OWINGS MILLS, Md. — John Harbaugh said the NFL has admitted to him that the officials blew a call that led to a four-point swing in the Ravens’ 27-22 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers on Dec. 7.
That will change precisely nothing about the result of the game, but it was a rare admission from a league that is notoriously tight-lipped when it comes to scrutiny of its officials. And it was just one of three controversial calls that went against the Ravens in the critical AFC North showdown.
Harbaugh said those rulings led him to make a direct call the next morning to the NFL officiating staff, something he rarely does.
Two of the plays — a touchdown catch by Isaiah Likely that was overturned as incomplete and an interception by Teddye Buchanan that was ruled a catch instead by Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers after the ball had been batted into the air — were reviewed during the game.
But the one that seemed to bother Harbaugh and players the most was a penalty for unnecessary roughness that was called on Travis Jones on a Steelers field goal. Jones was penalized for committing unnecessary roughness against a “defenseless player,” Steelers long snapper Christian Kuntz.
Steelers kicker Chris Boswell hit the 32-yard field goal, but with the penalty, the Steelers took the points off the board and took first-and-goal at the 6-yard line instead. They scored on the next play for a 17-3 lead.
Replays appeared to show Jones rushing between Kuntz and left guard Ryan McCollum, but referee Alex Moore, in a pool report, said, “The calling official felt like the contact rose to the level of being unnecessary against a defenseless player.”
Roughly 18 hours after the game, Harbaugh talked to NFL senior vice president of officiating administration Perry Fewell and NFL officiating rules analyst Walt Anderson.
“They told me I had permission to state this, that it was the wrong call,” Harbaugh said at his weekly Monday news conference. “It should not have been called.”
“I’ve known those guys for close to 28 years, both those guys,” Harbaugh added, “and they’re excellent, and they’re honest. And sometimes it’s tough on them to explain it, so I understand that, too.”
The loss dropped the Ravens (6-7) a game behind the Steelers (7-6) with four games to play, and with another huge AFC North showdown this weekend at Cincinnati, the Ravens have no time to lament a blown call that won’t be changed.
“We move on,” Harbaugh said, “just like our team does. It’s our job to make it right. You’re not going to expect everything to go your way. … Those calls were trials and tribulations. We’ll put it that way. And you know what? Let’s overcome them. Let’s beat them.”
NOTEBOOK
MITCHELL IS ‘DAY TO DAY’: Harbaugh said they got “good news” on further testing of running back Keaton Mitchell, who left the game against the Steelers with a knee injury. “It’s day to day,” Harbaugh said. “We’ll see where we’re at tomorrow and Wednesday.”
Mitchell was injured on a 55-yard run, his longest of the season, in the third quarter. Replays appeared to show Mitchell hobbling as he reached the 20-yard line, and he was tackled inside the Steelers’ 10. He limped off the field after the play and did not return.
Mitchell, who was a healthy scratch much of the first half of the season, has 31 carries for 229 yards and one touchdown. His average of 7.4 yards per carry is easily the best among Ravens running backs.
PATRIOTS GAMES FLEXED TO SUNDAY NIGHT: The NFL has flexed the Ravens’ Dec. 21 home game against the New England Patriots, and it will now be the Sunday Night Football matchup. The Patriots (11-2) are one of the surprise teams of the season behind quarterback Drake Maye. The game was initially scheduled for 1 p.m.
CLEVELAND SUSPENDED FOR THREE GAMES: The NFL has suspended Ravens guard Ben Cleveland for three games for a violation of the league’s substance abuse policy. The suspension stems from Cleveland’s February arrest on a charge of driving under the influence. He recently reached a plea deal in the case.
Cleveland, who was re-signed to a modest one-year deal last spring, has played sparingly in 10 games this season. He has been a healthy scratch in the past three games.
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