Steelers stumble vs. Ravens in finale, miss playoffs

BALTIMORE — What unfolded over the course of three hours Sunday on a rainy day at M&T Bank Stadium was a microcosm of the Pittsburgh Steelers’ season.

The start was bad. The end was worse. And what good that transpired in between simply wasn’t enough to outweigh the negatives.

A season that began with three consecutive losses ended in identical fashion as the Steelers were thumped, 28-10, by the Baltimore Ravens. That outcome, coupled with the simultaneous events that unfolded in Houston, conspired to keep the Steelers out of the postseason for the second year in a row.

While the Steelers were giving up a season-high 223 rushing yards to the Ravens, the Tennessee Titans were wrapping up the No. 6 seed in the AFC playoffs with a 35-14 victory at Houston.

No matter the outcome here, to make the postseason, the Steelers needed the Titans to lose their third in a row and for the second time in three weeks to the Texans.

It didn’t happen, and so the Steelers (8-8) will sit at home in January, and the Titans (9-7) will head to New England next weekend for a wild-card game against the slumping Patriots.

“Just disappointing,” coach Mike Tomlin said. “But there’s been a lot of disappointment this season.”

None greater than the way the Steelers collapsed after winning seven of eight games to craft an 8-5 record minus franchise quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. The Steelers were held to 10 points in all three losses, the latest one snapping a string of 11 consecutive wins in regular-season finales.

“It’s tough,” defensive tackle Cameron Heyward said. “Three weeks ago, I thought we had a real shot.”

Devlin Hodges, the first undrafted quarterback to win his first three starts, came crashing back to reality by dropping his final three. Against the Ravens, he completed 9 of 25 passes for 95 yards. Although he didn’t throw an interception after having six in the previous two games, Hodges lost a fumble on a sack that led to a crucial touchdown for the Ravens near the end of the first half.

And his intentional grounding penalty in the end zone in the fourth quarter resulted in a safety that established the final margin. That was after the Ravens got a special teams touchdown when punter Jordan Berry fumbled a snap that Baltimore recovered in the end zone for a 26-10 lead.

“It’s all of us,” Tomlin said. “We’ve got to protect better. We’ve got to get open. We must make quick decisions. We’ve got to put (Hodges) in better schematic opportunities.”

For the eighth time in the final nine games, the offense generated just one touchdown. Rookie Benny Snell’s 4-yard touchdown run in the second quarter provided a 7-6 lead, but the only other points generated came on Chris Boswell’s 26-yard field goal in the third quarter after the Ravens had taken a 16-7 advantage.

The Steelers finished with a season-low 168 yards despite getting 91 yards rushing from Snell.

“We had a lot of problems on our side of the ball,” guard David DeCastro said. “It wasn’t the defense. That’s how it goes. We made turnovers. We didn’t score points when we should have in the red zone. Things like that hurt you.”

Nobody wanted to use the absence of Roethlisberger for the final 14-plus games and the unavailability of center Maurkice Pouncey and running back James Conner for the finale as an excuse.

“We can’t lay on that sword of health or guys missing and stuff like that,” guard Ramon Foster said. “Coach T and his staff put on a team that’s supposed to be able to win, and we weren’t able to do that.”

The Ravens weren’t at full strength, either, but that was by design.

Guaranteed the top seed in the AFC entering the game, the Ravens deactivated seven starters, including five on the NFL’s top offense. MVP candidate and 1,200-yard rusher Lamar Jackson did not play. Neither did starting running back Mark Ingram, another 1,000-yard rusher.

Still, the Steelers were powerless to stop the Ravens from surpassing 200 rushing yards for the ninth time this season and averaging 5.1 yards per carry. Gus Edwards led the way with 130 yards on 21 attempts.

And despite the steady downpour, Pro Bowl kicker Justin Tucker managed to make all four of his field-goal attempts.

“We have to make enough plays on the defensive side of the ball, and (teams) know that,” linebacker Bud Dupree said. “If they run the ball a lot, it prevents us from making splash plays. That’s the goal. Run it, run it, short passes, short passes, and don’t let (us) make splash plays because we prey on splash plays.”

The Ravens made the biggest splash while holding a 9-7 lead with the Steelers driving at the Pittsburgh 45 and 54 seconds remaining in the half. Hodges was sacked for an 11-yard loss and had the ball slip from his grasp. Michael Pierce recovered at the 25, and the Ravens hiked the lead to 16-7 on Justice Hill’s 8-yard touchdown run with 21 seconds left.

The Steelers got no closer than six points the rest of the way. The Titans, meanwhile, expanded upon their lead at Houston and clinched the No. 6 seed.

“It’s super upsetting,” cornerback Joe Haden said. “We had all the talent to feel like we could make something happen once we got in the dance. Not being in (stinks). It’s all our faults. We had control of our destiny.”