John Harbaugh’s clock management skills cost Ravens points

The Baltimore Ravens need to beat the Pittsburgh Steelers, and plays like that won’t help late in the half. 

In what feels like a must-win game for the Baltimore Ravens, Robert Griffin III is playing the best he can. Granted, unlike Kendall Hinton, who had a day to prepare, RG3 has been in John Harbaugh’s system long enough to make it work.

And so far, he has. What hasn’t worked is John Harbaugh’s clock management skills.

On the final drive of the first half, the Ravens had a chance to score. Thanks to a pair of runs from Justice Hill and Griffin for massive gains, Baltimore marched into the red zone. Near the goal line, the team tried to run it up the gut but was met by a shroud of Steelers defenders. At this point, he should spike the ball, take the chip shot and go into halftime with the points, right?

Nope. Not at all. Instead, the clock keeps rolling, it takes forever for the players to get lined up and Griffin tries for the end zone. He missed tight end Luke Wilson in the end zone, leading to a 12-7 lead for the Steelers entering half time.

What was Harbaugh thinking?

In games like this, it’s important for the Ravens to make sure they move quick. Maybe it was refs’ fault for not stopping the clock after the pile up, or perhaps it was negligence from the players. Either way, the Steelers held a five-point lead, when at worst, it should have been chipped down to two-point advantage.

It’s sloppy football on Wednesday afternoon, meaning anyone can win. Outside of a pick-6 from Joe Haden, neither team has impressed as contenders in the AFC. More than that, the Steelers get the ball to begin the second half.

This might be the play where Harbaugh looks back and wonders why his red-hot Ravens are sitting at home in January football.