For a moment on Sunday, the Baltimore Ravens thought that they’d secured a fourth-quarter lead against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
But a play that was initially ruled a touchdown catch by Isaiah Likely from Lamar Jackson was overturned on replay review. And the Ravens didn’t score again in a 27-22 loss to the Steelers that put 7-6 Pittsburgh in first place in the AFC North ahead of 6-7 Baltimore.
The Ravens, understandably were not pleased with the turn of events after briefly believing that they’d taken control of the game. Head coach John Harbaugh was incensed on the sideline. Jackson thought it was a touchdown and spoke candidly about his thoughts on the play after the game.
“Like I said, I thought it was a touchdown, man,” Jackson told reporters postgame. “But the refs made the call they wanted. They believed that was right. So just gotta go with it. Gotta stay locked in.
“If you was on the field with us, I believe you would’ve thought it was a touchdown too. I can’t do the refs job. So, it is what it is.”
DeAndre Hopkins tweets, then deletes criticism of refs
Ravens receiver DeAndre Hopkins, meanwhile, briefly took to social media postgame to let his thoughts be known.
“@NFL @NFLOfficiating 13 years in the this league, how many steps do you need in the end zone for a TD?” Hopkins wrote.
Hopkins didn’t keep his post up for long. It was deleted shortly after he posted it. Tagging a league that doles out fines for criticizing officials seems like a direct route to having one’s paycheck docked, so maybe Hopkins thought better of his criticism after he hit publish.
But here’s what it looked like for posterity.
@DeAndre Hopkins
(@DeAndre Hopkins)
Ravens running back Derrick Henry, meanwhile took a less direct route in insinuating his displeasure with officials with comments that may just escape the NFL’s wrath.
“It’s tough when the game’s in the refs’ hands,” Henry told reporters in the postgame locker room.
Should Likely have been awarded a touchdown?
Here’s the play in question. With Baltimore facing third-and-goal while trailing 27-22, Jackson found Likely in the middle of the end zone with a pass.
Likely initially caught the ball, then put two feed down before Joey Porter knocked it out of his hands. Commentator Tony Romo was confident that that it was a score, calling it “definitely a touchdown” on the first replay of the play on the CBS broadcast.
Officials on the field put two hands up in real time, signaling a go-ahead score. But they concluded upon replay review that it was not a touchdown and overturned the call on the field. CBS rules analyst Gene Steratore — much to Romo’s repeated dismay — explained on the broadcast why officials got the replay call correct.
“Even though we’re in the end zone, fellas, remember, in order for this to be a completed catch, he must complete all three elements of the catch,” Steratore said. “Likely has possession. We saw two feet down, great look here. Possession, two feet.
“But he has to have time to make a football move or a football move. It’s that element right there that they are ruling he did not finish the third element.”
NFL Vice President of Instant Replay Mark Butterworth further explained the ruling in a pool report to reporter Jeff Zrebiec.
“The receiver controlled the ball in the air, had his right foot down, then his left foot down,” Steratore said. “The control is the first aspect of the catch. The second aspect is two feet or a body part in bounds, which he did have.
“Then the third step is an act common to the game, and before he could get the third foot down, the ball was ripped out. Therefore, it was an incomplete pass.”
Ravens tight end Isaiah Likely didn’t complete a football move that would have secured a go-ahead touchdown against the Steelers on Sunday.
(ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Football fans and Ravens fans in particular may not like it. But this how a play like this is correctly called in the NFL. Officials may not always get this right, but they did this time.Likely didn’t complete the process of the catch by tucking the ball, turning up field or completing a third step.
Had he tucked the ball or completed his third step before Porter punched it out, the touchdown would have stood. But he didn’t, and the score was negated, and the Ravens lost the game.
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