Wednesday links: Was Chris Boswell’s PAT blocked?

It’s Wednesday, which means it’s time for a weekly Steelers links roundup at BTSC. But first, let’s take a look around the AFC North:

• Ravens fire head coach John Harbaugh after 18 seasons (Baltimore Beatdown)
• Browns add fast rising defensive coach to head coaching interview list (Dawgs by Nature)
• Zac Taylor plans to keep defensive coordinator Al Golden and rest of coaching staff (Cincy Jungle)

What’s the latest on the Steelers’ upcoming opponent?

• Houston Texans vs. Pittsburgh Steelers Wildcard Preview (Battle Red Blog)
• Texans offensive struggles: a venting session (Battle Red Blog)
• Houston Texans announce playoff bonus for H-Town (Battle Red Blog)

Now, onto some Steelers news and discussion:

Everything DeMeco Ryans said ahead of Wild Card Round game vs Steelers

(From TexansWire’s Cole Thompson):

Question: On the matchup with the Pittsburgh Steelers

DeMeco Ryans: “We’re excited for the matchup versus the Steelers. Really great team. Nothing but a ton of respect for Coach [Mike] Tomlin and the success that he’s had in the league, how he’s done it for such a long time. He’s a guy who I’ve definitely always looked up to, always respected. He always has his team ready to go, well-coached, physical outfit. They’re going to play tough. It was cool to see how they won that game last night. Pure will, determination, found a way to win. Had things gone their way. Aaron [Rodgers] done a good job there at the quarterback position. Defense has always played tough. So, we’re excited about the opportunity.”

It’ll be a battle of defensive-minded head coaches on Monday. As expected, DeMeco Ryans had a lot of good things to say about Mike Tomlin and co.

Steelers’ T.J. Watt Makes History vs. Ravens

(From SI’s Jack Markowski): Per NFL Network’s Omar Ruiz, Watt has joined Pro Football Hall of Fame pass rusher Julius Peppers as the only two players in NFL history with 100 or more sacks and nine or more interceptions during their respective careers since sacks first became an official statistic in 1982.

T.J. Watt’s ball skills as a pass rusher have put him in rare territory in NFL history.

How a priest and holy water played into the Steelers’ win over Ravens

(From USA Today’s Joe Rivera): Prior to the game, a priest was seen blessing an end zone with holy water – the same end zone where the upright stood that was the target of Loop’s missed field goal try.

The legend of the missed kick that sent Pittsburgh to the playoffs grows. That said, it wasn’t quite as rare of an occurrence as many had originally thought.

Steelers’ DK Metcalf ‘excited as hell’ to return for playoffs

(From ESPN’s Brooke Pryor): The second Steelers wide receiver Calvin Austin III crossed the goal line to score the go-ahead, fourth-quarter touchdown Sunday night against the Baltimore Ravens, DK Metcalf jumped off his couch, got dressed, grabbed his keys and started driving to Acrisure Stadium.

Traffic kept the suspended Steelers wide receiver from reaching the locker room in time to celebrate the AFC North title, but speaking Monday for the first time since his altercation with the fan in Detroit and his resulting two-game suspension, Metcalf expressed gratitude for his teammates.

Despite missing the last two games of the season, Metcalf still leads the Steelers in receiving yards this season with 850. And his 14.4 yards per catch are the most of any Steeler with over five receptions. It will be huge to get him back this week.

Zach Frazier says Ravens didn’t want to tackle Steelers running backs

(From Steelers Wire’s Andrew Vasquez): Speaking with reporters postgame, Frazier argued that the Ravens’ defense didn’t want to tackle Jaylen Warren, thanks to his physical running style.

“They did not want to tackle him,” Frazier said via Penn Live’s Nick Farabaugh. “He’s a tough runner, and so is [Kenneth Gainwell]. You love to see them break tackles. As an offensive lineman, it fires you up.”

As the adage goes, the team that wins Steelers-Ravens is the one that hits the hardest. According to Zach Frazier, it was Pittsburgh that out-physicalled Baltimore by the end.

League Correction Confirms Boswell Kick Was Blocked, Not Missed

(From Steelers Now’s Alan Saunders): The NFL has officially amended the box score from the Steelers against Ravens matchup, ruling that Chris Boswell’s fourth-quarter extra-point attempt was blocked, not missed.

Video evidence backs up the correction. From an end-zone angle, Ravens rookie safety Keondre Jackson comes through nearly untouched and clearly gets a hand on the kick, forcing the attempt wide. While the blocked extra point ultimately did not decide the outcome, Baltimore later missed a potential go-ahead field goal by Tyler Loop, it very easily could have. Had that kick been converted, the Steelers would have paid the price in the most painful way possible.

A late stat correction by the NFL might’ve taken the blame away from Boswell in what was otherwise the lowest part of the season — even if it didn’t end up costing Pittsburgh the game.

Was the kick really blocked?

I did my best to compile the slow-motion views of the best two angles, and some stills with horrifically bad definition, to take a closer look.

Did Jackson get close enough to block the kick? Absolutely. You can see his hands in line with the ball’s trajectory as he reached out. However, it’s hard to tell if he actually ever made a connection — or if he did, if it was enough to affect the kick in the first place. The ball doesn’t noticeably change after the possible impact, even if its strange pull to the right could be evidence of something changing its rotation. But it doesn’t deviate much from its original arc off of Boswell’s foot.

Does it matter? Not really, unless you’re Chris Boswell hoping for a better stat sheet. The Steelers won, regardless, but it’s fun to take a closer look.

What are your thoughts on the missed point-after attempt? Do you think it was blocked? Join the BTSC community and let us know in the comments!