The Pittsburgh Steelers managed a gutsy 20-19 win over the Baltimore Ravens at Heinz Field, stopping the Ravens on a two-point conversion with 12 seconds left to secure the one-point win.
The Ravens opened the game with possession, and on their first play QB Lamar Jackson dumped it off to RB Devonta Freeman who gained 14 yards and a first down. Facing third and ten from the Pittsburgh 48, Jackson found RB Latavius Murray who picked up 16 yards and the first down. On second-and-25, Murray gained 18 yards on a reception to set up third-and-six from the Pittsburgh 10, and Jackson tried to avoid pressure and threw it up in the end zone and was intercepted by S Minkah Fitzpatrick.
The Steelers took over at their own 25, but went three-and-out after three carries by RB Najee Harris gained a total of nine yards. P Pressley Harvin III punt went 38 yards to the Baltimore 33. The Ravens faced a third-and-11, but WR Marquise Brown was stopped by CB Justin Layne for no gain. WR Ray-Ray McCloud returned P Sam Koch’s punt to the Pittsburgh 27, which is where the Steelers started their second drive.
The Steelers went three-and-out again, but Harvin sent a punt 64 yards and it bounced out of bounds inside the Baltimore one-yard line. The Ravens got a first down after a three-yard gain by Freeman, and on third-and-seven they got another first on a nine-yard reception by TE Mark Andrews. Andrews picked up another first down later in the drive to move Baltimore to the Pittsburgh 36. Andrews was wide-open and got his third first-down reception of the drive, gaining 29 yards to move Baltimore to the Pittsburgh 3. Freeman ran it in for a three-yard touchdown on the next play and the Ravens took a 7-0 lead after Justin Tucker’s successful extra point. The Ravens’ 99-yard drive lasted 16 plays and took 10:27 off the clock.
RB Najee Harris gained 18 yards on the Steelers first play of their third drive, giving the team their first first down of the game. The Steelers’ drive stalled out, and Harvin III came out to punt it away. WR Devin Duvernay returned the punt to the Pittsburgh 27 and the Ravens took over with 6:16 left in the first half. The Ravens drove to midfield but Jackson was sacked by DE Cam Heyward on third-and-nine and the Ravens were forced to punt.
The Steelers took over with 1:48 to go in the first half, and moved from their own 13 to their own 46 in three plays after Roethlisberger hit TE Pat Freiermuth for a 17-yard gain over the middle. Pittsburgh moved into Baltimore territory at their 35 after a 14-yard gain by WR Diontae Johnson, but Johnson dropped a would-be touchdown pass on first down and the Steelers didn’t pick up another first. K Chris Boswell made a 53-yard field goal and the Steelers cut the Baltimore lead to 7-3 with 27 seconds left in the first half. The score would remain 7-3 at the half.
The Steelers opened the second half with possession, and picked up a first down after three straight Harris runs. Roethlisberger went deep to McCloud and it was initially ruled a catch deep down the right sideline but was later reversed and ruled incomplete. Two incompletions later, and the Steelers were forced to punt. A facemask against Kendrick Green after the play forced Harvin to punt from the end zone, and the Ravens took over at their own 42-yard line after a nice tackle by rookie LB Buddy Johnson in punt coverage.
The Ravens gained 15 yards on first down with a completion to WR Sammy Watkins, and on third-and-11, Freeman picked up 15 and a first down on a dump off. The Steelers were able to hold Baltimore to a field goal, as Tucker nailed a 35-yarder and the Ravens took a 10-3 lead with 7:24 to go in the third quarter. Pittsburgh drove to the Baltimore 49 on their next drive but were forced to punt after Freiermuth was stopped short of the line to gain. The Ravens took over at their own 24 after Harvin III’s punt went just 25 yards.
On third-and-eight, Brown and Jackson hooked up for 17 yards and a first down. The Steelers defense got off the field though, and the Ravens punted from their own 43. Pittsburgh got a big play when Roethlisberger hit Claypool on a slant route and Claypool took it 40 yards to the Baltimore 29. On the next play, Roethlisberger found Johnson wide-open for a 29-yard touchdown. Boswell’s extra point was no good, and the Ravens maintained a 10-9 lead.
Duvernay’s 35-yard kick return gave the Ravens the ball on their own 38 to start their first drive of the fourth quarter. Fitzpatrick was called for defensive pass interference on second down, and the Ravens moved to the Pittsburgh 18. The Steelers defense held strong and Baltimore settled for a 28-yard field goal by Tucker to go up 13-9 with 11:51 left in the game. The Steelers started on their own 25, but moved into Baltimore territory on a 25-yard reception by Johnson. The Steelers advanced to the Baltimore 27 after nine-yard and two-yard runs by Harris. On third-and-eight, Roethlisberger missed WR James Washington down the right sideline, and Boswell attempted a 43-yard field goal and was good. The Steelers cut the Ravens lead to 13-12 with 7:23 left in the game.
Pittsburgh forced a Baltimore three-and-out that included an impressive pass breakup by CB Ahkello Witherspoon on third down, and with 6:21 left started their drive at their own 31. The Steelers relied on their run game and short passing game, picking up chunk yardage on runs by Harris and RB Benny Snell Jr. At the two-minute morning with the ball on the Baltimore 13, the Steelers faced a second-and-two and drew Ravens S Chuck Clark offsides. On third-and-goal, Roethlisberger and Johnson connected for a 5-yard touchdown and the Steelers took a 20-13 lead after the two-point conversion pass to Freiermuth was successful.
Boswell’s kickoff went out of bounds and the Ravens started with possession on their own 40-yard line. A second-down penalty and a third down sack of Jackson set up third-and-14 for Baltimore at their own 36, but a 22-yard completion to Brown moved them into Pittsburgh territory at their 42, and then Jackson found Duvernay for another 24-yard gain to the Pittsburgh 24. Another 13-yard gain by Watkins moved Baltimore to the Pittsburgh 11, and then Jackson was incomplete to Andrews. Baltimore faced third-and-five from the Pittsburgh 6 after a five-yard completion to Watkins, and with 12 seconds left Jackson threw a touchdown pass to Watkins to make the score 20-19. The Ravens went for two, and Jackson’s pass was incomplete to Mark Andrews and the Steelers managed to win 20-19 against their bitter rivals.
The Steelers have a short week, as they’ll face off against the Minnesota Vikings at U.S. Bank Stadium on Thursday night at 8:20.
