Not catching Likely proved brutal as the Ravens were unable to beat City on possession as an incomplete pass intended for Mark Andrews three plays later led to a turnover on downs.
“They called, it ended up being incomplete,” Likely said of the turnover. “On to the next game. Gotta get points on the board, we didn’t.”
The Ravens had another chance to cut the deficit to five points after forcing a Pittsburgh possession on the ensuing drive.
With 1:56 left and one timeout remaining, the Ravens got the ball back and drove to the Steelers 30-yard line, but a ticking clock left them desperate with nine seconds left. Before Jackson could throw a Hail Mary into the end zone, Alex Highsmith secured the game-winning run.
Asked bluntly if he thought Likely’s play should have been a touchdown, Harbaugh pointed to an earlier play in the fourth quarter where a Ravens interception on a pass by Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers was overturned on further review.
“You know what, I believe in a lot of things,” Harbaugh said. “I think Aaron Rodgers plays — we’re just talking rules here — not a referee thing coming out of New York. When you’re making a catch, you’ve got to survive the ground … (Rodgers) didn’t survive the ground. He’s not down with contact, he was catching the ball on the way down … to another guy. So, you’ve got to make the pitch there and know why that was the way I survived. on that one.
:… They had enough time to look at it, they are the experts in the rules, that’s how it works.”
Baltimore’s playoff chances were 64% before Week 14, but Sunday’s loss dropped that chance to 33%, according to Next Generation Stats. The Steelers moved within one position atop the AFC North with the win to take a one-game lead.
The Ravens (6-7) are now up and heading to Cincinnati in Week 15 with little room for error and four games to go. They head to Pittsburgh for the regular season finale in Week 18.