DIVISION RIVALS COLLIDE
The Steelers had to play catch-up at home again then ran out of steam in loss to division rival
Steelers tight end Vance McDonald barrels over Baltimore Ravens defensive back Tony Jefferson for a first down Sunday at Heinz Field. The Steelers lost the AFC North Division game, 26-14.
That ol’ Heinz Field magic has disappeared and with it the Steelers have tumbled back into the AFC North Division cellar.
Slow starts are the new pattern for the Steelers everywhere this season, but particularly at Heinz Field, where another one doomed them to a 26-14 loss Monday night to the division rival Baltimore Ravens.
The Ravens jumped to a 14-0 first-quarter lead, the Steelers roared back to tie it at halftime but did nothing after that. The Steelers now have been outscored in the first quarter, 35-0, in two games at Heinz Field this season and lost them both.
“I don’t know what it is but we’ve got to figure it out,’’ defensive end Cam Heyward said. “You can’t spot anybody points in this league. Fourteen points! You’re digging yourself a grave when you do that. We fought out of that and got to 14-14 but we never had a lead at all.”
As they did against Kansas City when they fell behind, 21-0, in the first quarter, the Steelers came back to tie it at halftime but their offense did nothing in the second half.
The loss dropped them to 1-2-1, tied with the Cleveland Browns at the bottom of the division. Baltimore improved to 3-1 to tie Cincinnati at the top.
Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, who threw for 224 yards and a touchdown in the first half,
threw for just 50 in the second. Many of his passes in the second half seemed off target to open receivers. Linebacker Anthony Levine intercepted a pass into triple coverage toward Antonio Brown late in the game that led to Justin Tucker’s fourth field goal, all coming in the second half.
“Point blank, I’ll take ownership on that game,’’ said Roethlisberger, who had a 72.5 passer rating. “It was squarely on me. I apologize to the fans, my teammates; just not good enough.”
Tucker’s field goals were the only scores of the second half after the Steelers had rallied to tie the score.
Baltimore’s Joe Flacco completed 28 of 42 passes for 363 yards and two touchdowns, both in the first half.
James Conner had just 19 yards rushing on nine carries and that was the Steelers rushing total as well.
“We were not able to find enough traction tonight,” Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said.
Said Roethlisberger, “There’s only so much you can do running the ball when you’re down.”
The Steelers scored three times in the second quarter while holding Baltimore scoreless to tie it.
Chris Boswell kicked two field goals and Brown caught a 26-yard touchdown pass from Roethlisberger. Along with Conner’s 2-point conversion reception it brought the Steelers from 14-0 down in the first quarter into the tie.
But in the second half, the Ravens had field-goal scoring drives of 14, 12 and 11 plays — one that started at their 8 — to eat up the clock. The Steelers’ longest drive of the second half covered six plays and 27 yards.
The Steelers converted just 2 of 12 third downs compared to the Ravens’ 8 of 17.
“I didn’t make enough throws and we didn’t convert first downs,’’ Roethlisberger said. “We were terrible on third downs. That’s on me.”
An early Baltimore runaway was prevented with 12:39 to go in the second quarter. The Ravens had a first down at the Steelers 2, threatening to make it 21-0. Alex Collins took a handoff and ran to his left. Safety Sean Davis knifed in, stripped the ball and safety Terrell Edmunds recovered at the 1.
It was the first time the Ravens failed to score in the red zone all season, on 14 trips.
Jesse James caught a 23yard pass over the middle to start things for the Steelers offense and it ended with Boswell’s 39-yard field goal to cut the lead to 14-6.
The Steelers’ next drive finally landed in the end zone. Roethlisberger found Vance McDonald over the middle and the big tight end broke three tackles and carried two others before he finally landed after a 33-yard reception.
Two plays later, Brown made a typically phenomenal catch over Baltimore cornerback Marlon Humphrey in the left corner of the end zone for a 26-yard touchdown. Conner caught the 2point conversion pass and it was all tied up at 14-14 with 2:50 left.
It was to be their only touchdown and their final points.
A turnover led to one of Flacco’s two touchdown passes. McDonald, whose stiff-arm of Chris Conte last week against Tampa Bay became an instant legend, had the tables turned Sunday when safety Tony Jefferson stripped him of the ball at the Steelers 31. For good measure, linebacker C.J. Mosely blasted McDonald out of the way.
Baltimore took advantage of that turnover by turning it into a four-play drive that ended with Flacco throwing 3 yards to Alex Collins for the touchdown that made it 14-0 halfway through the first quarter.
The slow starts and early deficits are becoming a troubling norm for the Steelers.
“I’m not looking for patterns,’’ Tomlin said. “I am just trying to win a game in this stadium.”
It has been awhile.