Ravens Defeat Steelers 26-6 In Thursday Night Football
BALTIMORE (WJZ/AP)-- Joe Flacco threw two touchdown passes to tight end Owen Daniels, Justin Tucker kicked four field goals, and the Baltimore Ravens defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers 26-6 in Thursday Night Football on WJZ-TV.
Shaun Suisham's second field goal of the night, a 43-yarder 4:30 into the second half, cut the Ravens' lead to 10-6 before Flacco came back with an 80-yard drive during which he repeatedly exposed soft coverage in the middle of the field.
He completed 6 of 6 passes to four different receivers for 56 yards, and two defensive penalties -- on safeties Troy Polamalu and Mike Mitchell for hits on defenseless receivers -- helped set up a 1-yard TD pass to a sliding Daniels with 3:58 left in the period.
With Baltimore up 7-0 after scoring on its first possession, Flacco led the Ravens to the Steelers' 11-yard line midway through the second quarter before the drive stalled on a pair of incomplete passes in the end zone. That brought out Tucker, who converted from 30 yards.
Ben Roethlisberger responded with an 11-play, 73-yard drive culminating with a 25-yard field goal by Suisham with 2:50 left in the half.
Both teams put together time-consuming first drives aided by an opponent's penalty, but Pittsburgh's was halted by a turnover while Flacco was 4 for 4 during a 12-play, 85-yard possession that ended with a score.
With Baltimore facing a third-and-4 from the Pittsburgh 26, cornerback Cortez Allen was hit with a pass interference penalty on a sideline pattern intended for Torrey Smith. The infraction moved the ball to the 3, and two plays later Flacco found Daniels uncovered behind the defense for a 2-yard touchdown with 27 seconds left in the first period.
Roethlisberger had led the Steelers to the Baltimore 16 on the game's opening drive, converting two third downs. On an early third-and-9 from the Pittsburgh 21, Courtney Upshaw was flagged for roughing the quarterback, keeping alive the drive.
It ended when Justin Brown fumbled after a hard hit from linebacker Mike Smith on a 6-yard reception. DeAngelo Tyson recovered the ball.
Roethlisberger completed 22 of 37 passes for 217 yards. It was the first time since Nov. 26, 2006, that Baltimore held Pittsburgh without a touchdown.
"We moved the ball; we just made a mistake here and there," Roethlisberger said.
After Tucker kicked a 23-yard field goal for a 20-6 lead, Steelers tight end Heath Miller fumbled on a hit by Mosley, who took the loose ball to the Pittsburgh 20.
That led to a 22-yarder by Tucker with 11:14 left.
Pittsburgh (1-1) finished with only 22 fewer yards than Baltimore, but the turnovers made the difference. One Steelers miscue halted their opening drive, another set up a fourth-quarter field goal by Tucker, and an interception thrown by Ben Roethlisberger with 1:51 remaining ended any hope.
"Obviously, a disappointing effort for us," coach Mike Tomlin said. "A lot of the self-inflicted wounds are going to prevent you from being in a football game like that. We turned the ball over too often (and) were highly penalized. Those two things are a lethal combination."
It was only the second time in the last 11 regular-season meetings between the teams that the outcome was decided by more than three points.
There is a reason why these Ravens vs. Steelers games are cast as prime time dramas. Baltimore and Pittsburgh is one the best rivalries in the NFL and sometimes considered the best in all of sports.
In the games that they have played in the past have been hard-fought and closely contested, and the latest version of the rivalry plays out in M&T Bank Stadium on Thursday night.
A quick couple of days of light practice in Owings Mills give way to the intensity of game night. Still recovering from a season opening loss, the Ravens shifted gears and braced for a battle with their rivals from Pittsburgh.
Here's what some players had to say before the game:
"Intense, physical, the best rivalry in football. It's always on prime time and everybody in the world wants to watch that game," said Jimmy Smith, Ravens cornerback.
"We got to be confident. We got to believe that we are going to go out there and play from the very first whistle. I definitely think we looked rusty early on and we got to make sure we correct that. I think a lot of it has to do with being loose and playing confident," said Joe Flacco, Ravens quarterback.
"You don't want to come out of a 0-2 hole, especially giving up two at home. Wins in the NFL are hard to come by, so that's why you have to win your home games. We unfortunately dropped one, and they won one in the division so we have to definitely cover some ground," said Terrell Suggs, Ravens linebacker.
The Ravens were playing their first game since running back Ray Rice had his contract terminated Monday following the release of a video that showed him striking his then-fiancee in an Atlantic City casino elevator. The NFL suspended Rice indefinitely later Monday.
"We had a tough family situation this week," coach John Harbaugh said. "I thought our guys handled it tremendously -- with class, with character. They responded."
Although the Rice video and the reaction were the talk of Baltimore for much of the week, a few fans showed their loyalty to the banished running back by wearing his No. 27 jersey.
But the crowd of 71,181 was quick to turn its attention to on-field action at the opening kickoff.
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