There was more than just the scoreline to the Ravens’ latest close loss. The Baltimore Ravens lost their crucial game against their main division rival, the Pittsburgh Steelers, with a final score of 27-22. This defeat meant the Steelers took the lead in the AFC North division race. But this loss was made even tougher due to a mistake made by the game officials.

“The NFL did say the Travis Jones penalty on the field goal was the wrong call. #Ravens,” reporter Luke Jones posted on his social media handle X.

The Ravens struggled to seize many key moments on their own, and the team found themselves on the wrong side of a critical error from the referees, an error the National Football League itself would later acknowledge.

This crucial mistake took place in the second quarter and directly helped set up a scoring drive for the Steelers, changing the complexion of the first half. The specific play in question involved Ravens defensive tackle Travis Jones. During a 32-yard field goal attempt by the Steelers, Jones was flagged for unnecessary roughness. 

The officials ruled that Jones made illegal, forcible contact with Pittsburgh’s long snapper, Christian Kuntz. This resulted in a costly 15-yard penalty and an automatic first down for the Steelers, giving them new life deep in Baltimore territory. Pittsburgh promptly capitalized on the mistake, scoring a 6-yard rushing touchdown on the very next play.

However, replays told a different story. They clearly showed Jones merely running hard through the line, splitting the gap to try and block the kick. There appeared to be no forceful contact with Kuntz’s head or neck area. 

Jones was simply rushing the A-gap, and the long snapper happened to fall, a common occurrence on nearly every kick. But this mistake on the referee’s end did cost the Ravens 4 points. John Harbaugh concluded his statement by revealing the key admission: the NFL agreed with the Ravens, acknowledging that Jones should not have been penalized.

Harbaugh has less clarity about the other multiple missed calls 

Newly appointed Ravens head coach John Harbaugh opened his postgame press conference on Sunday by addressing the controversial overturned touchdown catch by tight end Isaiah Likely, but he quickly broadened his focus to include multiple calls throughout the game.

The contentious play occurred late in the fourth quarter of a pivotal matchup against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Isaiah likely appeared to secure the ball in the end zone, clasping his hands around the football and taking a couple of steps forward. The referee signaled a touchdown, igniting celebrations among the Baltimore Ravens and their fans for what would have been the go-ahead score.

But the celebration was short-lived. An instant replay review overturned the call, ruling it an incomplete pass. The review determined that Likely lost control of the ball before taking a third step with possession. This ruling proved to be a significant factor in Baltimore’s eventual 27-22 defeat.

Top Stories

Patrick Mahomes Pins Blame for Travis Kelce & Rashee Rice’s Costly Errors as Playoff Hopes Dwindle

Calls Mount Against Patrick Mahomes for Ignoring Travis Kelce Amid Chiefs Offensive Struggles

Sean McVay Provides Health Update After Being Forced to Travel Away From the Team

Browns Players ‘Mad’ at Shedeur Sanders for Costly INT as QB Asks for More Time to Improve

Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes Firmly Pushes Back on Andy Reid’s Comments After Texans Struggles

In a season that has already fallen short of expectations, this close and controversial call delivered yet another devastating blow to the Ravens. Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson, among others, certainly saw it differently, believing Likely held the ball long enough before Pittsburgh cornerback Joey Porter Jr. knocked it free.

The day after the game, Harbaugh and the Ravens front office had a lengthy phone call with the NFL to discuss the officiating. However, that discussion failed to change Harbaugh’s strong opinion on what he views as missed calls. Harbaugh stated:

“It didn’t clear anything up. It didn’t make it any easier to understand either one of the two calls. It’s very hard to understand how it gets overturned.”

Providing the league’s perspective, NFL Vice President of Instant Replay, Mark Butterworth, explained the rationale for the ruling as he said;

“The receiver controlled the ball in the air, had his right foot down, then his left foot down. The third step is an act common to the game, and before he could get his third foot down, the ball was ripped out. Therefore, it was an incomplete pass.”

The call came on a first down play from the Pittsburgh 13-yard line with 2:43 remaining and the score at 27-22. Despite the setback, Jackson still had three more chances to score, but his fourth-down pass from the 8-yard line also fell incomplete, resulting in their loss.