Roethlisberger Has Last Word for Steelers Against Ravens
BALTIMORE — Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger broke the Ravens' hearts for a final time.
In his last game in Baltimore, Roethlisberger ended any chance for the Ravens to make the playoffs with another dramatic comeback win.
On a fourth-and-8 in overtime, Roethlisberger threw a 10-yard pass to Ray-Ray McCloud to the Ravens 31. That play set up a 36-yard field goal by Chris Boswell that gave the Steelers a 16-13 victory and a fourth consecutive win over Baltimore.
"If you’re going to talk about the beginning of the season, [and] if you’re going to talk about it’s not what happens, it’s how you respond, then you better be ready to live it, I guess," Baltimore coach John Harbaugh said. "They lived it. Like I told them in the locker room, there’s going to be a point in time in your life when your kids go through some tough times, they’re going to stack up on them a little bit, and they’re going to ask you why and what’s going on and how to handle it. You’ll be able to tell them this story, and that will be a strong testimony that you’re going to be able to have, because they did it. They stuck together.
"No one ever pointed a finger. Everybody competed the best they could. We fell short in numerous games here down the stretch in the sense that we just couldn’t find a play. We couldn’t find a play that we needed. We couldn’t find a way to put them in a position to make the play that would make the difference in the game, and that’s what I feel worse about as a coach. Any one of these games we could’ve found something to find a way to win the game."
With the Raiders' victory over the Chargers, the Steelers' (9-7-1) earned a spot in the postseason.
Baltimore finished the season 8-9 and ended a three-year playoff run.
Ravens quarterback Tyler Huntley, who was playing for the injured Lamar Jackson, had three costly turnovers that were the difference in the game.
Huntley was 16 of 31 for 141 yards with two interceptions and a lost fumble (37.2 rating).
Tight end Mark Andrews caught eight passes and finished with 107 receptions on the season, breaking the Ravens single-season record set by Derrick Mason in 2007.
Steelers defensive end T.J. Watt had a sack and finished with 22.5 on the year, tying the single-season record owned by Michael Strahan.
"We still have a pulse if you give us a chance," Watt said. "To get us in the dance, anything can happen, and that’s where we are right now. So, [we’re] hungrier than ever. We want to continue to play football, continue to make plays. A lot of guys in there are ready to get into the facility tomorrow, watch some film and move forward.”
Latavius Murray scored on a 46-yard run that gave the Ravens a 10-3 lead on their first possession of the second half. That was Baltimore's longest run of the season. Murray finished with 16 yards on 150 carries.
“Obviously, we knew the situation coming in," Murray said. "So, first was taking care of business and winning the game, [and] we didn’t do that. And if we did that, we knew we had a chance; without it, we didn’t. So, none of that mattered, obviously, because we didn’t get the job done.”
The Steelers cut the margin to 10-6 on a 40-yard kick by Bowell on the ensuing possession.
Murray broke loose again with runs of 27 and 22 yards late in the third quarter. The Ravens moved the ball to the Steelers' 12 but Huntley threw another interception that killed the critical drive.
The Steelers took advantage and Roethlisberger threw a 6-yard touchdown pass to Chase Claypool with 2:54 left in the game to give Pittsburgh a 13-10 lead.
On the ensuing drive, Ravens kicker Justin Tucker tied the game on a 46-yard field goal that sent the game into overtime.
The Ravens won the toss and took over the first possession in overtime, but they could not get past midfield.
Roethlisberger orchestrated a 15-play, 65-yad scoring drive on the next possession for the win.
Roethlisberger was 30 of 44 for 244 yards with a touchdown and an interception.
"Do you expect anything different in this rivalry?" Roethlisberger said. "It’s special. Anytime you come to this place and get a win. People always ask me where is my least favorite place to come and play? It’s always Baltimore, and it’s for a couple of reasons. It’s because of how good the team is and its defense. And this place is always crazy loud. The fans are ruthless, which I think is a compliment to this place and how hard it is to play here. So, it’s pretty special to get this win.”
In the Steelers, 20-19 victory over Baltimore in the first meeting, Roethlisberger threw a game-winning 5-yard touchdown pass to Diontae Johnson.
Huntley could not handle a poor snap by Bradley Bozeman on the Ravens' first possession and the Steelers recovered the ball on Baltimore 39. That set up a 28-yard field goal by Boswell.
Huntley lost a fumble and threw an interception on the Ravens' first two possessions. It's the first time Baltimore turned the ball over on each of its first two offensive possessions since the 2010 season opener at the Jets, according to ESPN.
The Ravens tied the game 3-3 on a 24-yard field goal by Tucker. Baltimore had the ball on first-and-goal from the 3, but could not score a touchdown, which has plagued Huntley in his four starts this season.
“Everybody is disappointed," Harbaugh said. "We want to win the game. We fight to win the game. To sit here and describe everybody’s feelings, I don't really have the answers for that. It’s really not what I’m interested in doing.”
