Winners and losers of Steelers week 5 loss to Baltimore Ravens

The Pittsburgh Steelers lost in overtime against the Baltimore Ravens in week five. Here are the winners and losers from their fourth loss of the season.

The Steelers lost a crazy contest in a game that had them going into overtime against the Baltimore Ravens. Pittsburgh lost Mason Rudolph early in the second half to a terrifying head injury that left him unconscious on the field.

It was a wild finish to a heartbreaking loss for the Steelers, and there were a lot of iffy penalties on both sides of the ball. Here are my winners and losers from the Steelers fourth loss in their last five games:

Winners:

Mason Rudolph

Regardless of what happened in Pittsburgh, Mason Rudolph was the hero of this game. Rudolph made an incredible play down the field in the second half but was knocked out in what was one of the scariest moments in the NFL this year.

Rudolph finished the game with a 100.2 passer rating and a touchdown before exiting the game early in the second half. The biggest concern, however, is his long-term health moving forward.

T.J Watt

T.J. Watt has been the best player in a Steelers uniform through the first five weeks of the season, and that trend continued against the Ravens this week. Watt is a force in all phases of the game. He finished with a sack and 3 tackles for a loss.

Devlin Hodges

Hodges was the Steelers 4th string quarterback just a month ago, and I’m sure he didn’t think his time was coming quite so soon. The undrafted rookie was called upon in the second half and surprisingly – completed 7 of 9 passes for 68 yards and posted a passer rating of 98.1.

Vince Williams

Williams finally returned from a hamstring injury, and his presence was a welcomed addition to this defense. Vince Williams isn’t the most dynamic linebacker in terms of speed and coverage ability, but he is a force coming downhill and stopping the run. He even had a sack and a great play in pass coverage against the Ravens.

Chris Boswell

Boswell was a big question mark entering this season. After a horrible 2018 campaign, fans didn’t have a reason to trust the former Pro Bowl kicker. However, he has proven so far that he has returned to form. Boswell drilled all three of his field goals and helped send the Steelers into overtime.

Losers:

Mark Barron

Mark Barron had a very good game last week against the Bengals that was highlighted with an interception in the back of the endzone. However, the Steelers linebacker struggled early in this contest. He looked lost in pass coverage and was targeted often. Barron left the game early with a hamstring issue.

Joe Haden

Haden didn’t have his best afternoon in a Steelers uniform. He was caught out of position a few times, and he allowed too much cushion on crossing routes. Joe Haden is a good player, but he needs to clean up these minor errors.

Terrell Edmunds

It wasn’t that Edmunds had a lot of bad play, he just didn’t make enough good ones. As a former first-round draft choice, safety Terrell Edmunds has failed to make a significant impact this year. It’s not always a bad thing when you don’t hear a defensive back’s name called, but Edmunds was often involved in the action on Sunday.

JuJu Smith-Schuster

JuJu caught all 7 of his targets for 75 yards and a touchdown, but he ultimately fumbled the game away when the Steelers had a chance to drive down and score in overtime. It was the second time a JuJu fumble had cost the Steelers the game in their last 7 contests – dating back to the Saints game in 2018.

Officiating

There were bad calls on both sides of the ball, but the dagger for the Steelers in this poorly officiated game came at a crucial moment in overtime where Ola Adeniyi was called for a roughing the passer call. Adeniyi initially hit Lamar Jackson just below the waist, but the officials called him for going low.

It was a heartbreaking loss for the Steelers in more than one way. Not only are their playoff hopes nearly gone, but Mason Rudolph’s health is in question. It was a game fans would love to forget.