Baltimore Beatdown
The latest power rankings following their Week 11 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Most national pundits were disappointed by the Baltimore Ravens’ performance in a 18-16 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 11 that knocked them a game and a half back from the division lead. However, the consensus belief is still that they are among the best teams in the league although one pundit had them barely cracking the top 10. Now, it’s time to see where the team lands in the NFL landscape of power rankings heading into Week 12.
If you’ve watched Baltimore long enough, you could’ve turned off Sunday’s game against Pittsburgh as soon as running back Derrick Henry fumbled on the second snap. That version of the Ravens — the sloppy version — showed up, and it meant they were digging their own grave and waiting for the Steelers to shove them in. What made Sunday’s loss so frustrating (if you’re a Ravens fan) is that despite the mistakes, the Ravens still could’ve won. Even with Pittsburgh’s lights-out defense and turnover luck, if kicker Justin Tucker knocked down either of his first two field goal attempts or Baltimore’s receivers ran the right play on its two-point try, Baltimore probably would’ve won! This team is good enough to play a C-graded game and still be competitive, but the fact that those lapses persist makes me feel like another heartbreaking end to the season is coming.
Seat temperature check: Cool
After 17 years and a Super Bowl title, it should be cold, but then a game like Sunday happens. John Harbaugh is the second-longest tenured NFL head coach, but he just fell to 15-21 in head-to-head matchups against the longest-tenured one (Pittsburgh’s Mike Tomlin). The Ravens are the most penalized team (92 for 763 yards), a total to which they contributed 12 flags for 80 yards against the Steelers.
Sunday’s loss to Pittsburgh is going to leave a mark. If the Ravens cannot win the AFC North, we might look back at this game as the turning point in that race. They’re only a game and a half back of the Steelers but two games back in the loss column, and Baltimore has one less game left than Pittsburgh, which means one less chance to make up that gap. Now the rematch in Baltimore is virtually a must-win affair for the Ravens. Even though the Steelers’ defense dominated in this one, Baltimore had ample opportunities to win prior to the missed two-point attempt that would have tied it late. Turnovers were a problem, but it really came down to field goals, with Pittsburgh’s Chris Boswell making all six of his tries and usual Steelers killer Justin Tucker missing two first-quarter kicks. That’s now six misses on the season for Tucker, one...
