Steelers vs. Ravens, Week 18: Knee Jerk Reactions to the Steelers 16-13 win over the Ravens

Knee-jerk Reactions are immediate responses to a situation without taking the time to analyze the situation. That’s something as sports fans that we typically do. Especially if you are a full blood Yinzer, or even just a part Yinzer, who am I fooling it’s more like if you are a Steeler fan in general. As is the custom, I compile my knee-jerk thoughts and publish them immediately after each Steelers game (my son Kyle might have a few things to say as well). It’s my version of running my mouth first and apologizing later. So with that being said, I’m going to employ that philosophy here during Week 18 of the 2021 NFL Season. Let’s get this going, HERE......WE......GO!!!

1st Quarter

• Kyle says all T.J. Watt has to do to take the sack record from Michael Strahan is go the distance from the line of scrimmage to the QB the same that is between Strahan's front teeth.
• Ravens win the toss and defer. Big Ben will start on the field.
• Steelers go three and out, but even worse Najee looks to have hurt his hand or wrist.
• Joe Haden didn't get the start today.
• That will go down as a strip sack for Watt!!!!! Steelers got the ball. Watt ties the record!
• Najee not in the game. Not good.
• Snell good runs back to back.
• Okay I'm not liking what they just announced that the play with T.J. went down as an aborted play so it's not a sack.
• Now Diontae is down on the field.
• Boz comes in and knocks down the field goal. Steelers 3, Raven 0.
• Cam Heyward with a sack to get to 10 on the season.
• Interception by Edmunds. Andrew's actually does the Steelers a favor by touching Edmunds down before he actually dropped the ball as he was trying to get up.
• Diontae is back in. That's good.
• Muuuuttthhh!
• And Ben just throws one up for grabs that the Ravens come down with. If I was Ben and throwing one up for grabs deep into double coverage, Ray-Ray McCloud would not be my choice of receiver.
• End of the first. Steelers 3, Raven 0.

2nd Quarter

• Ravens fake the punt on fourth down, but come up empty. Nice try Wang Harbs.
• Ummm, do we have an offensive line?
• On third and 16 the Steelers throw a wide receiver screen behind the line of scrimmage to gain five or six yards.
• Thought that was T.J. who was going to get it there, but it was Maulet on the blitz. He creamed Huntley right as he let go of the ball.
• Still no Najee. I don't like them running the ball with Benny Snell.
• Gentry for 25 yards! Gentry has basically made Ebron an afterthought.
• Nothing happening after that good play. Steelers punt.
• Nice tackle Joe Haden.
• T.J. was right there again, but just short.
• Does anyone have any clue who Ben was trying to target on that third down pass? It looked more like it was to Raven's guys deep in the zone.
• I thought T.J. was in the game and might get the sack there, but it went to Wormley with Taco being nearby as well.
• Ben has Diontae open short, but throws it way up over his head.
• Big Press may have just kicked himself out of a job next year with that punt.
• Here's the Steelers defense I've been used to seeing give up big chunk plays.
• Nice tackle by Cam Sutton.
• That is the biggest crap call I have ever seen against Cam Hayward as he and T.J. sacked the quarterback.
• Watt!!!!!!. The very next play!!!
• Now batted down by T.J.
• And if you watch the replay closely you see that after he batted down the pass, Huntley kneed him in his DPOY sized man parts.
• Tucker comes on and ties the game. Steelers 3, Ravens 3.

