play in more contests like this one if the Ravens' passing attack is to heat up.
Additionally, it will require more from the current wide receivers. Just two passes were caught for 18 yards by Baltimore's wide receivers.
For many years to come, Kenny Pickett might cause problems.
Over the years, Ben Roethlisberger gave the Ravens more than
enough trouble. Although Kenny Pickett is still a long way from being in the
same league as Ben Roethlisberger, it was evident Sunday night that the rookie
quarterback possesses a similar amount of guts and is capable of tearing his
opponent's heart out.
Pickett was frequently forced to flee for his life by the
Ravens, but he frequently found an unguarded receiver to stay out of harm's
way. No pass was finer than the one he made to Harris, who raced to his left
and caught it for a 10-yard score.
15 of 27 passes for 168 yards and a touchdown were completed
by Pickett. He didn't mishandle the ball. Those aren't particularly impressive
numbers, but he managed to win by rocking M&T Bank Stadium on primetime
television. That particular incident will stay with him for a very long time
and may mark a turning point in the remaining chapters of their long-running
conflict.
Extra Points
Campbell was visibly missed on the run defense, but the
Ravens secondary gets praise for stepping up for a second straight game without
Marcus Peters (calf). Diontae Johnson, George Pickens, and Pat Freiermuth, the
top three targets for the Steelers, had a combined eight catches for 105 yards.
On the Steelers' opening drive, Brandon Stephens made a great play to stop a
goal-line fade to Pickens and force a field goal. Chuck Clark and others had
productive days covering news.
The Ravens' offense continued to struggle in the red zone.
Had Cam Heyward not saved them with an idiotic unwarranted roughness penalty
that gave Baltimore new life, they might have gone 0-for-2. With seven seconds
left, Tyler Huntley and rookie tight end Isaiah Likely took advantage and
scored on a beautiful touchdown pass, but overall it should have been better.
The Ravens failed to pass the ball to a running back in the red zone for the
second straight week.
Every game, Dobbins seems more attractive. Since recovering
from his midseason surgery, he has played in four games and averaged 99.3 yards
per game.
Four straight Ravens-Steelers games have been decided by
three points or fewer, and 18 of 30 games since 2008. It usually only takes a
few plays to make a difference, and this time was no exception.
The Steelers might have been eliminated from playoff
contention by the Ravens, ensuring their first losing year under Tomlin. The
Steelers must now defeat the Browns at home in the season finale, the Jets must
defeat the Dolphins, who may only have their third-string quarterback, and the
Bills must defeat the Patriots in order to qualify for the playoffs.
The Los Angeles Chargers won while Baltimore lost, moving
the Ravens up to the No. 6 seed in the AFC playoffs. The Ravens will play the
Chiefs, Bills, or Bengals in the wild-card round if they don't win the
division. Baltimore is desperate for a chance to win the AFC North the next
week. Dobbins declared, "We're definitely rooting for the Bills [on Monday
night].
