Baltimore Ravens' biggest concerns rear heads in loss to Steelers

The Baltimore Ravens' 16-18 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday can be boiled down to two things, both of which would have sounded insane to think about at the start of the year.

The team racked up too many penalties, and Justin Tucker missed two field goals.

Entering Sunday, the Ravens already led the NFL in most penalties taken. Against the Steelers, 12 more yellow flags brought them to 92 in 11 games.

For a team that has been among the most consistent well-oiled machines in the league in more than 15 seasons under John Harbaugh, this is surprising. Far too often this season, the Ravens have looked outright undisciplined, and it has cost them games.

More concerning, though, has been the play of kicker Justin Tucker. For years, Tucker was the most accurate kicker in the NFL, and is considered one of the greatest of all-time at his position. His career-long 89.7 percent field goal percentage remains the best ever.

This season, though, something is up. He's only 16-for-22 on the year, and a dismal 7-for-13 on kicks longer than 40 yards. On Sunday, he missed a 47-yarder and a 50-yarder, both in the first quarter -- all while Pittsburgh's Chris Boswell went 6-for-6 to account for all 18 of the Steelers' points.

The Ravens beat themselves, plain and simple. They're the more talented team on paper than the Steelers, and outgained Pittsburgh 329 yards to 303. But they didn't execute on the little things, which has too often been the case for them in 2024.