It’s been a few years now, but we’ve decided to bring it back earlier this season, Griffin got sick of Glenn mentioning this segment “that we used to do” so he let Griffin revive it entirely. On Tuesdays following Sunday’s game, we will sit down and map out the Five Plays That Told The Story Of Sunday’s Game.
It’s as simple as it sounds, if the Ravens lose, we’ll pick the five plays that we perceived embodied the loss, not all necessarily scoring plays, sometimes no scoring plays. And of course on the inverse, when the Ravens win, the five plays that most embodied the win.
The Ravens of course played on Saturday this past week, squaring off with the Steelers in the Wild Card round, hosting Pittsburgh for the first time in the playoffs. They took care of business in rather dominating and punishing fashion with a 28-14 win–both Glenn and Griffin will count down in sequential order of the five plays they believed to tell the story of Saturdays’s game.
Glenn’s Five Plays That Told The Story of Saturday’s Game:
5. 2nd & 20 at BAL 20 (7:21-3rd) (Shotgun) L. Jackson pass short right to T. Wallace to BLT 41 for 21 yards (M. Fitzpatrick)
This was the one time when the game looked like it MIGHT be getting away from the Ravens. The Steelers were within two scores and the Ravens were backed up after having to punt on their first possession of the half. An absolutely massive play to turn things around.
4. 3rd & 13 at PIT 15 (4:45 – 1st) (Shotgun) L. Jackson pass short middle to R. Bateman for 15 yards, TOUCHDOWN.
I have when the list becomes “the touchdowns,” but there was so much volatility here. It was 3rd & 13. For as great as the first drive was, it seemed as though it would bog down and they would have to settle for three. This emphasis provided by this touchdown was tone-setting.
3. 3rd & 2 at PIT 28 (12:57 – 2nd) (Shotgun) R. Wilson pass short right to P. Freiermuth to PIT 29 for 1 yard (A. Washington)
It was tough for me to leave the sacks off but this was the best defensive play of the night. There is no world where this play should reasonably have been assumed to have been made.
2. 2nd & Goal at PIT 5 (0:02 – 2nd) (Shotgun) L. Jackson pass short right to J. Hill for 5 yards, TOUCHDOWN.
Speaking of volatility, Jackson kept this play alive for so long that it ran the risk of the half ending without any points at all! But certainly there would be no time for another play if this was incomplete. A field goal seemed most likely once they crossed midfield and had the Steelers not called timeout they might have been content to just get to the half. Stolen points.
1. 1st & 10 at PIT 44 (5:49 – 3rd) (Shotgun) D. Henry left guard for 44 yards, TOUCHDOWN.
Inevitably, no play better “told the story” of a game where the Ravens gashed the Steelers on the ground than the play where they most gashed the Steelers on the ground.
Griffin’s Five Plays That Told The Story of Saturday’s Game:
5. 3rd & 2 at BAL 13 (10:37 – 1st) (Shotgun) L.Jackson left end to BLT 17 for 4 yards (M.Fitzpatrick).
Set the tone for whole game, converting on third is always significant and this being the first of the game indicated the Steelers were going to struggle stopping the run. A first down sparking the rest of the drive is drastically different than punting from your own goal line.
4. 3rd & 13 at PIT 15 (4:45 – 1st) (Shotgun) L.Jackson pass short middle to R.Bateman for 15 yards, TOUCHDOWN.
Three-for-three on third down on the opening drive. And this play is absurd. Offensive line having their way as they did the entire game, gave Lamar all day to throw, and he delivered a perfect throw with an excellent catch by Bateman. Execution throughout.
3. 3rd & 2 at PIT 28 (12:57 – 2nd) (Shotgun) R.Wilson pass short right to P.Freiermuth to PIT 29 for 1 yard (A.Washington).
After the Steelers forced a Ravens punt on the last drive, it was still only a 7-0 game, you could argue they had the *tiniest* bit of momentum on their side until Ar’Darius Washington did what he does best and made a big tackle upending Frieiermuth here.
2.1st & Goal at PIT 8 (4:09 – 2nd) D.Henry left guard for 8 yards, TOUCHDOWN.
You can’t tell the story of this game without something from this 13-play, 8-minute, 85-yard drive–this touchdown was just the knockout blow. And embodies obviously this drive but really the whole game. Run #13 of 13, put the Ravens up two scores and they never looked back as Derrick Henry punished the second level of the Steelers and everyone did their job, making all their blocks. As Kirk Herbstreit mentioned the play before this, the psychological toll of run-after-run-after-run and being unable to stop is tough to overcome. They were playing two different sports at this point
1. 2nd & Goal at PIT 5 (0:02 – 2nd) (Shotgun) L.Jackson pass short right to J.Hill for 5 yards, TOUCHDOWN.
This was the story of the game: TJ Watt is getting his ass whooped, Rosengarten isolated with him and took Watt to school again. Beautiful improvisation from Justice Hill, sensing Lamar under pressure, everyone covered up and leaked out underneath with Patrick Queen caught in no man’s land. Ending one of the most dominant halves of football I’ve ever seen.
You can listen as Glenn and Griffin recap Saturday’s win and discuss the most significant plays of the game here:
