The Pittsburgh Steelers dug themselves an ugly hole in their AFC wild-card playoff opener against the Baltimore Ravens on Saturday night, as they struggled to get their offense going in the first half.
The Ravens notched 19 first downs to the Steelers' two through a dominant first two quarters, racking up more first downs than the Steelers had total plays (18).
At one point, Prime Video announcer Kirk Herbstreit harshly criticized Mike Tomlin and Co. for showing a lack of “fight,” which some fans thought was exactly what they saw in the video below.
On a second-and-long in the third quarter, Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson threw a pass out wide to receiver Tylan Wallace, who was at least five yards behind the first down marker when he caught the ball. However, Steelers defensive backs Minkah Fitzpatrick and Donte Jackson then proceeded to let Wallace run his way to a fresh set of downs and more.
look at the effort from 26 pic.twitter.com/uX7iVn7n2a
— Warren Sharp (@SharpFootball) January 12, 2025
Fitzpatrick visibly struggled to bring down Wallace on the first tackle, and Jackson appeared a step or two too slow to provide backup help.
The Steelers are currently down two scores, 28-14, halfway through the fourth quarter with their postseason on the line.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Video Shows Steelers Defenders’ Seemingly Low-Effort Play in Playoff Game vs. Ravens.