3rd Quarter

• The defense is allowing the Ravens to move the ball down the field a little too easily right now.
• And right on cue the very next play the Steelers allow Murray to go untouched up the middle 46-yards for a touchdown. There's the atrocious run defense. Ravens 10, Steelers 3.
• The Steelers have had four great plays to start their offensive drive, and are already into field goal range, but they need to punch this into the touchdown zone.
• Third down and one for the Steelers, and Benny Snell is not the answer on a third down and one. They are really missing Najee.
• Boswell hits from 40. Ravens 10, Steeler 6.
• The defense holds to an uneventful three and out, and the Ravens kicker did his best Big Press imitation and shanked a punt.
• Najee back in.
• The Steelers have their own uneventful three and out, except for the fact that they could have flagged the Ravens for unnecessary roughness after they threw Ben to the ground after the whistle had been blowing for three or four seconds.
• And there's that great run defense again.
• Got to love this fabulous run defense.
• The Steelers hold the Ravens to a fourth down, but the way the Ravens are running it they're going to go for it, and second effort got it for the quarterback.
• The defense is looking gassed and can't stop the run at all.
• End of the third. Ravens 10, Steeler 6.

4th Quarter

• Picked off by Cam Sutton in the end zone. That play may give the Steelers some life.
• On a third and one Ben faked to Najee, then eventually flipped it to him for an 8-yd gain and a first down.
• After a nice play for Benny Snell to get the Steelers down inside the 20, Joe Haeg was flagged for a personal foul face mask. Talk about a drive killer.
• On 3rd and 25 the Steelers throw it for 5 yards. Kyle says that gets them back to the 50 so that Presley can kick a 20-yard punt.
• The Steelers offense has definitely been the letdown in this game.
• On 2nd and 9 it looked like the Steelers had Murray corralled and let him bounce it outside to get close to a first down.
• The defense holds and Ray Ray returns the punt to the 50-yard line. This could be the chance the offense really needs.
• DJ makes me so mad because when we give him quick screens he will not follow blocks. All he does is try to get as far to the outside as he can.
• Muth fighting for YAC.
• Ray-Ray with a 20 yard catch on 3rd and 9.
• Muth! Sets the Steelers up with a first and goal.
• Now Chuks gets hit with a false start.
• Come on Ray-Ray block somebody.
• Claypool for a touchdown. Steelers 13, Ravens 10. The defense could use a good Renegade right now.
• Tell me how that entire play just happened and there wasn't a hold by the Ravens anywhere. As crazy as that was there had to have been holding.
• Tucker comes on and hits the field goal to tie it up. Steelers 13, Ravens 13 with a little over a minute to play. Does Ben have any magic left?
• Is it okay for me to say I can't watch right now?
• Muth has to pick up the 1st there. Forget about the sideline and fight for the first down. Steelers now punt.
• With the Ravens inside their own 20-yard line, the Steelers make the decision to blitz on that play and it gets picked up and they get burned and let the runner get out of bounds.
• Minkah breaks up the long pass with a great play.
• Looks like overtime.
• Ravens win the toss. If anyone I know is in that stadium in Baltimore how about some big speakers and a round of Renegade right now.
• I've never wanted to see a T.J. strip sack more than right now.
• Steelers should have known that they're going to try to run it on them. And they give up 11 yards to Murray on the first play.
• I don't want to watch, do I have to watch?
• Ravens are running it down the Steelers throat right now.
• Defense holds a Steelers get the ball with a chance to win the game.
• Najee with a nice catch and run.
• Muuutthh with a huge catch on third and seven.
• That was not the time to run a slow developing run play.
• Diontae Johnson makes it on 3rd and 9 for a first down.
• Ray-Ray had it and dropped it.
• Diontae dropped the 3rd down pass.
• The Steelers are going to go for it on 4th and 8th, as a tie does them no good.
• Caught by Ray-Ray McCloud!!!!
• At first it looked like Claypool wasn't going to block, then he saw Najee coming towards him turns and leads the play for Najee for a first down.
• Boswell with the game winning field goal!!! The only thing that keeps the Steelers out of the playoffs is a tie in the game tonight.
• Everybody have fun tonight, as the Steelers beat the Wang Harbs tonight.

There you have it, my knee jerks. What were your thoughts? Be sure to get your opinions heard in the comment section below. Now time for me to process it, do some quick analyzing for the Scho Bro Show. The chances are now extremely high for the Steelers to make the playoffs next weekend. CAN’T WAIT!!!