After a promising start, the Ravens (13-5) had a meltdown leading to a 31-24 loss to the arch rival Pittsburgh Steelers (13-4). Baltimore built a 21-7 halftime lead off of two Pittsburgh turnovers and an offense that did just enough.
Sure the Pittsburgh defense is a standout defense, but they should be able to move the ball better than they did in the second half. Part of the issue on offense for Baltimore was their turnovers. The Ravens turned the ball over in the third quarter three times. One of those turnovers was running back Ray Rice’s first fumble of the season.
Rice’s fumble shifted momentum for the entire game. Pittsburgh capitalized on the fumble for a touchdown making the score 21-14.
After the score, Joe Flacco struggled and Pittsburgh’s defense started rolling. They sacked Flacco and forced him into a fumble and interception. To Pittsburgh’s credit, they made the most of the Ravens’ mistakes and made Baltimore pay.
Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger was deadly in the red zone and on the long ball. Although the Ravens sacked the burly quarterback six times, he still was around in the pocket and connected with rookie receiver Antonio Brown for a 58-yard bomb to set up the game-winning run by Rashard Mendenhall.
With the game on the line, Baltimore’s offseason acquisitions Anquan Boldin and T.J. Houshmandzadeh, both veteran receivers, didn’t come through in the clutch. Boldin dropped a touchdown pass that would have put the Ravens ahead 28-24 and Houshmandzadeh dropped a fourth down play that would have at least continued a drive for a chance to win the game.
Now that the Ravens have lost, their season is over. There is uncertainty with the collective bargaining agreement and there are lots of pending free agents on the Baltimore roster. The goal, once again, will be to be able to defeat the Steelers. Baltimore’s season, although successful, can be classified as disappointing because of the expectations after the acquisition of Boldin last March.
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