3 best moments from Steelers Week 12 win vs. Ravens
James Washington needs more chances with the football. He needs more targets after this.
The Steelers needed to make a play on 3rd and 6. Of all the things the Steelers could have done on this play, Ben throws a lob into the middle of the field in the middle of 3 defenders. Yet, the wide receiver in the middle of the defenders was James Washington. Washington is one of the best if not the best in the group at making contested catches and he came down with it.
https://twitter.com/steelers/status/1334280457479991302
This is the best catch of the game out of both teams. The ball hangs in the air a little too long and all of a sudden Washington is surrounded by defensive backs that make up the best group in the league at knocking the ball out during the catch or shortly after. None of that mattered.
The importance of this comes down to the situation. If they don’t get this first down, they have to punt it to a Ravens team with either 1 timeout left, or with some time and the 2-minute warning left. Furthermore, the Ravens’ offense was getting some momentum after Trace McSorley hit Marquise Brown on a play in which they fooled Haden into jumping a shorter route that earlier in the game he had acquired a pick 6 by making the same break on a similar look in the 1st quarter.
It was a terrific play call that gave the Ravens some life to their offense. Moreso, McSorley looked like he was ready to sling it, even after missing a couple of short throws, and Minkah Fitzpatrick dropped an easy interception on him. McSorley still provided the boost the Ravens needed to score in this game and it happened because he just threw deep without respecting the Steelers’ defense.
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It was not a good day for the Steelers. They made this game close with their own errors. If they were to have played like that against a healthy Baltimore team, with their franchise quarterback, 9 times of 10 they are going to lose that game. With that being said, the play of some of their less active players helped pull this one out. Anthony McFarland Jr. had a big first down early in the game. James Washington’s catch of the game was the most important play of the game staving off a comeback attempt by a Ravens’ squad riding momentum.