Pain. Just…pain.
From 8-3 and atop the entire AFC, to 8-9 and missing the playoffs altogether, the 2022 season will be remembered – if we dare – as one of pain and misery and excruciatingly close losses on the heels of several miraculous wins. During the six-game losing streak, they lost five of the games by a combined eight points. The end result is the team’s second losing season under John Harbaugh, and first since the similarly injury-plagued 2015 campaign.
For those of you ready to move on, check out our Salary Cap Guru Brian McFarland’s 2022 roster preview here.
If you’d prefer wallowing in misery with me, let’s get to it.
It was another game of missed opportunities and mistakes for the offense, especially – again – in the red zone.
Leading 10-6 early in the fourth, and with the chance to go up by at least a touchdown if not more, the Ravens faced a second-and-seven at the Steelers’ 11. Tyler Huntley tried to throw the ball to Mark Andrews, the most popular player on the field, who was surrounded by Pittsburgh defenders, while Rashod Bateman looked like he would have waltzed into the end zone.
Bateman’s route was 🔥
Feel like the point here is to run as many defenders at Mark Andrews as possible so Bateman can do exactly what he did. It’s like a fake pylon concept. pic.twitter.com/s4pUPRb4gs
— Spencer N. Schultz (@ravens4dummies) January 10, 2022
An interception is completely unforgivable in that situation. Period. Making matters worse is that they had gotten down there from their own 25 on runs of 22, 27, 3, and 6 yards from Latavius Murray, and runs of 1, 2, and 4 yards from Mark Andrews, Huntley, and Ty’Son Williams (!!!) respectively (Devonta Freeman was hurt at that point). The quarter changed from three to four, Greg Roman let Huntley throw it, and the backup made a terrible decision.
Roman will, as always, be feeling some heat, but it’s hard to put that particular result on him.
We can, however, look at their previous red zone failure, at the end of the first half, and glare at ol’ Greg.
First and goal from the three. Your QB just got his neck whiplashed, resulting in a penalty, and you go pass, pass, pass. The second-down pass SHOULD have been caught, but…Hollywood doing what Hollywood does. Still, it was reminiscent of last week’s goal-to-go failure from inside the five. Inexcusable by all involved.
So yeah, the Ravens lost, and the Steelers won. But surely this game was inconsequential, right? There’s no way the Colts – the team nobody wants to see in the playoffs – were going to go into Jacksonville and lose AGAIN, right? RIGHT?!
Jaguars defense STUFFS the Colts on 4th & Goal 🚫
Season spoiler in the making 🚨pic.twitter.com/ejcHcQpxQ3
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPointsApp) January 9, 2022
Womp womp.
The Ravens would have also needed the Dolphins to lose to the Patriots, which didn’t happen, so in the end, the game was indeed immaterial for Baltimore. Pittsburgh, however, was still very much alive. All they needed was for the Raiders-Chargers game to not end in a TIE. Easy peezy, eh?
Well…
JUSTIN HERBERT: VERY CLUTCH.pic.twitter.com/uSWlqdiwtQ
— DraftKings (@DraftKings) January 10, 2022
With zeroes on the clock, the Chargers tied it up. So Steelers fans were up past midnight stressing, which is a nice little silver lining, I suppose.
It looked like the tie was actually going to happen, leaving Pittsburgh on the outside looking in, a hilarious end to an otherwise annoying day. But for some reason, Brandon Staley used a timeout when it looked like the Raiders were going to be happy to let the clock run out (both teams would have made the playoffs with a tie).
“I’ve never wanted a tie so bad.” – Justin Herbert right before Brandon Staley called a timeout 😂 pic.twitter.com/avC3jEte0b
— NFL Memes (@NFL_Memes) January 10, 2022
Following the timeout, Josh Jacobs picked up 10 yards, setting up the game-winning Daniel Carlson field goal, as time expired.
Bang up job, Brandon. Enjoy the offseason.
So we get to watch the Steelers go into Arrowhead next week, where hopefully the result will be similar to both the last time they visited:
As well as the last time the Steelers had a playoff game…
Now, I’ve already noticed several of the younger members of #RavensFlock saying they’ll cheer for the Steelers next week, as these goofs see Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs as bigger rivals to the Ravens these days than they do Pittsburgh. To them I say: WRONG. Y’all are straight up goofy.
Go Chiefs.
Oh, I almost forgot!
Adding, of course, one more huge injury to this injury/insult of a season? Why not?!
Ravens sustain one more major injury in a season full of them. Fear is that OLB Tyus Bowser, who may have been the Ravens' most consistent player this season, tore his Achilles.
— Jeff Zrebiec (@jeffzrebiec) January 9, 2022
LMFAO. Smell ya later, 2021-22 season.
