Sliding Steelers fall in Baltimore
BALTIMORE — The Pittsburgh Steelers squandered a chance to secure their lead in the AFC North in a 21-14 loss to the AFC North rival Baltimore Ravens.
The Steelers converted only one more first down (15) than they committed penalties (14) en route to the team’s 10th loss in its last 13 appearances at M&T Bank Stadium. The loss was the Steelers’ third straight.
“We came up short today,” coach Mike Tomlin said after the game. “The bottom line is, we put ourselves in a hole with some adversity, some of which was created by us. Largely, we were a highly penalized group.”
Ben Roethlisberger started under center three weeks removed from surgery to repair a torn meniscus in his left knee. Roethlisberger was a shell of himself, finishing 23 of 45 for 264 yards with one touchdown and one interception as the offense was out of sync all game.
“It’s frustrating,” Roethlisberger said. “We don’t take anything away from them. They’re a good team. We did not make plays. I did not make plays. I did not convert third downs. I turned the ball over. It’s frustrating, and I hold myself to a higher standard.”
His offensive line didn’t help, as the running game could not establish itself. Le’Veon Bell had 17 rushing yards on nine attempts by halftime and ended with 32 yards for the game, his lowest total since returning from suspension in Week 4. Roethlisberger was sacked twice for a loss of 23 yards.
“I think it was just us not executing,” Bell said. “We stuck to our game plan and did what we did, but [the Ravens] had a good game plan, too. They kind of kept us off our rhythm, so you have to give those guys credit.”
In what was a scoreless game near the end of the first quarter, Ravens receiver Mike Wallace beat Artie Burns on a quick slant and ran by Mike Mitchell for a 95-yard touchdown. After Mitchell took a poor angle on the tackle, the former Steelers receiver was off to the races for the longest play from scrimmage in Ravens franchise history.
On the touchdown, the Steelers were in single-high, man-to-man press coverage, with Burns lined up about 5 yards off the line of scrimmage.
“You know, just press man-to-man, it’s disrespectful,” Wallace said. “I feel like if you press me, you’re going to lose 90 percent of the time, maybe 95.”
The Ravens extended their lead to 10-0 just before halftime on a 49-yard field goal from Justin Tucker. Tucker’s original attempt was from 54 yards, but a Steelers penalty for having 12 players on the field moved the Ravens up 5 yards for an easier attempt.
The Steelers offense finished with 66 net yards and just two first downs in the first half.
After Tucker connected on a 42-yard field goal in the third quarter, the Ravens blocked Jordan Berry’s punt and Chris Moore returned it 21 yards for their final score of the game.
Antonio Brown caught a 23-yard touchdown early in the fourth quarter, and Roethlisberger added a 4-yard touchdown run in with under a minute left.
The Steelers were 4 for 16 on third downs. Eli Rogers led the Steelers with eight catches for 103 yards and Antonio Brown ended with seven catches for 85 yards and a touchdown, with six of those receptions coming in the fourth quarter.
Now tied with the Ravens for first place in the AFC North, the Steelers will host the 7-1 Cowboys at Heinz Field on Sunday, Nov. 13.