PITTSBURGH — Time for another round of Steelers drama.
This time, the impetus is a stinging loss from their bitter division rival, as the Baltimore Ravens hung a 26-14 defeat on the Steelers.
The verdict was a rather complete verdict. Baltimore’s No. 1-ranked defense put the clamps on Ben Roethlisberger and the typically explosive Steelers offense, forcing two turnovers. Joe Flacco passed for 363 yards and 2 TDs, without a pick. Reliable kicker Justin Tucker booted four field goals.
It all added up to a result that keeps the Steelers (1-2-1) in the cellar of the AFC North, tied with the Cleveland Browns.
Baltimore (3-1) is technically in second place, as its loss at Cincinnati in Week 2 allows the Bengals (3-1) a tiebreaker edge.
Three other things we learned:
- The Ravens are no longer perfect in the red zone. Baltimore entered the game as the first team in NFL history to begin a season by scoring touchdowns on their first 12 trips inside the 20-yard line. They made it 13-for-13 in the first quarter, when they turned a Vance McDonald fumble into Joe Flacco’s 3-yard TD flip to Alex Collins. Then the streak ended with a thud early in the second quarter, as Collins was stripped by Cody Sensabaugh on first-and-goal from the 2. The mishap gave the Steelers new life. Rather than a 21-3 Baltimore lead, Pittsburgh took the turnover and drove 79 yards for a field goal ... and soon after that tied the game, 14-14, with a spectacular, 26-yard touchdown grab by Antonio Brown. Talk about a game-changer. The turnover essentially made it a new game.
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- Joe Flacco is a better thrower than decoy. The Ravens quarterback connected on a tight, 33-yard touchdown pass to John Brown for the first score of the game. He arched a 71-yard dime to Brown to set up another scoring opportunity. Flacco moved the chains a few times with some clutch third-down throws, too. Yet Flacco became a decoy, aligned wide as a receiver for at least a half dozen plays as Baltimore inserted its Wildcat formation, featuring rookie quarterback Lamar Jackson. Although Jackson made positive plays — including a diving finish to a three-yard run on third-and-three in the third quarter that kept alive a go-ahead field goal drive in the third quarter — it’s fair to wonder whether the changeup was worth the disruption to the flow on a night when Flacco was in a good rhythm. Besides, Flacco didn’t fool anybody when aligned as a receiver, which basically gave Pittsburgh’s D more leeway to shut down Jackson’s runs.
- Bronko Nagurski would be proud. Six nights after punishing Bucs safety Chris Conte with a violent stiff-arm that cleared the way for a 75-yard, Steelers tight end Vance McDonald bowled over two Ravens — Tavon Young and Tony Jefferson — to break tackles in the open field on a 33-yard catch-and-run.
McDonald, who at halftime had a game-high five receptions for 62 yards, is arguably the most physical “pass-catching tight end” in the game today. His hard-nosed style provides a clue for how the late Hall of Fame fullback Nagurski rumbled in earning a rep as the symbol of power football in the 1930s.
Follow USA TODAY Sports' Jarrett Bell on Twitter @JarrettBell.
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