The Baltimore Ravens knew exactly what it would take in order to solidify their playoff spot, and, at the same time, knock their bitter rivals out of the post season hunt once and for all. However, “knowing” and “doing” are quite different, as Baltimore learned the hard way on Sunday afternoon. While the game was definitely winnable, the Ravens decided to blow their chances by creating unnecessary penalties, indulging in piss poor play calling and defensive efforts, and pretending to be an NFL team challenging for a playoff position that should have been theirs from day one. While the fans watched intently, expecting a big win over the hated Pittsburgh Steelers, they instead received a frustrating performance that most would rather soon forget than remember as the game that sent the defending Super Bowl champions nose-diving to the end of the season.

The Ravens began the game playing the same, 1st half football that fans have gotten to know. While it’s difficult to understand, and even harder to watch, the offense struggled to move the ball down the field, making controversial play calling with even more questionable execution. At some points, Joe Flacco looked confused. At others, he looked blind, unable to realize when to throw the ball away instead of taking the sack. While Todd Heap continued to re-emerge as a reliable target, the wide receivers once again were hardly a factor. Derrick Mason put together a decent performance, catching seven passes for 77 yards. However, Mason could single-handedly be blamed for losing the game after allowing a touchdown pass slip through his hands and bounce off his face mask. Mark Clayton was virtually invisible, as was Kelley Washington, who also had a game killing holding penalty that resulted in a Ravens’ touchdown being called back.

The Ravens have a lot to ponder before their playoff-deciding game against Oakland on Sunday.

The biggest problem that the Ravens faced this week was themselves. From the first week, Baltimore has struggled to avoid having the yellow penalty flag thrown on a constant basis. This game, however, the problems came back to haunt the Ravens in the worst way. The mistakes were the cause for, not one, but TWO touchdowns to be canceled out, leaving the victory behind and putting the Ravens in a very precarious playoff situation. While the Ravens have been penalty prone all season long, the yellow flags have never come at such an inopportune time as they did this week.

Baltimore racked up 113 yards in penalties against Pittsburgh, leaving them a step behind in a race that they need to win. The NFL is difficult enough, facing professional teams week in and week out. When you pit yourself against more than the opponent, wiping out well executed plays with stupid mistakes, a team tends to fail at reaching any goal that was once attainable. The penalties became mind-blowing as we all watched the lead (which would have won the game) slip out of the Ravens’ hands several times over the course of just a few minutes.

The Ravens’ penalty problem is not anything new, however. Over the course of the season, Baltimore has found that being penalized is an extremely difficult task. With fifteen games under their belt, the Ravens have tasted the sweet flavor of yellow flag 99 times. They have lost 944 total yards due to pass interference, holding, offsides, false starts, personal fouls, and every other position that a referee can put his arms into. For those who don’t want to do the math, I’ll do it for you; The Baltimore Ravens have lost, on average, 63 yards per game.

Team/Player Photos: Baltimore Ravens Team / Player Photos on Jul 25, 2010

The facts are as plain as day, and everybody knows what happened this week that caused the Ravens to enter their final regular season game with so much riding on their shoulders. There is no conviction in this team during the first half, and the lack of execution makes reasonable sense fly out the window. The 2nd quarter ultimately brings about the anger and frustration state-wide, leaving the couches, carpets, and coffee tables as the helpless victims. Despite the Ravens’ seeming ability to perform better in the 3rd quarter than most teams in the NFL, it has seemed to be the effect of being the team that is attempting to come from behind due to the inability to score points in the 1st and 2nd quarters.

The Oakland Raiders are not a team that Baltimore can write off. If there is one good thing that the Ravens have been able to do consistantly, it is to avoid overlooking teams that they are supposed to win. Baltimore has been losing close games to teams that are no pushover, but have tended to dominate the teams that they are expected to wipe the floor with. Oakland, who holds wins over teams like Pittsburgh and Philadelphia, are still thought to be an easy win for the Ravens. A solid performance that leads to a win is the only thing between the Ravens and the playoffs, and nobody can imagine that Harbaugh doesn’t have his team siked for the game. Of course, that’s what we all thought last week, too…