12:02 pm | November 4, 2018 | Go to Source | Author:
BALTIMORE — The Pittsburgh Steelers won their fourth straight game and aren’t peaking any time soon.
One of the hottest teams in the league looks well-positioned for winter football — and a playoff run — after controlling the pace in a physical 23-16 win over the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday.
Pittsburgh has won back-to-back games in M&T Bank for the first time since 2001-02, and they did so with quite the creative quarterback exchange.
Standing at 1-2-1 and reeling without Le’Veon Bell, the Steelers faced adversity they hadn’t seen since 2016, when they started the year 4-5. Since Week 5, a once-maligned Steelers defense hasn’t allowed more than 21 points in a game.
Early in the fourth quarter, quarterback Ben Roethlisberger left the field for one play after taking an hard hit from linebacker Za’Darius Smith on a scramble play. Backup Josh Dobbs entered the game deep in Steelers territory, on 2nd-and-20, and threw a beautiful ball to JuJu Smith-Schuster over the middle for 22 yards.
That was Dobbs’ first NFL passing attempt.
Two plays later, Roethlisberger found Jesse James deep for 51 yards over the top.
Seven plays after that, Chris Boswell‘s 29-yard field goal strengthened a lead the Steelers would not relinquish.
Those are winning plays that the Steelers keep making.
The Steelers won the physical matchup with its most fierce AFC North rival, holding the ball for 31 of the game’s first 50 minutes and converting 22 of the game’s first 32 first downs.
Roethlisberger (28-of-47, 270 yards, two touchdowns) spread the ball around, with seven different receivers catching at least two passes. James Conner produced another solid outing with 163 total yards, including 107 rushing.
On third-and-4 with 2 minutes left, the Steelers went five-wide and Roethlisberger found JuJu Smith-Schuster over the middle to help clinch the game.
Three pass interference calls nearly doomed the Steelers defense, which responded swiftly with three red-zone stops, including timely pass breakups in the end zone by corner Mike Hilton and safety Terrell Edmunds. Baltimore averaged 3.8 yards per carry by the late-fourth quarter, and the Steelers found success rushing the passer against the Ravens’ two backup offensive tackles.
When the Ravens got the ball at their own 24-yard line with 44 seconds left, a Coty Sensabaugh pass breakup and a sack by Stephon Tuitt buried Baltimore for good.
The Carolina Panthers look dangerous, and they head to Heinz Field on Thursday night. The Steelers look ready for anything.
Powered by WPeMatico