From the Press Room: Steelers at Ravens

Not enough to secure victory: It wasn’t the outcome they were looking for by a longshot, as the Steelers lost to the Baltimore Ravens, 34-17, at M&T Bank Stadium.

“We didn’t do what we needed to do to secure victory today,” said Coach Mike Tomlin. “I congratulate the Ravens on their performance and the victory. Specifically, we didn’t control the run game. We never did. And when you don’t, you’ve got to do some splash plays or win the turnover battle in a significant way. And we didn’t do that either.

“We had opportunities with some balls on the ground that we didn’t get. And then obviously we turned the ball over, going in and took seven points off the board and they had a pick six.

“And the rest is history, as they say. You got to control the line of scrimmage. The turnover game is always significant in matchups like this, and we failed in both areas. And so, when you do that, you should expect to lose.”

The Steelers had an opportunity to win the AFC North if they would have defeated the Ravens, but weren’t able to capitalize on it.

“Anytime you don’t win it’s a missed opportunity,” said Tomlin.

Tomlin pointed to the Ravens’ run game which took control. Running back Derrick Henry rushed for 162 yards on 24 carries, while the Ravens combined for 220 overall rushing yards.

“We never controlled the run game,” said Tomlin. “And when you’re not controlling the run game, you’re not going to have a sense of comfort in terms of the flow of it. And that was the case.

“We just didn’t do a good enough job. Gap integrity. Tackling. Fundamental things. They outperformed us in that area.”

The Steelers can still win the AFC North, but Tomlin is focused on just one thing.

Getting a win on Wednesday against the Kansas City Chiefs.

“We’re singularly focused on our next opportunity,” said Tomlin. “Our business is winning. We get a next target. We focus our energies on the big picture. Stuff takes care of itself. We got to win a football game.”

Nobody quit: Quarterback Russell Wilson completed 22 passes for 217 yards and two touchdowns, but he also had two turnovers which he said he was disappointed about.

Wilson fumbled on a 19-yard scramble at the Ravens four-yard line. The Ravens recovered, and marched 96 yards on eight plays, culminating in a 14-yard touchdown pass from Lamar Jackson to Rashod Bateman.

“I thought I had a chance to go to the end zone, and tried to cut back and just got hit and right before I hit the ground the ball came out,” said Wilson. “It’s unacceptable. Can’t happen.

“I didn’t want to slide. I felt like we could get in the end zone, trying to get a touchdown and go for it. They made a good play.”

Wilson felt like the team regained momentum, but Ravens cornerback Marlon Humprey intercepted Wilson in the fourth quarter, returning it 37 yards for a touchdown.

“We kind of responded really well. We had a chance, even late in the game,” said Wilson. “The interception hurt us.

“It’s really two negative plays. They made two plays on us that were significant plays, and I can’t let that happen.

“I think that changed the game when they got that interception. I thought the defense did a good job of getting the ball back. But they made a play.”

With a quick turnaround with their game on Wednesday, Wilson said there is no time to feel sorry for themselves. Instead, they just have to get back to work.

“The good thing about our football team is nobody quit, we believed all the way through,” said Wilson. “There’s still a lot of football left. We’ve got to respond the right way.

“I’ve got to do everything I can to lead us in the right way. We’ve got a really great football team. That’s a good football team out there, too. They did some good things.

“We fought. We left everything out there, that’s for sure. Like I said, two negative plays.”

Wilson, who is the offensive team captain, said the key now is just moving forward and getting the win on Christmas Day.

“We’ve got a game Wednesday that we’ve got to get ready for,” said Wilson. “We’ve got to see what we can do better. I know what I can do better, that’s for sure. And then there’s a lot of good things that we did, too. So, use those things that we did well and eliminate the things that we didn’t.

“Just keep your head down and work. I don’t think there’s enough time to really do anything. I think the best thing that we can do is come back to work, and be ready to go.

“I put that game on me in the sense of there’s two great opportunities there. Obviously going in the end zone, and I’m going for it. And I’m not going to fear going for it. But the interception was just a difficult play for us.

“One thing for sure I’m not going to do is keep my head down. We have so much great confidence in who we are and what we can do and how we’re going to respond. I think that’s the only way.”

Not taking advantage: Stopping the run is something the defense preached all week and on Saturday, they weren’t able to do that.

Ravens running back Derrick Henry rushed for 162 yards on 24 carries, while the Ravens combined for 220 overall rushing yards.

“Disappointed with the outcome today,” said defensive tackle Cameron Heyward. “As a defense, we did not stop the run. And when you do that, you can’t really control the game. As a defense, there were too many missed tackles, errors and there’s just a combustion for not winning this game.”

Heyward acknowledged that it’s the second week in a row where missed tackles were an issue, something he knows they have to work on as they prepare for the Kansas City Chiefs on a quick turnaround.

“Talk about it, coach it up, practice it,” said Heyward. “There’s not a lot of time to practice. We have to own it. That’s the only way you get better.

“It starts up front. I think the d-line, we didn’t get our job done today.”

Heyward was well aware of what was on the line in the game, with a win securing the AFC North.

“We didn’t take advantage of that,” said Heyward. “We talked about hat and T-shirt type of game, but just the recipe we had tonight was not conducive to win this game.

“I talked about not stopping the run. Not playing complementary football. Not controlling sudden change. I thought a couple of times we had longer fields as a defense, and we didn’t get off in time.”

With two straight losses, Heyward and the other leaders on the team know they have to deliver a message.

And his is simple.

“Own it,” said Heyward. “There is more football to be played, but unless we own what we did, learn from what we did, it’s going to continue to happen. We’re going to play good teams week in, week out. And especially when you get to the playoffs, there’s not a sorry team there.

“It’s about guys being in their gaps, guys making tackles, guys knowing their jobs and assignments.

“As a team, we have to learn from this. It’s a team game. This is a complementary game and we’re at our best when we are playing really good complementary football.”

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