The running back was lucky to get a 100 yard rushing game on 17 carries after being tormented by the Ravens defensive line all day.
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In the season from Hell the Baltimore Ravens have given their fans one joyous thing to cling to.
The Steelers went into Baltimore as 10-point favorites against the completely depleted Ravens, and ended up leaving with their playoff aspirations in dire straits following a 20-17 loss. The Ravens offense is averaging 20.8 points and 360.5 yards per game and they are minus 13 in turnover ratio.
The Steelers snapped a franchise-record streak of six games in which they scored 30 points or more.
“I think we ran out of time”, Tomlin said. “It’s Pittsburgh. So records, scoring, it doesn’t matter how good they were playing coming in”.
“There are reasons why we weren’t able win our share of third downs”, Tomlin said. They shouldn’t have needed that margin of error, though-not in control of their own playoff destiny and having an outside shot at the AFC North, and especially not against a 4-10 Ravens team starting its fourth QB of the season-ex-Texan Ryan Mallett.
“And then getting the start, it was awesome”.
This win was about as improbable as it gets, even in the realm of a great rivalry. The Steelers are still in contention for a wild-card berth, but they will need to beat Cleveland next week and get some help. And coach Mike Tomlin said all his team can do this week is remain hopeful it can make the postseason, even though they need outside help. “Winning those games is definitely a measuring stick of how good you are”. And we didn’t today.
Whenever something bad takes place with the Steelers, we can always count on Snoop Dogg to give us a little pick-me-up with his rants like this. Moore went 13 of 31 for 186 yards with an interception.
Tomlin says that the team will be “measured” by their ability to get “that stench of last week’s performance off us” regardless of what happens with the Jets.
Baltimore, which came in with a minus-15 turnover differential, had two takeaways and did not commit a turnover. But Baltimore’s Courtney Upshaw was lined up offside on the play, negating the TD, and Williams scored his second touchdown with 6:33 left. Still, Pittsburgh had the ball and a chance to tie or take the lead late only to have Roethlisberger finish a largely miserable afternoon with incompletions to Bryant and Wheaton.
The Steelers didn’t get the ball again until there was four seconds left. Smith had two costly pass interference penalties but also got a key interception.
COACHING: A. The Ravens coaches have managed to keep this team together despite nearly constant adversity and a league-high 19 players on Injured Reserve. Matt Ryan threw for 306 yards and one touchdown, and Jones had nine catches for 178 yards.
Roethlisberger went 7 for 12 for 66 yards and an interception in the first half, a 38.9 quarterback rating.
PASSING OFFENSE: A. Quarterback Ryan Mallett turned a lot of heads in his first start for Baltimore. The Steelers had a touchdown catch in the first half, but was rescinded after Antonio Brown failed to possess the football in the end zone. Two plays later, Chris Boswell hit a 34-yard field-goal attempt to make it a 7-3 game. Baltimore responded with interceptions by linebacker Daryl Smith and cornerback Jimmy Smith.
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NOTES: Pittsburgh CB Antwon Blake (back spasm) left in the second quarter and FB Roosevelt Nix (right foot) left in the fourth quarter.
