A weekly series I’ll do that captures the forgotten and hidden plays that helped the Pittsburgh Steelers win—or lose. Not the touchdowns, turnovers, or plays that will make the Monday morning highlights—the little ones that, looking back, played a key role in the outcome. I’ll start with a hidden moment that helped the Baltimore Ravens beat the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Boswell’s Kick, Andrews’ Catch
Similar to last week, this first clip isn’t exactly forgotten. But it takes a back seat to a half-dozen other weighty plays in this game. After RB Cordarrelle Patterson’s fantastic catch to tie the game at 17, the Steelers immediately began giving it right back to the Ravens.
It started with the literal kickoff. In a rare negative moment from K Chris Boswell, who is having a historic season, he booted the kickoff out of bounds. Trying to angle the kick to the left, he misjudged it, and his attempt went through the sideline. Not even on the hop but the first bounce right on the white. An automatic penalty that brought the ball to Baltimore’s 40.
You can see Boswell’s frustration after seeing the result like he just shanked his tee shot into the trees.
That immediately put Baltimore in business. And on their first offensive play, the Ravens moved right into Steelers’ territory. Coming out in a three-inside linebacker package designed to stop the run, the Ravens opted to throw.
QB Lamar Jackson found TE Mark Andrews on a crosser, beating LB Patrick Queen and picking up a 16-yard gain. First down to the Steelers’ 44.
It was nearly that easy the rest of the way, Jackson hitting WR Zay Flowers for 14 and RB Derrick Henry for 16 before finding a wide-open Andrews for a 14-yard touchdown thanks to a Steelers coverage bust.
The Steelers had worked hard to get back into the game. They tied it for less than four minutes before Baltimore grabbed the lead back, this time for good. The Steelers certainly had other issues that hurt them after this, none bigger than Russell Wilson’s pick-six, but the good feeling of Patterson’s touchdown quickly evaporated. The Steelers’ comfortable division lead went right along with it.
