For a moment, it was a catch.
And a touchdown. And a go-ahead score for the Ravens with just over two minutes remaining against Pittsburgh on Sunday.
Isaiah Likely leaped forward to corral a 13-yard pass in the end zone from quarterback Lamar Jackson. The tight end landed on his right foot, then took another step with his left, before attempting to squeeze in one more with his right foot while cornerback Joey Porter wrapped around him.
Likely extended the ball forward the entire time with his 32-inch arms. Even while Porter knocked it out, it was a touchdown.
For about a minute.
Collective groans cast over M&T Bank Stadium after officials ruled it was an incomplete pass following a short review. The Ravens turned it over on downs three plays later at the 8-yard line following the punched out, and overturned, score from Likely’s grasp and couldn’t muster a game-winning drive with a minute remaining, losing 27-22.
“I thought it was a touchdown,” running back Derrick Henry said.
“13 years in this league, how many steps do you need in the end zone for a TD?” wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins wrote in a since deleted social media post on X.
“If you were on the field with us, you would’ve thought it was a touchdown, too,” Jackson told reporters postgame.
NFL vice president of instant replay Mark Butterworth explained postgame a three-step process to secure a catch. Likely obtained both control and two-feet inbounds, but did not have an “act common to the game” proceeding it — which would have been getting his third foot down.
The tight end refrained from criticizing the officiating, and said he hadn’t seen a replay of the reversed call.
“They made a call, got to live with what the refs say at the end of the day,” Likely said.
It’s the second consecutive week a would-be touchdown from Likely was overturned. Against the Bengals on Thanksgiving, he fumbled a potential 44-yard score at the goal line as safety Jordan Battle punched it away.
The tight end said the two plays are different. Against the Bengals, he said he got “lackadaisical” while scampering in. This week, he has to “live with what the refs called.” Likely didn’t cite anything he would have changed on the play.
Coach John Harbaugh said officials told him the tight end’s third foot didn’t touch down until the ball was tapped out, but was also frustrated with an overturned Aaron Rodgers turnover in the same frame.
Defensive tackle C.J. Okoye batted down a Rodgers pass midway through fourth. The ball hung in the air before the 42-year-old signal caller tapped it back to himself with his right hand — grabbing it above his helmet.
Linebacker Teddye Buchanan also seemingly grabbed it, and ripped it out of the quarterback’s hands as the two fell to the ground. Initial ruling: interception.
So the Ravens offense began to take the field, trailing by five and at the Pittsburgh 32-yard line. Then came the first rash of boos at M&T Bank Stadium that quarter as officials ruled Rodgers was down with possession of the ball before Buchanan snagged it.
“The offensive player had control of the ball as he was going to the ground,” Butterworth said. “There was a hand in there, but he never lost control of the ball and then his knees hit the ground.”
Even while the Steelers punted two plays later, Baltimore began its drive at the Ravens’ 22 rather than the Pittsburgh 32. The Likely fumble occurred on the ensuing drive.
“I saw the replay and it looked like he was probably down,” Buchanan said. “We’re not going to use it as an excuse or anything like that.”
Harbaugh wasn’t as forgiving. He argued that a receiver must “survive the ground” for a catch to stand, and Rodgers didn’t.
He also stressed the decision wasn’t a local officiating error — final calls come from the NFL office in New York.
“He didn’t survive the ground. He’s not down by contact. He was catching the ball on the way down with another person,” Harbaugh said. “I don’t know why it was ruled the way it was on that one.”
The fourth-quarter calls came in a game where Baltimore lost its grip on the AFC North lead and fell a game behind Pittsburgh.
Four games remain for a team suddenly searching for answers — and if the Ravens want to make a playoff run, they’ll have to overcome more than just a pair of fourth-quarter whistles.
Have a news tip? Contact Michael Howes at mhowes@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/Mikephowes.
To have a completed pass, the receiver must:
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— Gene Steratore (@GeneSteratore) December 7, 2025
