Ravens Fall to Steelers Amid Controversial Call That Could Define Their Season
The Ravens walked off the field Sunday with more than just a 27-22 loss to the Steelers - they left with a bitter taste in their mouths and a potentially season-altering controversy hanging over them. In a game that had major AFC North and playoff implications, one pivotal moment in the final minutes might linger far longer than the result itself.
With under three minutes to go and Baltimore trailing by five, Lamar Jackson had the Ravens driving deep into Steelers territory. On a crucial play, Jackson found tight end Isaiah Likely cutting across the middle.
Likely caught the ball, took a couple of steps, extended toward the end zone - and for a moment, it looked like Baltimore had taken the lead. The officials on the field ruled it a touchdown.
But the celebration was short-lived.
After a lengthy review, the call was overturned. The officials determined that Likely did not complete the process of the catch - a ruling that wiped six points off the board and left the Ravens stunned.
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
Three plays later, they turned the ball over on downs and never got the ball back. Game over.
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
Division hopes in serious jeopardy.
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
It was the kind of moment that can define a game - and potentially a season.
The Rulebook vs. Reality
The action is literally in the rule book. pic.twitter.com/Mmg0TehEQ7
— Z.J. (@ZJBeatdown) December 7, 2025
The NFL’s definition of a catch has long been a source of confusion, and Sunday’s reversal only added fuel to that fire. CBS rules analyst Gene Steratore, a former NFL referee, tried to break it down for viewers during the broadcast.
Please tell us how Rodgers had secure control of the ball and performed a football move next!!
— AJ (@AJ3Jazz) December 7, 2025
“In order for this to be a completed catch, he must complete all three elements,” Steratore said. “Possession, two feet, and time to make a football move. He had possession, he had two feet, but he didn’t complete the third element.”
He stretched the ball out. That is a football move stated in the rule book.
— STONE (@stone_2x) December 7, 2025
That explanation didn’t exactly sit well with fans - or players. Many pointed out that Likely extended his arms toward the goal line, which has often been interpreted as a “football move” under the league’s own guidelines. The debate quickly spilled onto social media, where fans dissected every frame of the replay like it was the Zapruder film.
NFL VP of Instant Replay Mark Butterworth later echoed Steratore’s stance, telling reporters that the play was ruled incomplete because Likely didn’t take a third step before the ball was knocked loose.
“The third step is an act common to the game,” Butterworth said. “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
That technical interpretation might satisfy the rulebook, but it did little to ease the frustration in Baltimore - or among neutral fans who just want consistency from the league.
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
Fallout in Baltimore
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
The Ravens were understandably upset. This wasn’t just a blown call in the second quarter of a random game in October.
This was a late-game, go-ahead touchdown in a divisional matchup with major playoff implications. And it was taken off the board.
Head coach John Harbaugh didn’t hold back when asked about the ruling.
“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.
He didn’t survive the ground. He’s not down by contact.
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.”
Harbaugh added that the league would likely explain the decision further, but the damage was already done. The touchdown was gone, the game was lost, and the Ravens were left to pick up the pieces.
Lamar Jackson was more succinct but just as frustrated.
“I believe [it was a touchdown],” Jackson said. “In the end zone, take a step, guy punching at the ball... It’s all I can say.”
A clearly emotional Lamar Jackson on the Likely TD being called back: pic.twitter.com/2hRpbkHoJr
— Giana Han (@giana_jade) December 7, 2025
As for Likely himself, he kept it brief.
“They made a call,” he said. “Gotta live with what the ref said at the end of the day.”
A Costly Defeat
This wasn’t just a loss - it was a missed opportunity. With the Bengals falling to the Bills, the door was wide open for Baltimore to make a move in the AFC North. Instead, the Steelers now sit firmly in control of the division, while the Ravens are left fighting for their playoff lives.
And that’s what makes this sting even more. Baltimore had a chance to steal a critical win on the road, to flip the script on a tight division race. Instead, they’re left with a controversial decision that will be debated all week - and possibly all season.
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
Another Sunday, another NFL catch controversy. But this one might just have playoff consequences.