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John Harbaugh knows one of his players belongs in the Hall of Fame when it comes to a key area of the game. This veteran repeated the kind of impact play he’s been making for years during the Baltimore Ravens’ 16-14 win over bitter rivals the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 14.
The play was a major shift in momentum that protected a healthy Ravens lead in the fourth quarter at Acrisure Stadium. It was a splash play created by a subtle audible from one member of Harbaugh’s coaching staff.
Even Harbaugh’s rival, Steelers’ head coach Mike Tomlin, saluted the player who stands alone in one statistical category after 15 years.
Harbaugh Names Raven Worthy of Canton
Calais Campbell is in the winter of his NFL career, but the 36-year-old has never lost the knack for blocking field goals. He was at it again early in the final period against the Steelers, getting a meaty paw up to swat away Chris Boswell’s 40-yard attempt with just 11 minutes and 19 seconds on the clock and the Ravens leading 13-7.
It was the ninth blocked kick of Campbell’s career, and Harbaugh thinks that number is worthy of enshrinement in Canton, Ohio, per ESPN’s Jamison Hensley:
Tomlin joined Harbaugh in delivering similarly high praise, calling Campbell “a known legendary guy to block a kick,” per Chris Adamski of TribLive.com. Tomlin’s words suggest the Steelers knew 6’8″ Campbell was the player to watch on field goal attempts, but they may not have expected the way he attacked this particular kick.
Campbell revealed how special teams coach Chris Horton called an audible to help him beat Pittsburgh’s blocking scheme. Comments from Campbell, relayed by Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic, show the Ravens hadn’t made this adjustment in a while:
A key to the play was how Campbell beat long-snapper Christian Kuntz. The 15-year defensive linemen told Hensley he used a “swim move” to get through the A gap.
The move helped the Ravens improve to 9-4. It also meant Campbell earned a long overdue first in a Ravens uniform.
All-Pro Now Feels “Like a Raven”
The significance of the Ravens and Steelers rivalry is being passed down by franchise greats like Terrell Suggs and Ray Lewis. Campbell liked what he heard from the Super Bowl winners and said finally beating the Steelers means “I can now call myself a Raven.”
Victory over the Steelers has been a long time coming for Campbell since he joined the Ravens in 2020. Pittsburgh had swept the series in each of the last two seasons, with their most recent wins proving particularly costly for Campbell and his teammates.
The Ravens missed the playoffs at the end of the 2021 campaign, despite starting 8-3. A plethora of injuries contributed to a six-game losing skid that began with a one-point defeat at the hands of the Steelers.
Pittsburgh also confirmed the Ravens’ fate by winning in overtime at M&T Bank Stadium in the season’s final week. It was the last game for Steelers’ Super Bowl-winning quarterback and perennial Ravens nemesis Ben Roethlisberger.
The Steelers have fallen by the wayside without Roethlisberger in 2022, clearing a path for the Ravens to regain control of the AFC North. It’s a path Campbell and Co. appear destined to take after a gritty win inspired by resilient defense and big plays on special teams.
Those are things Campbell knows all about, and things the Ravens need while franchise quarterback Lamar Jackson deals with a knee injury. Winning without Jackson proved elusive last season, but Campbell’s block helped ensure this year’s Ravens have already mastered the art of winning ugly when they lack star power.
It’s what playoff teams are all about.
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