At first viewing, the tackle that Baltimore Ravens linebacker Roquan Smith put on Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Kenny Pickett was brutal. Upon further review it was illegal and a case could be made it was a dirty play altogether.
Smith slung Pickett down early in the Steelers loss to the Ravens, putting Pickett into the concussion protocol and being the primary reason the Steelers ended up losing. But it is important to note before watching the video below, Smith wasn’t flagged for this play at all.
Taking Pickett down by the facemask as he bounced his head off the turf isn’t easy to watch. Pickett tried to return to the game but was pulled again quickly after showing symptoms and ruled out after only a handful of plays.
Now, thanks to the hit by Smith, Pickett could be out next week against the Carolina Panthers. Mitch Trubisky filled in for Pickett on Sunday and threw three interceptions.
Obviously Smith grabbed Pickett’s face mask, slammed Kenny into the ground and as the video shows, still had a hold of the face mask when Kenny was on the ground.
No penalty.#Steelers #Ravens #NFL pic.twitter.com/6xfriNRXYj
— Obviously (Not) Tomlin (@Tomlin_Sense) December 11, 2022
