PITTSBURGH � The Baltimore Ravens let a 10-point lead in the fourth quarter slip from their grasp Sunday night at Heinz Field. But they found a way to regroup, getting a 26-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Joe Flacco to rookie wide receiver Torrey Smith with eight seconds left to beat the Pittsburgh Steelers, 23-20.
The Ravens beat the Steelers for the second time this season and moved into a first-place tie with the Cincinnati Bengals in the AFC North, with records of 6-2. The Steelers, at 6-3, dropped into third place.
The Steelers used a one-yard touchdown run by tailback Rashard Mendenhall and a 25-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Ben Roethlisberger to wide receiver Mike Wallace to turn a 16-6 deficit entering the fourth quarter into a 20-16 lead. The Ravens were on the verge of being beaten when Smith had a pass from Flacco slip from his grasp in the end zone in the final minute. Fellow wide receiver Anquan Boldin had another pass deflect off his hands.
But then, improbably, the Ravens got the win when Flacco lobbed a pass to Smith, who made the catch in the end zone despite a pass-interference penalty on Steelers cornerback William Gay.
The Ravens had a would-be touchdown run by tailback Ray Rice on the game's opening play negated by a penalty. That was the first in a series of frustrations for the Ravens, who seemed in control of the game for much of the night but never could put away the Steelers until the final seconds. Rice had a third-quarter touchdown run for the Ravens, and place kicker Billy Cundiff provided three field goals.
Place kicker Shaun Suisham had two field goals for Pittsburgh, which played without wide receiver Hines Ward after he was hurt on a first-half hit by Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis. Ward apparently suffered a pinched nerve and watched the remainder of the game from the Steelers' sideline.
The Ravens beat the Steelers, 35-7, in the season opener in Baltimore. But it was the Steelers who began the day in first place as the two teams renewed one of the league's fiercest rivalries.
The Pittsburgh defense was without injured linebackers James Farrior and LaMarr Woodley, although fellow linebacker James Harrison made his return to the lineup after missing four games due because of a fractured orbital bone.
The Ravens appeared to grab a quick lead when Rice dashed 76 yards to the end zone on the opening play. But the touchdown was nullified by a holding call on Smith, who was blocking Gay. The Ravens regrouped and moved down the field, with Flacco providing third-down completions to tight end Dennis Pitta and Boldin to keep the drive going.
A pass-interference penalty on Gay, who was covering Smith on a fade pattern in the end zone, gave the Ravens a first down at the Pittsburgh 1-yard line. But they couldn't get the yard they needed. Flacco threw a first-down incompletion on a pass that nearly was intercepted by safety Ryan Clark. Rice was stopped for no gain on second- and third-down carries, and the Ravens had to settle for Cundiff's short field goal.
The Baltimore defense forced a punt after the Steelers managed to hold the ball for only three plays on their opening drive, and the Ravens were back at it on offense. Flacco had two more third-down completions, including a lob to Smith for a 29-yard gain. But the Ravens' drive stalled and Cundiff pushed a 40-yard field goal try wide right.
So the Ravens had little to show for a first quarter in which they had possession of the ball for nearly 11 1/2 of the 15 minutes, and the Steelers drew even when Suisham connected on a 36-yard field goal in the opening minute of the second quarter.
Cundiff's 43-yard field goal gave the Ravens another lead, and Suisham's 30-yarder got the Steelers even. A personal foul called on Clark helped the Ravens move into position for Cundiff's third field goal, a 51-yarder as time expired in the half.
The Steelers had a scoring opportunity right away in the third quarter, moving to a first down at the Baltimore 14-yard line. But linebacker Terrell Suggs made a leaping interception as Roethlisberger attempted to zip a quick screen pass to Wallace.
The Ravens capitalized. A pass interference call on Steelers cornerback Ike Taylor, who was called for a slight tug of Boldin's jersey, gave the Ravens a first down at the Pittsburgh 4. Flacco threw a first-down incompletion but Rice got into the end zone on a second-down carry for the game's first touchdown. But the Steelers had an immediate reply, crafting a solid drive that ended with Mendenhall's one-yard touchdown in the opening minute of the fourth quarter.
Flacco lost the ball on Harrison's third sack of the night, and Gay recovered the fumble for the Steelers. Roethlisberger's go-ahead touchdown pass to Wallace came with just less than five minutes left, after he scrambled to his right to avoid the Ravens' pass rush.
No comments:
Post a Comment