As soon as Chris Boswell’s 36-yard field goal sailed through the uprights in overtime, some Baltimore Ravens players turned away in a rage.
Others walked off the sodden M&T Bank Stadium field while casting disgusted glances at the goal post.
The Ravens’ 16-13 defeat to the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday put an end to a season full of disappointments, eliminating Baltimore from the postseason and capping one of the most precipitous drops in NFL history.
According to ESPN Stats & Information, the Ravens (8-9) became the first team in the previous 19 seasons to go from having the top conference seed to missing the playoffs six weeks later.
The Ravens’ 16-13 defeat to the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday put an end to a season full of setbacks, eliminating Baltimore from the postseason and capping one of the most precipitous drops in NFL history.
The Ravens then gradually changed from a team in control of its playoff destiny to one that found it difficult to win games. In its final six games of the season, Baltimore lost five of those games by a combined eight points.
Small margins of defeat and a great deal of suffering were caused by failed 2-point attempts, late defensive slip-ups, and an important injury to quarterback Lamar Jackson.