Ravens lose grasp on division when Likely TD turns into a drop

BALTIMORE (AP) — Isaiah Likely clasped his hands around the football in the end zone and took a couple of steps forward. The referee signaled a touchdown, and the Baltimore Ravens and their fans began to celebrate the go-ahead score in the fourth quarter of a pivotal game against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

An instant later, the touchdown call was overturned. A replay review showed Likely lost control of the ball before taking a third step with it, and the incomplete pass turned out to be a significant factor in Baltimore's 27-22 defeat Sunday.

In a season that hasn't remotely met expectations, the Ravens were dealt another devastating blow by a very close and controversial call.

At first glance, it appeared as if Likely held the ball long enough before Pittsburgh cornerback Joey Porter Jr. knocked if from the tight end's grasp. That's certainly how Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson saw it.

"If you were on the field with us, I believe you'd have thought it was a touchdown, too," Jackson said afterward. "But I can't do the ref's job. So, it is what it is."

Heck, even Pittsburgh quarterback Aaron Rodgers was getting ready to get on the field in comeback mode.

"I was thinking, we got to put a drive together," Rodgers said. "And then they moved the ball back, and they're lining up for the next play."

The definition of a catch is not common knowledge, but the refs were on top of it.

NFL Vice President of Instant Replay Mark Butterworth said: "The receiver controlled the ball in the air, had his right foot down, then his left foot down. The third step is an act common to the game, and before he could get his third foot down, the ball was ripped out. Therefore, it was an incomplete pass."

The call came on a first down play from the Pittsburgh 13 with 2:43 remaining and the score 27-22. Jackson still had three more chances to get the ball in the end zone, but his fourth down pass from the 8 fell incomplete.

"We wanted it to be a touchdown, but unfortunately it wasn't," Jackson said. "So we just tried to do what we could to drive the ball down the field and put points on the board."

Baltimore got the ball back one more time just after the two-minute warning, but the game ended with Jackson being sacked at the Pittsburgh 38. With the defeat, the Ravens (6-7) fell a game behind the rival Steelers for first place in the AFC North.

Things might have been different had Likely maintained his grip on the ball.

"You've got to live with the ref's call," Likely said.

That wasn't the only call that failed to go Baltimore's way. Earlier in the fourth quarter, Rodgers was seemingly intercepted on a batted ball that went high in the air and was grabbed by Rodgers and Ravens linebacker Teddye Buchanan. Officials called it an interception, then decided that Rodgers had possession when his knee hit the ground.

"The offense had initial control of the ball and ended up being down by contact," Butterworth said.

Two close calls, both of which did not work out for Baltimore, contributed heavily to dropping the Ravens below .500 and a game out of first place.

"We still have four games left. We can still turn it around, I believe," Jackson said.

But when asked his level of frustration at this point in a disappointing season, he quickly replied, "Through the roof!"