Raise your hand if you believed that Ryan Mallett would outplay Ben Roethlisberger and lead the 10-point underdog Baltimore Ravens to a crippling 20-17 defeat of the Pittsburgh Steelers.
With their playoff lives on the line, the Steelers (9-6) picked a terrible time to play arguably their worst game of the season to the Ravens (5-10). Mallett took advantage of his first start with the Ravens after being on the street two weeks ago, passing for 274 yards and a touchdown. Meanwhile, Roethlisberger threw two interceptions while looking out of sorts all day for a Steelers offense that managed two touchdowns against a Ravens defense that has been one of the worst statistically in the NFL.
Moments after the loss, the New York Jets knocked off the New England Patriots in overtime to put the Jets in the drivers seat for the final Wild Card berth in the AFC.
First-half struggles – Watching the first half, you would have had a hard time figuring out who was playing for their playoff lives and who had four wins all season. The Ravens wasted little time storming out to a early 7-0 lead on a 15-play, 75-yard drive that burned over seven minutes off the clock capped by an 8-yard touchdown grab by Chris Matthews.
Mallett went 17-for-24 and 146 yards and a touchdown for the half despite making his first start for the Ravens. Mallett completed passes to seven different Ravens receivers in the first half while leading his offense on three scoring drives.
Meanwhile, Roethlisberger had arguably his worst half of football all season, going 7-for-12 for 66 yards and an interception. The Ravens baited the Steelers into running the ball early and often, and though DeAngelo Williams would rush for 84 yards in the first half, the Steelers were 1 for 5 on third down conversions while being limited to three points.
What’s the gameplan? – While the Ravens baited the Steelers offense into running the ball throughout a half that would see the Steelers score three points, the Steelers defense struggled to stop Mallett and a barrage of short and intermediate routes.
A big key for the Ravens offense was the ability to convert third downs as they would go 9 for 18 on the day.
The Steelers never seemed able to adjust to the Ravens and proved costly as they found themselves running uphill all day long. Take away 12 Ravens penalties and this game might not have been as close as the final score indicated. Coaches and players alike will have a tough time watching the game film on this one.
Ben comes up small – Roethlisberger picked the wrong time to have a bad day at the office. Along with the two interceptions, Roethlisberger wasted two timeouts early in the second half and that would come back to haunt the Steelers at the end of the game. Despite the Ravens pass defense being among the worst in the league, Roethlisberger was unable to get the Steelers rolling consistently through the air.
Up Next – The Steelers travel to Cleveland next Sunday no longer in control of their playoff destiny. They will need to win and a Jets lose at Buffalo in order to secure a playoff spot.
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