The Ravens had their playoff hopes dashed in Sunday’s 31-27 defeat to the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Here’s a look back through the coaching tape to see what you may have overlooked amidst all the emotion of the game. (All of these plays were viewed using NFL Game Pass, which is available for fans to purchase.)
Another View of Final Touchdown
Ravens fans have probably tried to block out the memory of Antonio Brown’s game-winning touchdown catch. Safety Eric Weddle
held Brown at the goal line, but the Pro Bowl receiver was able to stretch the football just across the end zone for the score. Replays of the touchdown have been all over television and the Internet over the last few days, but an angle from the coaching tape shows just how close the Ravens were to stopping Brown short of the touchdown. Linebacker C.J. Mosley read the play perfectly and cut across the middle of the field to deliver a big hit on Brown just short of the end zone. But as Mosley collided with Brown and Weddle, he fell to the ground and left Weddle in a one-on-one battle with the receiver. If Mosley had been able to keep his feet and drive Brown back a yard, the Ravens likely would have won the game before Pittsburgh could have snapped the ball for another play.
Bell A Master Of Finding Crease In Defense
Steelers running back Le’Veon Bell had a monster day and played a big part in mounting the fourth-quarter comeback. Bell finished with two touchdowns and 137 yards of total offense, and the Ravens weren’t able to bottle him up like they did in their meeting earlier this season. Bell is one of the best backs in the NFL, and he’s a master at running patiently to find the creases in the defense. That’s exactly what he did in the play below. He waited for outside linebacker Terrell Suggs to cut inside to try to make the tackle, and then broke around the edge for a huge gain.
Yanda’s Pancake On Juszczyk’s Touchdown
Fullback Kyle Juszczyk’s touchdown had all of the makings of an iconic moment in the Ravens-Steelers rivalry, had Ben Roethlisberger not spoiled it a few minutes later. Juszczyk barreled through safety Mike Mitchell on his way to the end zone, but his offensive linemen also deserve credit for taking out potential tacklers. Right tackle James Hurst opened up the initial hole, and left guard Marshal Yanda absolutely pancaked linebacker Ryan Shazier to give Juszczyk his final path to the end zone.
