Coach John Harbaugh refuses to budge over Baltimore Ravens’ loss to Pittsburgh Steelers – NFL News
The Baltimore Ravens have tumbled off the playoff course by losing a home game versus a welcome visitor, the Pittsburgh Steelers, and although the postseason opportunity has not gone begging for them, they should be through to it at earliest possible given
American Football Conference (AFC) North division is wide open for a couple of their other competitors.
A win over the Steelers, which was very much predicted until final quarter of the game, could have confirmed their berth into the second round. The situation now warrants a couple of wins from them to make sure they are not pushed away by the Cincinnati
Bengals or the Steelers at the end.
The Ravens were clear favourites in the game versus the Steelers until veteran Charlie Batch set up a 42-yard field goal opportunity for their place kicker and he converted that to a decisive goal, taking the game away from them.
Now the team, 9-3 in AFC North, has to win a pair of their remaining four games to make sure they are through to playoffs, for fifth consecutive time. Although it will be a remarkable achievement for any team, making even further push is something the Ravens
earlier boasted to have prepared for.
It was also first home loss for the team in last two years, a remarkable stretch of home wins in the league and the loss was also significant given it was versus the Steelers, their traditional arch rivals who had not won against them in the course of recent
history.
Coach John Harbaugh has refused to count the loss a worry sign for the team, but some players like quarterback Joe Flacco noted they were not hundred percent in the game, especially when the opponents did not have their two main quarterbacks in the side
and were relying on a boastful veteran Charlie Batch.
Both Ben Roethlisberger and Byron Leftwich are out of the side with respective rib and shoulder injuries and their absence from the game was seen as a disadvantage for the Steelers because previously they had never won a game from the Ravens without Ben
in the side.
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