Ravens vs. Steelers Recap: Baltimore struggles in the first half, lose to the Steelers 26-9

Both the Baltimore Ravens and Pittsburgh Steelers went into the game at 2-1, hunting for the division lead. They also were coming off disappointing losses against teams that many pundits expected them to beat.

Unfortunately for the Ravens, they just didn’t bring their “A” game, or even their “B” or ”C” game for that matter, at least in the first half. Baltimore would be punished for their poor first half play and lost 26-9.

First Quarter

Both teams began the game with a long drive. The Ravens went on a drive lasting 4:21, ultimately ending in a Sam Koch punt deep.

However, the Steelers drew first blood with a 16-play, 10-minute, 23-second drive, resulting in a field goal. Pittsburgh’s running game cut through the Ravens like a Swiss Army knife, rushing for 58 yards.

Second Quarter

Baltimore would get the ball back and not be able to do a thing with it. They had a three-and-out, but luckily for the Ravens’ offense, the defense returned the favor. Unfortunately, Baltimore missed a huge opportunity on a pass from Joe Flacco to Mike Wallace, who dropped it.

The Steelers then went on a 9-play, 15-yard drive, lasting 2:33, ending it with a field goal. Baltimore began the drive with hard runs from Alex Collins, but he coughed up the ball. Pittsburgh capitalized on the turnover, with a touchdown run by Le’Veon Bell.

Pittsburgh finished the quarter with a touchdown pass from Ben Roethlisberger to rookie wide receiver Juju Smith-Schuster, giving them a 19-0 score going into the half.

All looked lost for Baltimore, but they came back out in the third quarter searching for blood.

Third Quarter

On Pittsburgh’s first drive, Eric Weddle intercepted a pass that was intended for Antonio Brown. The call was originally an incomplete pass, but under further review, the Ravens received possession of the ball.

Baltimore missed on a wide-open opportunity to score a touchdown on an overthrown pass by Flacco to Breshad Perriman. Perriman would’ve had a walk-in score and the Ravens settled for a field goal.

After getting the ball back on a missed field goal from Chris Boswell, the Ravens ended up with their first touchdown of the day. Flacco hit Mike Wallace on a 16-yard strike for the score, putting Baltimore down 19-9.

The Ravens went for a questionable two-point conversion. Initially, it looked like Terrance West plunged into the endzone for the conversion. After being reviewed, it was deemed that he was down before crossing the plane.

Fourth Quarter

The issue for Baltimore wasn’t their defense in the fourth quarter. The Ravens had a few key stops on defense, their biggest one coming after a Flacco interception to Steelers linebacker Ryan Shazier. Baltimore would go for it when faced with a fourth down. Shazier tipped it in the air and cornerback Mike Hilton intercepted it.

Pittsburgh converted on another Bell touchdown with 2:26 left in the game, putting them down 26-9, which was the final score of the game.

Notable Stats

Steelers

Ben Roethlisberger (18-for-30, 216 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT)

Le’Veon Bell (35 carries, 144 rushing yards, 2 TDs, four receptions, 42 receiving yards)

Juju Smith-Schuster (three receptions, 47 yards, 1 TD)

Ravens

Joe Flacco (31-for-49, 235 yards, 1 TD, 2 INT)

Alex Collins (nine carries, 82 yards, one fumble lost)

Mike Wallace (six receptions, 55 yards, 1 TD)