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Quarterback Aaron Rodgers outdueled Lamar Jackson, and the Pittsburgh Steelers held off a late comeback effort to deal the Ravens a crushing 27-22 loss Sunday in Baltimore.
The Ravens (6-7), who trailed by as many as 14 points in the first half and 11 in the fourth quarter, had two go-ahead opportunities late in their second straight loss.
Tight end Isaiah Likely’s 13-yard touchdown with less than three minutes remaining was disallowed by the officials, a controversial ruling that preserved Pittsburgh’s five-point lead, and Jackson failed to convert a fourth-and-5 at Pittsburgh’s 8-yard line just before the two-minute warning.
After the Ravens’ defense, which struggled much of the afternoon, forced a three-and-out on the subsequent possession, Jackson took over at the Ravens’ 26-yard line with 1:56 remaining and one timeout available. But the offense got only as far as Pittsburgh’s 30 before the game ended on a sack.
Rodgers, 42, making his first career start against Jackson, turned back time with a season-high 284-yard performance. He went 23-for-33 passing and threw one touchdown, a 38-yard catch-and-run by running back Jaylen Warren that gave the Steelers (7-6) an 11-point lead late in the third quarter.
Wide receiver D.K. Metcalf had seven catches for a season-high 148 yards, injecting life into a previously moribund passing offense.
With a second straight loss, the Ravens’ odds of making the playoffs fell from about 64% to 30%, according to The New York Times’ playoff simulator. They end the season with one of the NFL’s harder four-game stretches: road games against the Cincinnati Bengals (Week 15), Green Bay Packers (Week 17) and Steelers (Week 18) and a home game against the New England Patriots (Week 16).
Running back Keaton Mitchell had six carries for 76 yards before leaving in the third quarter with a knee injury. Derrick Henry crossed 1,000 rushing yards for the season with a 25-carry, 94-yard performance.
The Ravens started the game inauspiciously. After a field goal drive on their opening possession, their defense allowed a 52-yard bomb to Metcalf, Rodgers’ first completion on a pass at least 20 yards downfield since Week 8.
Rodgers capped the drive with a 1-yard touchdown run, his first rushing score since the 2022 season. The Steelers scored on two of their next three drives, taking advantage of a short field after a Jackson interception to mount a 17-3 lead midway through the second quarter.
Jackson’s 6-yard scramble for a touchdown late in the second quarter, his first rushing score since Week 1, drew the Ravens to 17-9 after a missed extra point.
Will the bottom fall out?
Sunday’s game was not only a must-win game for the Ravens but also an eminently winnable one. The Steelers were banged up — and only got more injured throughout Sunday — and had a limited passer and run defense. Surely the Ravens’ mini bye and home-field advantage would be enough to get them across the finish line, right?
Nope. Aaron Rodgers torched the Ravens’ secondary. Lamar Jackson struggled with his accuracy again. The run game took a while to get going. And now the Ravens’ playoff hopes hinge on turning around their season against some of the NFL’s most impressive teams and quarterbacks.
It’s too early to say this Ravens season is over. But it’s not too early to wonder how far rock bottom might be.
— Jonas Shaffer, Ravens reporter
Without character, talent isn’t enough
What would you be willing to give for this win? That’s what Roquan Smith asked his teammates during the week. Apparently, the answer is not much. Yet again, I walked away feeling this team didn’t leave its all on the field. Decision-making has been questionable on offense, and execution errors have compounded the problem.
The defense bends and bends, struggling to get off the field, and occasionally breaks. Even the special teams had their flukes. Sure, the officiating did the Ravens no favors. But the talent on this team should be able to offset that. I need to learn to stop judging by the talent and go by the character this team has shown it has (or doesn’t).
— Giana Han, Ravens reporter
Officiating played too big a hand
It isn’t every week that a team finds itself on the ugly end of a ref’s call that costs it points. On Sunday, the Ravens experienced two such calls that wound up giving the Steelers an 11-point swing. The call against Travis Jones for running into the center disregarded that Jones first made contact with the guard, but it gave Pittsburgh a second chance that resulted in a touchdown. Then officials took away a catch by Isaiah Likely, because … umm, I’m not sure why.
The Ravens shouldn’t fixate on these wacky calls because they wasted other opportunities against a Steelers team that wasn’t exactly top of the line. They let Aaron Rodgers make big plays and avoid sacks, and it took nearly the whole first half to get the offense going convincingly for the first time in almost a month. It was encouraging to see Lamar Jackson do things we’re used to seeing from him, but it’s brutal that his reemergence is too little, too late. The Ravens needed this win, but it slipped through their fingers (with help from the refs).
— Kyle Goon, columnist
Ref show
I’m with Kyle. The Ravens should never have allowed this game to be placed in the hands of the officiating crew. They had too many missed opportunities, from inaccurate Lamar Jackson passes to Rashod Bateman’s red-zone drop to defensive breakdowns. But a week after a Zay Flowers touchdown was wiped off the board by an awful offensive pass interference call, the referees inexplicably took a score away from Isaiah Likely that would have given Baltimore the lead. The margin for error has been too slim for this team lately. But the officials bungled this one.
— Paul Mancano, Banner Ravens Podcast host
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