The Pittsburgh Steelers opened the game with a long drive that ended with a Justin Brown fumble. The Baltimore Ravens proceed to embark on an 85-yard touchdown drive that remains the difference, as the Steelers trail 10-3 heading into the second half.
The Ravens received the ball to begin the second half after deferring to start the game. Shaun Suisham kicked over Jacoby Jones‘ head for another touchback. On play action, Joe Flacco was nearly sacked on first down, but got the pass off for an incompletion. Jeremy Zuttah was flagged for holding and the Steelers accepted the penalty. Flacco’s swing pass to Bernard Pierce was out of reach, setting up a second and 20. Trying a draw up the middle, Justin Forsett got tied up at the line and Jarvis Jones dropped him for no gain. Now third and 20, another screen pass was buried for no gain.
Antonio Brown fielded the punt at the 35-yard line and returned it to the 48, where the Steelers begin their first drive of the half.
The Steelers kept up the end arounds, this one going to Markus Wheaton again for 10 yards. Now across midfield, Le’Veon Bell hesitated to let a hole develop and found room for another first down. Bell got the carry again and made a sharp cut for six yards. On second down, Elvis Dumervil bull rushed Marcus Gilbert for his second sack. Now third and 12, Bell could only pick up a pair of yards on a short screen pass to ease Suisham’s field goal attempt. From 43 yards out, Suisham was good to bring the score to 10-6.
After a touchback, Pierce showed some shiftiness to find room for a 10-yard run. He picked up three more on the following play. He got tied up in the middle again, but pushed his way for three more yards. On third and four, Dennis Pitta got past Ryan Shazier for the first down an more, crossing midfield for 24 yards.
Flacco threw to Torrey Smith at the first-down marker down to the 30. Jason Worilds tripped up Pierce from behind after a gain of one. On second and long, Owen Daniels took a big hit, but held on for an 11-yard reception and a first down. Steve Smith brought in a short gain on the following play. Polamalu walloped Daniels after another completion at the first-down marker, and he was flagged for unnecessary roughness, making it half the distance to the goal.
From the four, Pierce got about halfway there on first down. On second and goal from the two, Mitchell dropped a shoulder to knock down a ball that would have been a touchdown, but the hit drew another unnecessary roughness penalty. Now first and goal from the one, the defense held for no gain. Flacco found Daniels wide open again for his second touchdown, extending the Ravens lead to 17-6.
On first down, Bell showed all the patience in the world, but only got two yards to show for it. Roethlisberger’s second down pass fell incomplete. Matt Elam was in on coverage in front of Brown for another incompletion and a three and out.
Lawrence Timmons caught Forsett near the line of scrimmage by the legs for a short gain on first down after the punt. On second and nine, Flacco dumped off to the back to set up third and two. Cortez Allen allowed Steve Smith a reception on a comeback route for the first down.
Flacco looked deep on first down, but the pass was well off target. Jones was the recipient of a screen pass that gained four yards. On third and six, Smith got open for the first down and more, with Mitchell flagged for a facemask. Smith broke several tackles on the first down pass, but Flacco threw two straight incompletions on well-defended passes. The Steelers held to keep it a two-possession game, down 14 at 20-6.
Miller fumbled on first down after a six-yard gain and the Ravens recovered on the 20. Pierce found room for five yards up the right sideline on first down. He wiggled his way for seven yards for first and goal. Polamlau laid into the back on first down. On second and goal, Cam Thomas got the stop for no gain. On third and goal, Allen tipped a pass destined for six. He saved a touchdown, but he could have had a turnover. Instead, the Ravens added a field goal to make it a three-possession game.
Bell twisted his way for eight yards on first down. Roethlisberger threw wide for Wheaton on second down. On third and two, Bell found room for the conversion around the center. After an incompletion on first down, Antonio Brown was unable to reel in the pass. On third and 10, Miller dropped the ball with a defender getting his hand in the mix. Jones returned the ensuing punt 33 yards to the 45-yard line.
After a 14-yard run by Forsett on the first play, he found more room, racing all the way down to the one-yard line. He was stopped on first down, and the quarterback sneak was unsuccessful on second down. On third and goal, Owen Daniels was flagged for a false start. On third and goal from the five, Shazier smacked down Jones for no gain. On fourth down, the lead was extended to 26-6.
Roethlisberger threw behind Brown on first down. He found Bell for a first down on the following play, with the back going over 100 all-purpose yards. Justin Brown was not expecting a shovel pass and dropped the ball. On second and 10, Miller caught a six-yard pass with no yards after the catch. Antonio Brown finally caught a pass in the second half for 12 yards, extending his five-catch, 50-yard streak to 18 games, and followed it up with another reception a play later for 27 yards.
After missing Miller on first down, Roethlisberger targeted Brown for another 12 yards. His next pass was tipped and intercepted by Haloti Ngata, essentially sealing the game.
