Mindset: Be physical, show them
BALTIMORE — Most Steelers players were unaware of the words Baltimore Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco said after the first meeting against the Steelers at Heinz Field. After a 26-14 Ravens victory, Flacco said: “I really just felt we could have 28, 30, 35 points up out there at halftime. … It’s not like today was the toughest Pittsburgh Steeler games I’ve ever played.”
Offensivelineman Ramon Foster made sure his teammates became aware of those words in advance of the rematch. It was instant bulletin board material his defensive teammates ate up with a fury.
“It was all over the media,” defensive back Mike Hilton crowed after the Steelers handed the Ravens a 23-16 setback in the rematch. “It just kept going all around the room. Once we saw it was like ‘All right, we’re not physical apparently. Let’s go out there and do what we have to do to show them.’”
Flacco wasn’t nearly as effective Sunday as he was in late September, when he threw for 363 yards on the Steelers. He threw for just 209 yards Sunday in a third consecutive losing effort for the Ravens.
The Steelers sacked Flacco twice and harassed him much of the game. They knocked him to the turf on the first drive of the game, and he had to be checked by trainers on the sideline.
“We were locked in all week,” Hilton said. “As soon as we heard what Flacco said, that lit the fire underneath us. We had a physical mindset and get the win. When you hear another team say something like that it gets you riled up and ready to go.”
The victory gives the Steelers a 5-2-1 record at the midway point of the season. The Bengals are 5-3 and the Ravens are 4-5 entering their off week.
No big plays
The Ravens hurt the Steelers with several big plays when they beat the Steelers inSeptember. Receiver John Brown had three receptions for 116 yards. In the rematch, he had three receptions for 17 yards.
“We did a really good job,” cornerback Joe Haden said. “We made sure they didn’t catch any balls on the outside. We tried to keep Brown in the box and not let him get over the top like he did the last time. We paid a lot more attention to him.”
Haden said defensive coordinator Keith Butler changed his defensive looks in the rematch.
“We tried to keep them under 200 yards passing and keep them uncomfortable,” Haden said. “Putting pressure on them and getting hits on them. We gave them a lot of different looks in this game than last game, and that’s why we did better.”
A record pace
Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger is on pace to break his franchise record for most passing yards in a season.
Through eight games, Roethlisberger has thrown for 2,560 yards, a pace of 5,120.
In 2014, he threw for 2,380 in the first eight games and finished with 4,952 yards, his career best.
This and that
Roethlisberger and Antonio Brown have connected on 68 touchdown passes, the seventh most for a quarterback-receiver duo in NFL history. … Brown now has caught a touchdown pass in six consecutive games. … Steelers coach Mike Tomlin now is 12-12 all time against the Ravens and his record against AFC North Division foes now stands at 50-20-1. … Steelers receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster led all players with 78 receiving yards. … Steelers tight end Jesse James caught a career-long 51-yard pass. … Steelers defensive end Stephon Tuitt has a sack in three consecutive games.
Inactives
The Steelers deactivated right tackle Marcus Gilbert, quarterback Mason Rudolph, tackle Zach Banner, defensive backs Brian Allen and Marcus Allen, defensive tackle L.T. Walton and receiver Justin Hunter.
The Ravens deactivated starting tackles James Hurst and Ronnie Stanley, tight end Maxx Williams, running back Ty Montgomery, linebacker Tim Williams, receiver Jordan Lasley and quarterback Robert Griffin III.