Ravens Fall to Steelers Amid Controversial No-TD Call That Could Shape AFC North Race
Sunday’s clash between the Ravens and Steelers had all the ingredients of a classic AFC North battle-intensity, physicality, and late-game drama. But what it also had was a controversial officiating decision that could ripple through the rest of the season.
To have a completed pass, the receiver must:
— Gene Steratore (@GeneSteratore) December 7, 2025
1.) Secure control of the ball ✅
2.) Have both feet or a body part (other than hands) in-bounds ✅
3.) Perform a football move (take a third step, tuck the ball away, turn upfield, avoid/ward off an opponent) or to maintain control… pic.twitter.com/H6qxuVybd6
The Ravens dropped a crucial one to the Steelers, 27-22, a result that not only tightens the AFC North race but also leaves Baltimore with a bitter taste-and plenty of what-ifs. With the Bengals falling to the Bills, Pittsburgh now finds itself in pole position for the division crown. Baltimore, on the other hand, is staring down a tough road to the playoffs, and they’ll be replaying one particular moment from Sunday’s game over and over in their minds.
Is holding the ball with outstretched arms to keep away from the defender as best as possible not a “football move”?
— Tyler Loechner (@LoechnerNFL) December 7, 2025
Let’s set the scene: fewer than three minutes left on the clock, Ravens trailing by five, deep in Steelers territory. Lamar Jackson drops back and spots Isaiah Likely breaking free across the middle.
He fires a dart. Likely hauls it in, takes a few steps, and crosses the goal line.
Touchdown-at least, that’s how it looked in real time.
But the celebration didn’t last long.
After review, the officials overturned the ruling, saying Likely didn’t complete the process of the catch. The ball had come loose after contact, and the replay crew determined he hadn’t made a definitive “football move” before losing it.
Just like that, six points came off the board. Three plays later, the Ravens turned it over on downs.
They never scored again.
It was a game-changing moment-one that could ultimately shape the AFC playoff picture.
CBS rules analyst Gene Steratore broke down the ruling during the broadcast, but his explanation didn’t exactly win over the audience. Steratore pointed to the three elements required for a completed catch: possession, two feet down, and a football move. According to him, Likely had the first two but not the third.
So toe taps technically aren’t touchdowns bc you can’t make a ball carrier move when falling out of bounds?
— Rob West (@the_rob_west) December 7, 2025
“In order for this to be a completed catch, he must complete all three elements,” Steratore said. “Possession, two feet-we saw that.
But he has to have the time to make a football move. That’s the element he didn’t complete.”
The action is literally in the rule book. pic.twitter.com/Mmg0TehEQ7
— Z.J. (@ZJBeatdown) December 7, 2025
Steratore also took to social media to double down on the explanation, but fans weren’t convinced. Many pointed out that Likely extended his arms as he crossed the goal line-a move that, by the rulebook’s own language, could qualify as a football move. The debate quickly reignited the league-wide conversation: what exactly is a catch?
Please tell us how Rodgers had secure control of the ball and performed a football move next!!
— AJ (@AJ3Jazz) December 7, 2025
NFL VP of Instant Replay Mark Butterworth echoed Steratore’s take, telling reporters that Likely didn’t take a third step before the ball was knocked out. “The third step is an act common to the game,” Butterworth said.
He stretched the ball out. That is a football move stated in the rule book.
— STONE (@stone_2x) December 7, 2025
“Before he could get the third foot down, the ball was ripped out. Therefore, it was an incomplete pass.”
Why is extending the football away from his body not considered a "football move"?
— Matt Wise (@TheMattWise) December 7, 2025
He did not catch the ball with arms extended.
He intentionally extended to move the ball away from the defender.
It feels both "common to the game" & in the same vein as "avoiding an opponent". https://t.co/vxn4WUlj6s
It’s the kind of ruling that leaves fans, players, and coaches alike scratching their heads. And in a game with playoff implications this big, the frustration is understandable.
Ravens head coach John Harbaugh didn’t hold back when asked about the call. “You know what, I believe a lot of things,” Harbaugh said.
“We’re just talking about rules here-it’s not an officiating issue, it comes from New York. But when you're making a catch, you have to survive the ground.
This is the root of the problem with the NFL's catch rule. A player catching the ball on the sidelines just needs two feet and possession. You never see 3) brought up on those plays, even though no football move is made. So why does it apply this way on this play? https://t.co/Ps5w7oQZJn
— Baltimore Beatdown (@BmoreBeatdown) December 7, 2025
He didn't survive the ground. He's not down by contact.
Would absolutely love to hear how the explanation for how this was ruled a non-catch, yet in the same game Rodgers was given the catch on the tipped pass that was obviously intercepted by Buchanan. Likely does WAY more of a "football move" than Rodgers did. https://t.co/ItLd85IlmA
— Ryan Wormeli (@RyanWarmly) December 7, 2025
He was catching the ball on the way down with another person, so you gotta make a catch there and survive the ground. I don’t know why it was ruled the way it was on that one.”
He added that the league would likely explain the decision further, but noted, “They had plenty of time to look at it and they’re the ones that are the experts on the rule.”
A clearly emotional Lamar Jackson on the Likely TD being called back: pic.twitter.com/2hRpbkHoJr
— Giana Han (@giana_jade) December 7, 2025
Lamar Jackson, when asked if he thought it was a touchdown, didn’t mince words: “I believe (it was a touchdown). In the end zone, take a step, guy punching at the ball... It’s all I can say.”
As for Likely himself, he kept it short and professional. “They made a call, gotta live with what the ref said at the end of the day.”
Still, this one’s going to linger. Not just in Baltimore, but across the league.
Every season seems to have one or two of these polarizing catch/no-catch calls that stir up debate, and this one might top the list for 2025. The Ravens now have to regroup and refocus, but there’s no doubt this moment will loom large in the weeks to come.
Isaiah Likely on his overturned touchdown: “They made a call…gotta live with what the refs say at the end of the day.” #RavensFlock pic.twitter.com/B9RwjX4tZG
— Carita Parks (@CaritaCParks) December 7, 2025
For the Steelers, it’s a massive win that vaults them into the AFC North driver’s seat. For the Ravens, it’s a loss that stings-not just because of the scoreboard, but because of how close they came to flipping the script.