Struggling Steelers Receive Unfortunate Officiating News For Wild Card Game Against Ravens

To say the least, the Pittsburgh Steelers are not expected to travel to play the Baltimore Ravens in the Wild Card Round and come away with a victory. In the teams' most recent matchup, John Harbaugh's group dismantled Mike Tomlin and co. by a score of 34-17. It was a bit closer than the score suggested, but overall, the fact is that the Ravens are one of the NFL's hottest teams while the Steelers are entering the postseason on a four-game losing streak. Any advantage Pittsburgh can gain will be helpful, but the franchise got bad news on Monday afternoon.

Officiating has an impact on every professional game and sometimes, it can cost an organization a win. The league announced on Monday which crews will be sent out for the first round of the playoffs.

Alex Kemp will be the lead referee in charge on Saturday evening during a cold game down in Baltimore. When taking a look at his crew's tendencies, a staggering winning percentage for home teams is present throughout the 2024 season. Only three visiting teams were victorious with Kemp's group in charge. One of those was actually the Ravens taking down the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in October.

This is extremely concerning, given the fact that the league average is seeing home teams win at a clip of roughly 51%. Kemp's crew, however, is listed at about 81%. Referees are humans too, and it has to make one wonder if Kemp and co. tend to favor the franchise hosting the game, whether they really know it or not. This leaves the Steelers at an immediate disadvantage.

It's more than just away teams having trouble winning with Kemp's crew on the field. The group calls a good amount of defensive holding (18) and pass interference (12) penalties. That could make for an extremely long game for an individual like Joey Porter Jr., who has a tendency of being extremely handsy when guarding wide receivers.

The crew also has a knack for protecting the quarterback, throwing nine flags for roughing the passer in 2024. On top of that, eight unnecessary roughness infractions have been called. This is a crew that will stay on top of any extracurricular activities, especially when two division rivals are squaring off for the third time in one season. With it being the playoffs, the stakes are even higher.

Kemp was the official for the Steelers' home opener against the Los Angeles Chargers back in September. Pittsburgh won the game and was only called for three penalties that totaled 15 yards. It's clear that, as the home team, Tomlin and co. had an advantage. Another interesting piece to the puzzle is that all three away teams to win when Kemp's crew was assigned during the 2024 season, were favorites.

The Steelers are nowhere close to being the favorites on Saturday, which makes the hill to climb even tougher. The organization will try to do something that no one has all year: win on the road, as an underdog, with Kemp's crew on the call. This is rare air to be in for an officiating group, so the Steelers have a lot on their plate as they prepare for Baltimore.

Steelers Add Officiating Crew To List Of Troublesome Issues In Baltimore

If Pittsburgh plays a near-perfect game, this contest will likely still be extremely close. That's when certain calls could lead to a certain outcome. Sure, Kemp's crew isn't out to get away teams, but the numbers are staggering. Fans should be prepared for plenty of holding calls, and it's quite possible that a lot more goes wrong for the Steelers when it comes to the officiating compared to it going right.

Do you think officials can control the outcome of games in the NFL? Let us know in the comments below!

#SteelerNation