3 Major Takeaways From Ravens Loss To Steelers

The Baltimore Ravens lost one of the most heartbreaking games in a while and here are my 3 takeaways

In the blink of an eye, the Baltimore Ravens season is over. The 31-27 gut wrenching loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers pushes the Ravens out of playoff contention. All it took was an outstretched arm by Antonio Brown and you go from potentially winning your division to sitting at home and watching the playoffs.

The Baltimore Ravens now sit at 8-7 and face the Cincinnati Bengals next Sunday. The game is meaningless in playoff talk, as both teams cannot make the postseason. With that being said, there is still pride to play for. Do not expect the Baltimore Ravens to put in the back-ups and call it a day. There are still many positives that can be taken away from this 2016 season.

It has been an up and down hill battle with this team and ultimately they were not able to make the playoffs. Luckily with the game of football, there is a new season around the corner and you can bet that the Ravens will be back.

Here are my 3 major takeaways from the game

Cannot Settle For Field Goals

The Ravens could have put up 30-40 points against the Steelers. They had no problem getting into opposing territory, but could not finish drives.

This is not something new for the Ravens. The inability to finish drives has been a problem all season. Missed touchdown catches by Dennis Pitta and Darren Waller could have added another 14 points to the score. Instead, the Ravens settled for 3 points on each of those drives. Against a team like the Pittsburgh Steelers in a playoff atmosphere, you have to finish drives. The Ravens settled for 4 field goals, while the Steelers only settled for 1 and that is the difference right there. When the Steelers had the ball on the offensive side, they finished drives and put the ball into the end zone.

Going forward, this has to be a focal talking point for the front office and coaching staff. Out of the 7 losses on the season for the Ravens, 3 or 4 could have been won if the Ravens did not settle for field goals. With such a great kicker like Justin Tucker, it worries me that the Ravens were too conservative because they knew Tucker could make a field goal from everywhere. More urgency on the offensive side of the ball could have changed this.

Ravens are a year away

As heartbreaking as the loss to the Steelers was, there are still many positives that can be taken from the game. The Ravens definitely have the ability to be a contender in the AFC, but they are a year away.

The defense played fantastic for the majority of the season and some new stars emerged. Undrafted rookie Zachary Orr shined this season, making tons of tackles and covering well in the passing game. Rookie cornerback Tavon Young stepped up in the Ravens secondary and made plays all season. At only 5’10”, Young was more than able to hold his own. In the end, one the biggest losses to the defense was Jimmy Smith. His inability to stay healthy hurt the Ravens down the playoff stretch. There just isn’t another cornerback on the roster that can cover like he does.

The offense had its moments, but is still too inconsistent. As previously mentioned, their inability to finish drives was frustrating. There are many games that could have been put away early, but because the Ravens couldn’t score, the opposing teams got back in the game. Justin Tucker bailed the offense out numerous times as he had a historic season. On the bright side, running backs Terrance West and Kenneth Dixon both had great seasons. They are two young backs that can help revive the Ravens ground game.

Appreciate the greatness of Steve Smith

Last night Steve Smith showed us once again how great of a player he really is.

The 37 year old receiver had a fantastic game, catching for 79 yards and a touchdown. He bullied his way in the Steelers secondary and was really the only Ravens receiver to give the offense any production. Mike Wallace and Breshad Perriman did not show up and combined for a total of 54 yards receiving.

Next Sunday’s game against the Bengals could very well be Steve Smith’s last game in the NFL. There had been reports that Mike Wallace has tried to talk Smith into staying one more year, but it is unclear if that will happen. If he returns, the Ravens could really use him. Even at an older age, Smith has shown that he can produce in the NFL.

It has been a pleasure to watch Steve Smith Sr. rep the purple and black. Since joining the Ravens 2014, Smith has racked up over 2,000 receiving yards and 14 touchdowns. He always has a chip on his shoulder and brought the grittiness to the Ravens. It is a shame that he has not been able to be apart of more Ravens-Steelers games. He was born to play AFC North smash mouth football