Baltimore vs. Pittsburgh

Ravens Can't Contain Bell as Steelers Win First Game in Baltimore in Five Years

Fortunes change quickly in the NFL. 

Two weeks ago, the Ravens were 2-0, giving up just 10 points and recording 10 turnovers in wins over Cincinnati and Cleveland. 

Now, Baltimore has dropped back-to-back games, own the statistically worst offense in the NFL, and gave up a combined 70 points in the two losses. 

After a shocking 44-7 defeat at the hands of Jacksonville in London, Baltimore (2-2) returned home and fell to the rival Pittsburgh Steelers (3-1) 26-9 in a game that would determine who would leave in first place in the AFC North after one-quarter of the season. 

"We just have to improve," head coach John Harbaugh said after the game. "There were some flashes in there [on offense], and we have to build on those things. We have playmakers out there, and we can put the ball in peoples' hands. We can run the ball—we've shown that. We have to eliminate the mistakes and make more plays."

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Playing from behind from the second quarter on, Joe Flacco threw 49 times, going 31 of 49 for 235 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions. Flacco was also sacked four times in the contest. 

"I sucked. I mean, you know, it wasn't good," Flacco said of his performance afterwards. "We've got to be better off early in games. …And when we're trying to climb back in games like we were today, there's opportunities to do it, and we weren't good enough to do it. That starts with me. I wasn't good enough to get us back in the game." 

It was 6-0 Pittsburgh midway through the second quarter, and that's when Le'Veon Bell got going. The Steelers running back ran for two touchdowns and 144 yards in the game, and Ben Roethlisberger was 18 of 30 for 216 yards, a touchdown, and an interception. 

The Steelers had only scored six touchdowns in their first three games but set the tone offensively with an 84-yard drive to open the game. While the Ravens kept Pittsburgh to a 30-yard field goal by Chris Boswell, it chewed up nearly 10:30 of game clock and put the Baltimore defense on its heels. 

"We got beat by a counter play way too often. It's a counter-balance play, and they got outside too many times, and that can't happen," Harbaugh said.

"You've got to get three-and-outs," linebacker C.J. Mosley said. "If you get three-and-outs, there won't be a lot of plays, no matter how many times we're out there."

After going into halftime trailing 19-0, the Ravens did attempt a comeback, starting with an interception by Eric Weddle that was reversed by instant replay. That led to a field goal, and then Flacco threw a touchdown pass to Mike Wallace to make it 19-9, but Baltimore missed the two-point conversion, and they wouldn't score again. 

The Ravens are averaging 15 points per game through their first four contests, and the most talented defense isn't going to be able to win consistently with that little support on offense. Flacco has turned the ball over in 10-straight games, which is the longest active streak in the NFL, and he's led his team to a touchdown just once in the last 28 possessions. 

Injuries are also catching up with the Ravens. Flacco missed the entire preseason with a sore back, last year's top receiver Dennis Pitta suffered a season-ending injury in the offseason, and Pro Bowl guard Marshal Yanda was lost for the season with an ankle injury in Week 2. Tight end Ben Watson did dodge a bullet when he had to enter the concussion protocol in the second quarter, but he was able to return in the third. 

GAME RECAP

Baltimore was able to get the ball to the Pittsburgh 39 on the opening possession, but Harbaugh elected to punt. Sam Koch did it job, pinning the Steelers inside the 5-yard line, but that's when the Steelers went on their 17-play, 90-yard drive that chewed up 10:21 of game clock, ending with Boswell's field goal to make it 3-0 after the first quarter.

Boswell added a 49-yarder to make it 6-0, and then the Ravens made a key mistake when Cameron Hayward stripped Alex Collins of the ball and recovered the fumble on the Baltimore 28-yard line. The Steelers took advantage of the good field position, scoring a touchdown on a one-yard run by Bell to make it 13-0. The Steelers kept the pressure on before halftime, scoring again when Roethlisberger connected with JuJu Smith-Schuster for an 11-yard score with 45 seconds left in the second quarter. The two-point conversion failed, but Pittsburgh still led 19-0 at halftime, prompting the Ravens fans to boo the hometown team off the field as they went into the locker room.

The Ravens did come out strong to start the second half with Weddle's interception setting up a Justin Tucker 42-yard field goal to get Baltimore on the board. After Boswell missed a 44-yarder, the Ravens got back in business quickly when Alex Collins took off for a 50-yard run on the first play after the missed field goal. Two plays later, Flacco connected with Mike Wallace for a 16-yard touchdown, making it 19-9 after the missed two-point conversion, giving the team in purple and black some life. 

The score remained at 19-9 into the fourth quarter, and with the ball at midfield, Flacco threw an interception to Ryan Shazier and then another one to Mike Hilton with 5:48 remaining to snuff out two drives. Bell scored again with 2:36 left from a yard out to reach the final score of 26-9.

UP NEXT

After traveling to London last week, the Ravens head in the opposite direction for their Week 5 matchup at the Oakland Raiders. Oakland is also at 2-2 on the season after losing to Denver 16-10 today in the Mile High City. 

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