The underlying theme of last week was ‘blown opportunity’ after the Ravens came up just shy of beating undefeated Indy on a day when every other team in the AFC North lost.  If blown opportunity was the theme of last week what was the theme this week?  Redemption? 

The Ravens beat their hated rivals, but with three key starters for the Steelers out the 20-17 OT final just isn’t the resounding outcome the Ravens’ faithful expected.  Ben Roethlisberger, Troy Polamalu, and starting left guard Chris Kemoeatu were all scratches for Sunday night’s primetime game.  Outside of James Harrison I can’t think of three other Steeler starters who would be more crucial no-shows.

So with all the advantages going into the game what was the reason for the too-close-for-comfort final?  Perhaps it was due to the Ravens losing the turnover battle, converting third downs at a 38% success rate, and losing the time of possession battle to a Dennis Dixon led offense.

Despite all of the injuries we knew this wouldn’t be a cakewalk, it never is with the Steelers.  I remember back in 2005 when the Ray and Ed-less Ravens went into Pittsburgh on a Monday night and lost by just one point.  Later in that ’05 season the Ravens would beat the Steelers in overtime in another slugfest.   If the Ravens and Steelers played all 16 regular season games against each other three things would be certain, every game would be physical, low scoring, and ugly. 

Sunday’s win was definitely ugly, but it was strangely satisfying and certainly exciting in a must win scenario.  The offense struggled at times against a very good Dick LeBeau defense, but ultimately got the job done.  The Ravens finally scored a first half touchdown (two of them) and converted the vital fourth and five, which set up the game tying field goal and sent the game into overtime.  It was disappointing that the Ravens couldn’t punch-in a redzone TD to end the game in regulation, but they did showed resolve when it counted.  The offense gained 17 yards in overtime, after a Paul Kruger INT, to set up a very makeable 29 yard field goal for Billy Cundiff.  

Part of the reason for the Ravens’ improved offensive showing was due to their improved run blocking.  Marshal Yanda got the start at right guard over Chris Chester most likely, because he is the more physical player.  The result was not overwhelming as the Ravens rushed for just 132 yards, but it was effective as the team rushed for 4.6 yards per carry and scored a redzone TD on the ground. 

As of now the Ravens are the first team out of the AFC playoff picture, as they look up at the Broncos and Jags.  The Jaguars fell to the 49ers this past Sunday and don’t seem like legitimate playoff contenders.  The Broncos still have games against Indianapolis and Philadelphia, but they also have two games against KC and one against Oakland.  The beauty of the NFL is that anything can happen, so the Ravens simply need to focus on their next opponent.  Next up for the Ravens is a MNF showdown at Lambeau field against a schizophrenic Packers team.  The Ravens need to follow Mike Tomlin’s post game promise and “unleash hell here in December” if they want to keep their playoff aspirations alive. 

This entry was posted on Monday, November 30th, 2009 at 3:51 pm and is filed under AFC, AFC North, Baltimore Ravens, Football, Pittsburgh Steelers. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.