PITTSBURGH — The sky is no longer falling in Steeler Nation. How can it be when you upset the Baltimore Ravens?
Behind a late-game vintage performance by both sides of the ball, the Steelers overcame an ugly first half and rallied to beat their arch rivals, 20-19, Sunday evening at Heinz Field — though it was about as close as you can get, with a 2-point conversion try in the final seconds falling off tight end Mark Andrews’ fingertips that would’ve won it for Baltimore.
The Steelers (6-5-1) were outgained, 191-93, with a lowly 6:30 time of possession en route to a 10-3 halftime deficit. But they found some momentum in the fourth quarter, pushing back the Ravens (8-4) at the line of scrimmage and taking advantage of another subpar performance by Lamar Jackson.
Ben Roethlisberger threw for 236 yards on 21-of-31 passing, but most significant were his two touchdown throws to a wide-open Diontae Johnson — who dropped what would’ve been a score in the first half — the second of which stood up as the winner with 1:48 left. He also had a few close calls, but got out of the stadium with zero turnovers.
Jackson, for his part, tossed a terrible interception to Minkah Fitzpatrick on the first drive of the game, a lack of points that came back to haunt them later. The 2019 MVP finished with one touchdown and 253 yards on 23-of-37 passing plus 55 yards rushing, but his biggest play won’t show up in his stat line — the failed throw to Andrews
If that’s the last time Roethlisberger faces the Ravens in Pittsburgh, certainly it was one to remember.
It was over when: Jackson couldn’t quite get it to Andrews after Ravens coach John Harbaugh — one of the most progressive and aggressive in the game — opted to go for the win instead of the tie with 12 seconds left following a back-breaking touchdown drive by his team.
Player of the game: T.J. Watt. After a tumultuous week in which Watt was part of a pathetic performance from the defense in Cincinnati, a beatdown in which he had a rare quiet game, then landed on the COVID-19 list and didn’t practice one bit, all he did was respond with 3.5 sacks, 6 quarterback hits, 6 tackles and a forced fumble. He even got the pressure on Jackson that forced his miscue on the 2-point try.
Trending up: Chris Wormley. Against his former team, Wormley broke out from his defensive end position, racking up a career-high 2.5 sacks — doubling a season total that was already the most he’s had in one year. Wormley now has at least one sack in two straight games, and a little bit of help emerging for Cam Heyward on the defensive line couldn't come at a better time. Best of all is that Wormley’s sacks were impactful, combing for a loss of 19 yards.
Trending down: Pressley Harvin III. It was another rough week in what’s been a rough year for the rookie seventh-round pick. Harvin had the best punt of his NFL career so far with a 64-yarder that dropped out of bounds perfectly inside the 1-yard line, but all that did was end up highlighting his inconsistencies. Sandwiched around that, Harvin had four punts that averaged just 38.3 yards, and none of them landed inside the 20. Field position always seems to matter in Steelers-Ravens.
Next up: Shortest week of the season, with only three full days before a quick turnaround and a Thursday night visit to Minnesota to face a 5-7 Vikings team that just one-upped the Steelers — they lost to the Lions.
