The NFL admitted wrongdoing for improperly assessing one of the controversial penalties against the Baltimore Ravens in their Sunday loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers. Speaking to reporters Monday, head coach John Harbaugh said the league admitted the officials made the incorrect call on DL Travis Jones for a personal foul on LS Christian Kuntz during a Chris Boswell field goal.
The penalty gave Pittsburgh a first down that the Steelers turned into a touchdown, a four-point swing in a five-point win over the Ravens.
“The Travis Jones call, and they told me I had permission to state this, it was the wrong call,” Harbaugh told reporters Monday via the team’s YouTube channel. “It should not have been called.”
Of the three calls that went against the Ravens, this was the most obvious incorrect one. While long snappers are afforded extra protection, Jones did not contact Kuntz’s head/neck area, nor did he attack Kuntz egregiously. Jones was clearly rushing into the A-gap and Kuntz happened to go down, something that occurs on nearly every kick.
Harbaugh, however, has less clarity on the other calls. A touchdown taken off the board after TE Isaiah Likely was deemed unable to get a third step down and Aaron Rodgers’ reception that was initially called an interception. It does not appear the league admitted fault with either of those decisions.
Harbaugh said he appreciated a long phone call he and the Ravens’ front office had with the NFL. But that discussion did not change Harbaugh’s opinion on what he thinks were multiple missed calls.
“It didn’t clear anything up,” he said. “It didn’t make it any easier to understand either one of the two calls. It’s very hard to understand how it gets overturned.”
Those plays were impactful. Had Likely scored, Baltimore would’ve taken a late fourth-quarter lead. Had the Rodgers play stood as an interception, the Ravens would’ve had the ball deep in Steelers territory down just five points. While controversial, it’s fair to say officials made the correct call on both. Rodgers had control of the ball and was down by contact on his play while Likely failed to maintain possession through his third step on his.
The fact Rodgers was down is the difference of the two and why Rodgers didn’t need to make an additional “football move” that Likely was required to show.
“It’s about as clear as mud right now,” Harbaugh said of the NFL’s catch rules. “That’s how I feel about it.”
Multiple former officials, including Gene Steratore and Terry McAulay, agreed the Likely no-catch was ruled correctly. McAulay, however, speculated the competition committee could tweak the rule for 2026.
This pass is incomplete as the current rule is written and applied.
He gets control and 2 feet down for sure. *After* that, he must maintain control and he *must* perform an act common to the game *OR* have time to do so. The key word is “after”.
He does not perform an act… pic.twitter.com/S3SjfEEXeQ
— Terry McAulay (@tjmcaulay) December 8, 2025
Upset as Harbaugh, analysts like Stephen A. Smith, and anyone else might be, the Ravens should only blame themselves for the loss. Baltimore failed to make timely plays. The Ravens dug themselves a halftime hole and had multiple miscues. Penalties, drops, a missed extra point, and the inability to stop Pittsburgh’s vertical passing game that had been invisible for more than a month.
All the Ravens can do is try to salvage their season starting Sunday in a must-win game against the Cincinnati Bengals, a team they lost to on Thanksgiving.
