Baltimore vs. Pittsburgh
Jacoby Jones’ Punt Return Holds Up as Ravens Beat Steelers to Take AFC North Lead
Jacoby Jones has turned into quite an acquisition for the Baltimore Ravens.
A week after becoming the first Ravens player in franchise history to return two kickoffs back for touchdowns, the speedster took a punt return for a touchdown in a 13-10 win over the rival Pittsburgh Steelers Sunday night at Heinz Field.
Pittsburgh, who was without starting quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, got an outstanding effort from its defense that didn’t allow an offensive touchdown. Baltimore responded by keeping the Steelers out of the end zone as well after Byron Leftwich scored on a long run in the first minute of the game.
Each team scored a field goal in the third quarter and followed it with a scoreless fourth quarter.
"It's never pretty in this game. We got a typical Pittsburgh-Baltimore game played. It was a great defensive struggle,” said head coach John Harbaugh, who then referenced his brother Jim’s heart procedure that he had last week. “Whatever procedure my brother had, I think I’m going to need later tonight. My heart’s moving a little fast right now.”
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The big play came late in the first quarter when Drew Butler punted to Jones. All it took was one cut to the right and Jones was off to the races. He went untouched for 63 yards for the Ravens’ only touchdown of the game, and they would not relinquish the lead after that made it 10-7 with 3:16 to go in the first quarter.
"Them dudes did a great job on those gunners," Jones said. "When I caught it, I had nothing but room. They did a great job blocking and it just hit when you least expect it."
The defense, which came into the game ranked 27th in yards allowed and is without Ray Lewis due to a triceps injury, once again tightened things up when the offense wasn’t putting up points—much like it did in a 9-6 win over Kansas City earlier this season.
With a three-point lead in the fourth quarter, the Ravens defense came up with stops on three Pittsburgh drives to keep the Steelers from tying the game.
Corey Graham, who had an interception, eight tackles and three pass deflections, played in his first game in the rivalry and talked about the unit stepping up when it needed to.
"It lived up to all expectations," Graham said of the rivalry. "We haven't been playing the best the last couple weeks, or the whole season some people say, but we have to find a way to get wins and that's what we were able to go out and do today."
Another big play on defense came from cornerback Chris Johnson, who was signed to the team just five days ago. He forced a fumble by wide receiver Mike Wallace, which was then scooped up by Ed Reed and led to a Justin Tucker field goal.
The Steelers defense was stingy, holding the Ravens to just 200 total yards. Joe Flacco was 20-for-32 for 164 yards, and Anquan Boldin had eight catches for 79 yards. Ray Rice led the team with 40 yards but needed 20 carries to amass that total.
"Their defense is good. There's no sugarcoating that," said . "That's a hard-hitting, physical defense and it was body blow after body blow after body blow. It was a heavyweight fight."
The Ravens, who won their 12th straight against an AFC North opponent, now have a two-game lead over the Steelers in the division. Cincinnati is three games back at 5-5. Baltimore will host Pittsburgh in just two weeks as the rivalry will continue to its next chapter.
GAME RECAP
After winning the coin toss and deferring to the second half, things did not start well at all for the Ravens. On the first play from scrimmage, Cary Williams was called for pass interference and moved the ball 42 yards. Two plays later, Leftwich scooted into the end zone on a 31-yard run after Bernard Pollard missed a tackle.
Following a Ravens punt, Johnson made the big play to force Wallace to fumble. Reed returned the ball to the Steelers’ 12-yard line. While the offense lost yardage on the drive, Tucker’s field goal closed the lead to 7-3.
The score remained 7-3 in favor of the Steelers until Butler’s punt was returned 51 yards for a touchdown by Jones, giving the Ravens the lead they would not relinquish. It was 10-7 after the extra point and remained that way through halftime.
The Ravens’ other field goal also came off a turnover, as Graham intercepted Leftwich’s pass at the Ravens’ 18-yard line and returned it to the 38. Flacco connected with Boldin for a 23-yard gain on the very next play to get into Steelers territory. The drive ended with a 39-yard field goal by Tucker to extend the lead to 13-7.
Later in the third, the Steelers got the ball to the 4-yard line of Baltimore but elected to kick a field goal on 4th and 2 instead of going for the score. While it cut the lead to 13-10, the Steelers could get no closer.
The key play in the fourth quarter was a James Ihedigbo sack of Leftwich on 3rd and 11 from the Ravens’ 43-yard line with 4:21 remaining. The Ravens were able to bleed the clock down to 1:12 before having to punt it back, and the Steelers were unable to mount a last-minute rally to get back into Baltimore territory.
UP NEXT
After improving to 3-2 on the road this year, the Ravens remain on the road, heading to the West Coast for the first time this season to take on the San Diego Chargers. The Bolts are 4-6 after losing 30-23 at Denver today. San Diego has dropped five of its last six games after a 3-1 start to the season.