Filed under: Ravens, Steelers, AFC North, NFL Quarterbacks
PITTSBURGH - Four plays, 40 yards, 36 seconds.
For as hard as the Pittsburgh Steelers' defense played Sunday against the visiting Baltimore Ravens, the final outcome of the game was determined by Baltimore's final drive, one that culminated with a winning 18-yard touchdown from Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco to receiver T.J. Houshmandzadeh with just 34 seconds left.
End result: The Steelers suffered their first loss of the season as Baltimore eeked out a hard-fought 17-14 win at Heinz Field.
For most of the other 59 minutes of the game, it was a classic battle between two of the best defenses in the league. And while on offense Baltimore wasted several opportunities to score in the first half, the Ravens found what they needed to win when they needed it most.
"I think resilience is a great word, persistence is a great word and composure is another word to use in this environment," Baltimore head coach John Harbaugh said after the game. "The only way to describe it is a team victory. You come in here and win this game, it's important for us, it's important for a lot of reasons.
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"...(Pittsburgh) is a tremendous football team and this is a tough place to play, and that's our arch-rival and we found a way to beat them at their place. That's what makes it so special."
While Flacco and Houshmandzadeh will get credit for the win in the record books, the real credit should go to Baltimore's defense in the series that preceded the game-winning drive. After Baltimore failed to score from Pittsburgh's 2-yard-line, turning the ball over on downs with 2:44 left when an underthrown pass from Flacco to Anquan Boldin bounced off Pittsburgh cornerback William Gay's shoulder, the Steelers took over.
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