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Written by: Alex Hangland
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What a waste of an effort Sunday’s game was for the Baltimore Ravens against the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Steelers came into the game red-hot on offense and the Ravens defense held them to just 286 total yards. They also dominated the ground game by a whopping 127-point margin over Pittsburgh. Quarterback, Joe Flacco was effective as well, throwing for two touchdowns against a fierce Steelers pass rush. Defensively, the Ravens were effective in pressuring Pittsburgh quarterback, Ben Roethlisberger. Big Ben threw for only 259 yards with one touchdown and an interception after a dominant performance against a top-ranked defense the previous week. They also held running back, Rashard Mendenhall, to only forty total yards from scrimmage. So how did the Ravens manage to lose this game? You guessed it…penalties. What a shame. The team did everything they needed to win except one very important thing…THINK! Eleven penalties for over 100 yards is completely unacceptable at a professional level of football. The sad thing is that it isn’t the first time this season this has happened. Keep in mind the other time the Ravens racked up mind-blowing penalty yardage like this was another big road game against Green Bay a few weeks ago. This team has had many other games in which penalties have killed them as well. It’s not the useless five yard penalties either. It’s a back-breaking illegal contact committed on third and long. It’s a fifteen yard personal foul penalty after a big kick return. How about a block in the back after a huge interception return for a touchdown that would’ve given them the lead? All of those are terrible, terrible mistakes. However, the worst penalty this writer has ever seen committed was the fifteen yard personal foul penalty in which tackle, Oniel Cousins, goes after a defensive lineman ten yards away from the actual play…after the play had ended! WHY!? The penalty took the Ravens out of field goal range which turned out to be very costly given the outcome. Another killer penalty was wide receiver, Kelly Washington’s hold that negated Willis McGahee’s touchdown run. The block Washington held on was not necessary. He would have scored regardless. It must be very difficult for Ravens fans to watch, because their team beats themselves time, and time again. That is a strong word to use, but someone has to call them out, because the head coach hasn't done anything about it. Ravens head coach, John Harbaugh, has consistently insisted that the penalties have nothing to do with him this season. Where he is correct with that statement, he is also making himself look incompetent as a leader of this team. HE NEEDS TO GET IT INTO THESE GUYS HEADS THAT THEY CAN”T COMMIT THESE KINDS OF PENALTIES OR THERE WILL BE HELL TO PAY! Maybe that’s the answer we in the media are looking for. John Harbaugh is a fantastic coach, but he has to at least TRY and do something about this, because this team is too good to miss the playoffs strictly because of stupid mistakes. That is the only reason. Not injuries, a tough schedule, or even a lack of this and that on offense and defense, but stupidity. This team is in their final week of the season, and played one of their best games against a good team on the road in the division, but it was ruined by mental errors. Haloti Ngata should not be seen smiling on the sideline after committing a fifteen yard personal foul penalty on kickoff coverage that took the team out of very good field position. Now…the good news. The Ravens got a reasonable amount of help from other teams that has them in a position to still win and get in to the playoffs. The played great football today…besides the penalties. They shouldn’t lose any confidence, because they are good enough to beat any team in this league. THEY JUST HAVE TO FOCUS…FOCUS…FOCUS!!!
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