Once again, the Pittsburgh Steelers got bounced out of the playoffs in the first round. The Baltimore Ravens beat them handily, jumping out to a 21-point lead in the first half. It was a demoralizing performance from the Steelers, especially their defense. That unit is supposed to be one of the league’s best, but the Ravens crushed them. They were having communication issues over the last few weeks of the season, so it might seem safe to say that plagued them again. However, DeShon Elliott doesn’t believe that was the case.
“I feel like we communicated well,” Elliott said after the game via the team’s YouTube channel. “Great communication. I feel like the distribution of who was gonna match who, I think we, for the most part, we didn’t have any busts. They lined up in front of us and they beat us. Ain’t no excuses on that. They beat us.”
Elliott isn’t wrong. It wasn’t like the Ravens had wide receivers running wide open all game. Lamar Jackson completed a few big passes, but most of those were just good plays. The Steelers only allowed Jackson to pass for 175 yards. Miscommunication on the back end of their defense didn’t seem to be a problem.
However, that group still had loads of issues. They were so terrible against the run that the Ravens didn’t need to exploit them through the air. Derrick Henry ran for 186 yards, somehow eclipsing his last massive performance against the Steelers. It felt like the Steelers’ defense took two steps forward and three steps back.
The Ravens were just the more physical team. They won the battle at the line of scrimmage, and the Steelers didn’t have any answers. Jackson had a productive day on the ground too, rushing for 81 yards on 15 carries.
Therefore, Elliott is correct that the Ravens were just the better team. They began the game trying to key in on Henry, and in turn, allowed Jackson to beat them. When they adjusted to try to slow him down, Henry really got going, bulldozing the Steelers.
It’s another chapter in the Steelers’ book of recent playoff disappointments. They beat the Ravens earlier this year, but you wouldn’t guess that based on their performance this week. The Steelers collapsed to end the season, and even though their defense communicated better, they still failed in the team’s most important game of the year.
