Ravens win in OT; The Good, The Bad, The Ugly

With a Billy Cundiff 29 yard FG in Over-time, the Baltimore Ravens beat the Pittsburgh Steelers to move to 6-5 overall.

The Good:

1) It was a typical hard-hitting rivalry game, and the Ravens found a way to win, greatly elevating their playoff aspirations.

2) Paul Kruger showed tremendous athleticism getting off the line, and dropping back in coverage to make the interception.

3) Ray Rice had another 155 yards from scrimmage, as he consistently shows to be a play-maker.

4) Lardarius Webb had a strong night in pass-coverage, and was still able to return 4 kicks.

5) Chris Carr had his best night as a Raven, with several positive punt returns to end the game.

6) 129 receiving yards for Clayton, including the 54 yard grab down the sideline.

7) Mason made a superior play on the ball for his TD.

8) You could not expect anything more from Dixon, but the Ravens do get credit for holding him to under 150 yards passing.

The Bad:

1) It was pretty evident going into this game that you had to stop Mendenhall, and put a spy on Dixon. Dixon was known for having a mediocre arm, and being capable of making plays with his legs. Mendenhall should never have been able to average 4 yards a carry on his 24 runs.

2) Flacco was sacked 5 times tonight. This was a combination of the receivers not getting open, Flacco occasionally holding the ball too long, and extra pass-rushers not being picked-up.

3) Another game, and another 9 penalties (80 yards) against the Ravens. Where is the discipline?

4) It would be nice to see our kickoffs result in a touch-back every once in awhile.

The Ugly:

1) The Ravens were forced to OT at-home against a Pittsburgh team missing Rothlisberger, Polamalu, and Kemoeatu. Yes, it is typical for games against a rival to be tight regardless of circumstance; but this game never should have been in-doubt. As I said previously, you get credit for a win regardless of whom is on the field for the opposition, but I do not see how you can be a Ravens fan and feel as if something positive was achieved tonight.

2) The lack of pass-rush from the Ravens is disturbing. 0 sacks tonight of QB making his first NFL start. Yes, it is true that Pittsburgh committed to the run. Yes, it is true that Dixon was making quick reads and getting rid of the ball. However, it is also true that the Ravens brought extra pass-rushers on multiple passing downs, and had those defenders picked up. Did Baltimore get Dixon to the turf once? I would like to see the Ravens have Barnes activated for games, and used opposite of Kruger/Suggs on obvious passing downs.

If the Ravens do get to the playoffs, and have to face the likes of Manning, Brady, Rivers, and Palmer; they will go home early if they can not get to the QB.

3) Coach Harbaugh made a gutsy decision to go for it on 4th and 5th from the Ravens 46 yard-line with 3:31 left in the 4th. Flacco and Rice connected for a huge-play, that allowed the Ravens to eventually tie the game, and get the game to overtime. I credit Harbaugh for making the decision he felt was best, and for his players making the play. That said, I still disagree with the call. With that amount of time left, plus a TO, and the 2mt warning all left; I think you have to have the confidence in pinning Pittsburgh deep, and your defense to make the stop and get the ball back. If the Ravens did not pick up the 1st-down, the Steelers would have needed just 1 first-down to be in FG territory. If that had happened, Baltimore would have needed to march down the field for a TD to end regulation.

Up-Next:

Baltimore will head to Lambeau to face the 7-4 Green Bay Packers on Monday Night Football. With the Ravens seemingly likely to win subsequent games against Detroit, Chicago, and Oakland; a win against the Packers would position the Ravens well for the playoffs.