The “Good, the Bad, and the Ugly” from the Steelers’ divisional showdown with Ravens
Following every Pittsburgh Steelers game, Travis Newton takes a no-holds-barred, unabashed look at what went well, not so good and just plain ugly. Here is this week’s edition of the “Good, the Bad, and the Ugly”
The Good
Ebron’s 3rd quarter touchdown
Steelers Ball: 3rd Quarter 7:58 – 1st-and-10 PIT 30
In the third quarter, following an interception by Alex Highsmith, the Steelers took over possession with a short field and an opportunity to score their first offensive touchdown of the day. The touchdown connection from Ben Roethlisberger to Eric Ebron was not only good, but extremely timely, as the Steelers were down and in desperate need of points.
On the play that shifted the momentum of the game, Roethlisberger found Ebron wide open on a shallow crosser route. Ebron made the easy catch and strolled into the end zone, unopposed, for his second score of the season. The play cut the Ravens’ lead to 17-14.
The Bad
Claypool fumble
Steelers Ball: 1st Quarter 13:27 – 2nd-and-7 BAL 18
“The Rookie”, Chase Claypool, has provided nothing but pleasant surprises this season for the Steelers but an early fumble stood as one of the few blemishes for the young receiver.
Roethlisberger selected Claypool as the target on this first down play, finding him across the middle of the field. However, Marcus Peters was all over Claypool, immediately ripping the ball out as the two players ran stride for stride. Peters not only stripped it but also recovered the fumble, giving the Ravens the ball in Pittsburgh territory.
The Ugly
Dobbins’ long run
Ravens Ball: 1st Quarter 6:47 – 3rd-and-3 PIT 37
As consistent as the Pittsburgh defense has shown to be this season, they appeared to be a bit suspect in the run-stopping department against the Ravens. The Steelers gave up a season high 265 rush yards (in a single game) on Sunday, which was topped by a 28-yard dash by J.K. Dobbins in the first half.
The rookie, Dobbins, found open space around the right edge, broke a tackle and was pushed out of bounds after gashing the defense for 28 yards. Dobbins became the first player this season to accumulate triple-digit rushing yards against the staunch Pittsburgh defense.
