Ravens 26, Steelers 23: Assessing The Damage In Latest Loss

PITTSBURGH, PA - When the NFL season began little more than a month ago, few people would have predicted that the Steelers would be virtually eliminated from playoff contention just five weeks into the season - or that an undrafted rookie would be their quarterback.

But that's the situation after the Baltimore Ravens defeated the Steelers in overtime Sunday. Here's what sports writers across the county are saying about the game:

• Bryan DeArdo, CBS Sports: "Though Pittsburgh scored 10 points behind Devlin Hodges after losing Rudolph to a concussion midway through the third quarter, the Steelers continue to hurt themselves by committing major mistakes. JuJu Smith-Schuster led Pittsburgh in receiving, including his 35-yard touchdown in the first quarter, but his fumble in overtime set up Tucker's game-winning kick. Mistakes like that are why the Steelers may suffer their first losing season since 2003."

• Jonas Shaffer, The Baltimore Sun: "Safety Earl Thomas III’s high hit on Mason Rudolph knocked the Steelers quarterback unconscious and ultimately out of the game in the third quarter. In place of Rudolph, who was starting only because star BenRoethlisberger had suffered a season-ending elbow injury in Week 2, cameundrafted rookie Devlin Hodges, a former star at Samford — a FootballChampionship Subdivision program."

• Chris Wesseling, NFL.com: "On a day when Lamar Jackson took five sacks and tossed three interceptions, Baltimore needed a game-changing play by cornerback Marlon Humphrey, who punched the ball out of JuJu Smith-Schuster's hands and watched Steelers backup QB Devlin Hodges overrun the the dancing prolate spheroid before picking it up himself, giving (kicker Justin) Tucker a shot to play the hero."

• Brooke Pryor, ESPN: "The Steelers are on their third starting quarterback in five weeks. With a concussion to Mason Rudolph, the next man up is Devlin Hodges, a Samford University product who went through training camp with the Steelers and was signed to the practice squad after the Joshua Dobbs trade."

• Curt Popejoy, USA Today:

"Despite being an undrafted rookie, Devlin Hodges came in and didn’t look like the game was too big for him. After Rudolph was lost with a concussion, Hodges came in with the team trailing and played well. Hodges completed seven of nice attempts for 68 passing yards and didn’t turn the football over. It’s unclear how long Rudolph will be out but Hodges looks capable of running this offense."