MIKE BURKE
Allegany Communications Sports
Earl Weaver used to call it negative positive reinforcement and, in this case, it worked again. Understand, it’s not a toy, so you have to pick your spots in using it. So, naturally, when I pulled the trigger on it last week, I knew the Baltimore Ravens would beat the Pittsburgh Steelers (sure, I did), and that’s just what they did, 34-17; because the Ravens are just a better football team than the Steelers are. This year, anyway.
So, I saw it, I believed it, and I used it.
Yeah, that’s the ticket. And more on that later …
The first key to the Ravens victory was the play of their offensive line that did a perfect job of keeping the Steelers’ injured outside linebacker T.J. Watt (ankle) off of quarterback Lamar Jackson, as well as open huge holes for running back Derrick Henry, who rushed for over 160 yards.
The second key was the play of the secondary, which, since moving Kyle Hamilton back to a more base safety role in November, has triggered the turnaround of the entire Baltimore defensive unit.
Corner Marlon Humphrey had another clutch interception, returning this one for a game-sealing touchdown and Ar’Darius Washington made the play of the game early on in forcing the Russell Wilson fumble that looked to be a sure Steelers touchdown in the making. Nor did it hurt that the Steelers’ brilliant wide receiver George Pickens did not play due to a hamstring injury.
Then throw in the most eye-opening stat of all – the Ravens were called for just two penalties the entire game. Who saw that coming?
The Ravens’ win and the Steelers’ loss puts both teams at 10-5 and in a tie for first place in the AFC North with two games remaining. Their next games are Wednesday – yes, Christmas Day, when the Steelers host the Kansas City Chiefs and the Ravens travel to Houston to take on the Texans.
Both games are of enormous importance for all four teams as the Texans look to wrap up the AFC South and the Chiefs, with the Buffalo Bills just two games behind, are fighting for the top playoff seed in the AFC. Which, of course, is just how the NFL planned it.
As we saw in Sunday’s thrilling Washington Commanders victory over the Philadelphia Eagles, NFL players are dropping all over the field with injuries, so, naturally, the NFL through all of its shameful preaching about its concern for player safety has all four teams on Wednesday playing their third games in just 11 days, with two of those teams having to use one of the days as a travel day.
I find it amusing when the NFL complains about anything, but its recent scolding of the college football playoffs for playing on December Saturdays that have always been “reserved” for the NFL is just downright hilarious.
Of all the entities in the world that have no reason to complain, the NFL heads the list. Remember when Christmas Day was reserved in the sports world for the NBA? Does anyone know if there is even an NBA game on this Christmas?
Not that there is any love for what college football has become, but good for college football for telling the NFL to pound sand.
The NFL is no stranger itself in stealing territory. For instance, it hosted a game on Black Friday last month, which was streamed by Amazon, which pays $100 million for exclusive broadcasting rights. Makes greedy sense, right? And, given the money at stake, why hadn’t the NFL tried this before? Something called the Sports Broadcasting Act of 1961.
Back in the day when smaller market NFL teams used to struggle financially, Congress approved an antitrust exemption that allowed the NFL to pool its media rights together and sell them as one package, which is how the NFL still operates today, selling a package of games to different networks rather than allow each individual team to negotiate its own deals.
Congress knew, though, that allowing the NFL to do this could also negatively impact attendance and viewership for high school and college football. That’s why they included a dark period.
The Sports Broadcasting Act of 1961 says the NFL can’t hold games on Fridays and Saturdays in the fall, which has prevented the NFL from holding games on days typically reserved for high school and college football.
The Sports Broadcasting Act of 1961 legal language, though, is incredibly specific, stating that the NFL cannot hold games between 6 p.m. on Fridays to midnight on Saturdays from the second Saturday in September to the second Saturday in December.
But in looking to reach its goal of $25 billion in annual revenue by 2027, the NFL has started pushing the boundaries, which is why there was an NFL international game in Brazil on the first Friday in September this season and why there will forever be Black Friday games at 3 p.m. – three hours before the dark period officially begins.
Streaming services pay the NFL big money for these games and while it is obviously a backdoor way of getting around the Sports Broadcasting Act of 1961, it’s also perfectly legal.
So, if you believe a single word that comes from the NFL’s propaganda machine, beginning with its concern about player safety, I have this beachfront property …
Mike Burke writes about sports and ..other stuff for Allegany Communications. He began covering sports for the Prince George’s Sentinel in 19.81 and joined the Cumberland Times-News sports staff in 1984, serving as sports editor for over 30 years. Contact him at [email protected]. Follow him on X @MikeBurkeMDT