John Harbaugh Defends Earl Thomas For Devastating Hit On Mason Rudolph

Fans were holding their breath for all the wrong reasons Sunday afternoon at Heinz Field.

Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Mason Rudolph appeared to lose consciousness after taking a devastating hit on the run from Baltimore Ravens safety Earl Thomas. The hit came in under the chin and seemed to knock Rudolph out almost immediately before he hit turf, where he remained down for minutes before getting assisted to the sidelines.

The Ravens went on to win dramatically in overtime on a field goal as the Steelers finished the game with undrafted free agent Devlin Hodges under center.

After the game, Ravens coach John Harbaugh came to the defense of his safety for the frightening hit, saying he was “absolutely certain” Thomas was not targeting the head on the tackle.

Thomas was flagged for roughing the passer after the play.

While there may not have been any malicious intent on the hit, it will be interesting to see how the NFL decides to handle it.