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The Baltimore Ravens believed they had the go-ahead touchdown against the Pittsburgh Steelers in a crucial AFC North matchup at home on Sunday, as Isaiah Likely secured a Lamar Jackson pass in the end zone.
However, the play was ruled an incompletion after Likely had the ball knocked out of his hands by cornerback Joey Porter Jr.
While the Ravens believed Likely already had the ball secured and across the goal line, the officials overturned the play after initially calling it a score. The reason? NFL Vice President of Instant Replay Mark Butterworth explained in a pool report after the Ravens’ 27-22 loss.
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"The receiver controlled the ball in the air, had his right foot down, then his left foot down," Butterworth said, via a pool report. "The control is the first aspect of the catch. The second aspect is two feet or a body part in bounds, which he did have. Then, the third step is an act common to the game and before he could get the third foot down, the ball was ripped out. Therefore, it was an incomplete pass."
After letting the play sit for a day, Ravens head coach John Harbaugh still doesn’t like the answer as to why his team didn’t get the lead with just under three minutes to play.
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"Do I think it needs more clarification? Yeah," Harbaugh told reporters when asked about the catch rule. "It’s about as clear as mud right now. That’s how I feel about it."
During the CBS broadcast, Tony Romo believed it to be a touchdown, but rules analyst Gene Steratore agreed with the replay review decision. He said that Likely needed to get the third step in or perform a move common to the game, as Butterworth pointed out.
There were multiple controversial calls in this game, including an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on a Chris Boswell field goal attempt for the Steelers that the NFL admitted was wrong. The play ultimately led to four more points on the board for Pittsburgh.
Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers also looked to be picked off earlier in the game by Teddye Buchanan as they fought for a tipped pass in the air. But officials overturned that call, which would’ve put the Ravens in great field possession to score a touchdown or at least a field goal.
The Ravens fell to 6-7 as a result, while the Steelers are 7-5 and have sole possession of the AFC North lead. The season certainly isn’t over for Baltimore despite their record, as they sit one game behind Pittsburgh for the division lead.
These two teams could perhaps determine who wins the division on Jan. 4 — their regular season closer in Week 18 at Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh.
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