Somehow, the Steelers still had a chance to win.
Somehow, the Ravens opted to assign one man to cover Pittsburgh receiver George Pickens in crunch time.
With 1:23 to play, Baltimore led, 10-8. The Steelers faced second and nine at the Ravens’ 41.
Pickens explained what happened after he exited the huddle to PFT by phone after Sunday’s win.
“I initially knew it was [cover] zero,” Pickens said. “They were blitzing and the DB is going to be man-to-man. . . . Some players have certain stances, so I could tell from there.”
What about the stance from cornerback Marlon Humphrey gave it away?
“He was looking dead at me,” Pickens said. “That’s when I knew he was in man. In zone, that’s usually when they peek and look for the safety help, communicate with the safety. But there was no communication. He instantly lined up just like a one-on-one rep in practice.”
And Pickens won that rep. Easily.
“He opened up the gate for me and I just ran right past him,” Pickens said.
The Steelers ran right past the Ravens, on a day that felt for most of the time that the Ravens would win — and that it wouldn’t even be close.