Steelers beat Ravens, take AFC North lead
I went through an entire bottle of Rolaids, and I took the last of my heart medicine while watching the Steelers play the Baltimore Ravens last night. But it was ultimately worth it.
The Steelers pulled off a dramatic 13-10 win on the Ravens’ home field. This avenged the Ravens’ earlier win at Heinz Field.
Of course, Ben Roethlisberger didn’t play in that earlier contest, and he always seems to be the difference maker in these Steelers/Ravens games. Big Ben seemingly never loses to the Ravens.
Perhaps that’s why it appeared that the Ravens were trying to put Ben out of the game early on. Ravens defensive lineman Haloti Ngata struck Roethlisberger in the face, and according to reports, Big Ben suffered a broken nose on the play.
Despite a trail of blood streaming from Roethlisberger’s nose, the referees didn’t see any type of infraction on the play. No penalty was called.
And in traditional Big Ben fashion, he continued to play despite a broken nose, an injured foot, and a hostile Baltimore crowd.
It was a tough night for both teams when they tried to run the ball. Baltimore held the Steelers to a mere 54 yards rushing. Not to be outdone, the Steelers held the Ravens to 43 rushing yards.
It was clear that the Steelers were going to have to find another way to win this game besides running the ball. And find a way they did.
After 3 and a half frustrating quarters, in which it looked like the Steelers were destined to lose the game, the Steelers defense stepped up and made a “splash play”. Troy Polamalu blitzed Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco and caused a fumble. LaMarr Woodley picked up the ball and returned it to the Ravens’ 9 yard line. Three plays later, Isaac Redman bulled his way into the end-zone for a touchdown, giving the Steelers the lead with less than 3 minutes remaining in the game.
With the win, the Steelers took sole possession of 1st place in the AFC North.
Other Steelers news
- Punter Dan Sepulveda injured his ACL last night and is probably out for the remainder of the season. This is the second season-ending injury of Sepulveda’s young career.
- Bryant McFadden had a tough night last night. He couldn’t seem to guard anyone, and the Ravens took advantage of that fact. Cornerback is definitely going to have to be a priority in next year’s NFL Draft.
- Heath Miller was diagnosed with a concussion after taking an illegal hit that looked like it might have caused a severe neck injury. Was I the only one praying for Miller after that play?
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Oh, we were praying for Heath . . . and looking for a flag. So that was a legal hit? I could feel Harrisons fury from here, right outside of Baltimore, mind you! Great win Steelers, I love living in Blatimore when the Steelers beat the purple crows! Troy does it again. But let’s focus – we need a punter!
1Great article. But there are more people on the team besides Ben Rothlesburger.
Eyleen
2Eyleen,
Yes, there are more players on the team than Ben. But this was a pivotal game for Ben, and I thought that he deserved the attention.
Ben has been estranged from a lot of Steelers fans since his off-season incidents. many fans wanted to see him gone. But I believe that last night’s game was a redemption of sorts for Ben. Not only did he start the game hurt, but he later broke his nose. Yet, he continued to play and ultimately led us to a win.
This renewed Ben in the minds of many fans. Some who thought that he was a “drama queen” now believe that he is tough enough to be called a Pittsburgh Steeler. Moreover, Ben showed that he is there for the team, and not just himself.
Clearly Troy Polamalu, LaMarr Woodley, Isaac Redman, and others were crucial to the win. But in my opinion, Ben Roethlisberger was the key story of the game.
I saw redemption for Ben in this game. I guess some viewers saw it differently, or still dislike Big Ben. That’s fair, and I won’t try to dissuade anyone from their opinion on Ben.
3Steelers suck ravens going to take it all
4Remember this game. It marks when Ben officially got his groove back. Strong defense and Ben’s heroics are how this team wins.
McFadden and Gay were picked on again. New CB, please?
And another OL member goes down. I wonder how long Adams is out. I’d like to see more youth in the draft here too.
I’ve already made my public apology to Shaun Suisam via facebook.
I wasn’t the biggest fan of his signing.
Mendy broke 1000 yards again. You have to wonder how many yards he would have with an actual FB in front of him. Oh, well, passing league and whatnot.
The hit on Heath should have been flagged. I say Harrison should be granted permission to march into the commissioner’s office and deliver the ol’ middle finger. He deserves that much, at least.
The only thing that worries me about this team is the sheer amount of injuries that they have. But, that is every team. Remind me why we’re discussing an 18 game season, again?
Brett Kiesel, we’ve missed you.
As long as Ben is playing with fire and the D remains strong, this team is a serious threat to go the distance. Shame on those who doubted it
.
5Dan,
Prior to this game, I didn’t think Ben had looked that good this year. But this game really changed my opinion on that. As you put it, Ben “got his groove back”.
I didn’t realize that Mendy broke 1,000 yards for the season with that game. Frankly, 1,000 yards is not as impressive as it used to be. And it will be even less impressive if they got to an 18 game season.
6Well I guess I should say I was wrong.in my prediction. I will continue to predict Steeler losses the remainder of the season, it seems to help.
I could go on and opn about Arians and his play calling yet again but this is a time to celebrate. Just know that Arians is not involved in any of my celebrations!
My game notes:
- You are right Donald. Ben is due some praise in this game. His street fight with Suggs and ability to get rid of the ball avoiding the sack before the go ahead score was a remarkable feat! To anyone who thinks Ben got too much attention in this article I have two words for you…..Vince Young. I live in Nashville and if you want someone who can’t play because of a boo boo on his thumb is welcome to don the powder blue!
7- Suisam! We did not miss a beat with his punting in a field position game. HUGE!
- Hines needs 3 bodies hanging on him in order to catch
- If the Steelers draft any position other than a lineman or DB heads must roll
- Troy Again!
- One warning: It was one game guys and we are hurt and banged up badly. But let’s celebrate this huge december win.