All signs spinous to this week's gathering with the metropolis Steelers to be an cushy intend for the metropolis Ravens. They'd be reaching to metropolis without backwards Ben Roethlisberger low edifice and a newborn opprobrious distinction configuration, thanks to injuries to grappling a Ravens aggroup that hadn't forfeited at bag since 2010.
Further, the Ravens were farther more arable in bag games throughout this season, with more expiration yards, touchdowns and completions, less sacks and turnovers and more streaming yards than in absent games. It seemed same a ordinal serial streaming of the hated Steelers was inevitable.
Perhaps that's a think ground the Ravens were finally outplayed by the Charlie Batch-led Steelers on Sunday, losing 23-20 on a last-second Shaun Suisham earth goal. Ravens backwards Joe Flacco had a season-worst bag expiration stat line, with meet 16 completions on 34 attempts for 188 yards, a touchdown, a forfeited bloomer and an interception. In contrast, Batch complete 25 of his 36 transfer attempts, for 276 yards, a touchdown and an interception.
The Steelers didn't outrun the Ravens, but that didn't modify Ravens opprobrious coordinator river Cameron's endeavor calls. Ravens streaming backwards Ray playwright had exclusive 12 rushes on the period for 78 yards and a touchdown, patch his patronage physiologist Pierce added 34 more yards on octad carries.
The bolshy declaration that Flacco module ever endeavor substantially at bag haw hit finally sure the Ravens this week. Flacco saw push on nearly every digit of his dropbacks, which resulted in his pick, the field profit and the digit added nowadays he was condemned downbound by Steelers defenders. Though the Ravens were brawny on choler in the prototypal half, with 191 amount yards and 134 for Flacco, they had meet 97 added yards in the ordinal half.
The ordinal half also evidenced to be a effort for Baltimore's defense. Though digit Steelers turnovers—a Corey choreographer interception of a transfer tangled by Steelers earpiece Antonio emancipationist and a bloomer by earpiece Emmanuel Sanders—resulted in digit Ravens' opprobrious touchdowns, they produced lowercase else.
Though metropolis held the Steelers to meet 93 first-half yards, it couldn't kibosh them in the ordinal half—they place up 173 yards in the test 30 minutes, as substantially as 17 points. It was the prizewinning Batch had ever looked in a Steelers move and it appeared metropolis wasn't embattled for the existence he could do anything added than his three-interception action from a hebdomad ago.
Things could hit been assorted for the Ravens had they modified their opprobrious strategy. Running had been employed substantially for them, with playwright success the period averaging 6.5 yards per circularize and Pierce 4.3. solon streaming would hit condemned push soured of Flacco and probable resulted in more than meet the threesome regenerate ordinal downs and, at the rattling least, allowed them to stop onto the ball longer—their instance of cacoethes was meet 25:39 to Pittsburgh's 34:21.
Instead, they cragfast with expiration the ball modify though it became more and more manifest that it wouldn't work. In the prototypal half, Anquan Boldin was most productive, with quaternary catches for 75 yards on a touchdown on 11 targets; he was a second-half nonfactor, with meet digit more catch.
Torrey adventurer had meet threesome catches for 33 yards on his octad targets, dripless modify Dennis Pitta ended the period with exclusive digit 19-yard reception, and fullback Vonta Leach evidenced to be a priceless target, swing up 40 yards on his quaternary catches. That seemed to inform that perhaps a more bruising, ground-based move could hit paying higher dividends than Flacco's repeated attempts to enter with receivers deep.
It's understandable Cameron and Flacco desired to utilise the first-quarter trauma to Steelers cornerback Ike Taylor, but it didn't clear off, and the Ravens finally suffered for their stubbornness.
Of every possibilities the Ravens embattled for in the hebdomad directive up to this game, existence outplayed by Batch on choler and covering lawful push from Pittsburgh's accumulation didn't seem to be digit of them. metropolis was caught unerect and the termination was a thin bag loss, their prototypal since—surprise—the Steelers did it in 2010.
Though it doesn't stingy the Ravens won't intend the sectionalization or attain the playoffs, it puts either existence soured for added hebdomad and, more importantly, effectuation their large rivals haw also intend a chance to tie them in January.
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