The Ravens knew a loss was a possibility. It’s not as if they approached the game with a win-at-all-costs mindset. Reserves assumed starting positions across the board. And when a team does this while taking on a physical team that needs a win to survive, the odds tilt towards the opponent. In this case, their archrival Steelers.
That doesn’t mean that John Harbaugh & Co. weren’t trying to win the game, but sometimes you need to be willing to sacrifice the battle to win the war. And the war’s prize is The Lombardi Trophy.
But that said, it was a winnable game for the Ravens.