Roethlisberger can’t bolster Steelers’ offense
Despite the return of quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, the Steelers managed two first downs through three quarters in Baltimore Sunday.
Steelers wide receiver Eli Rogers can’t hold on to this Ben Roethlisberger pass in the second half Sunday in Baltimore.
Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown caught a fourth-quarter touchdown pass but found things difficu;lt through the first three quarters, such as this play when he was tackled by Ravens free safety Lardarius Webb (21) and strong safety Eric Weddle Sunday in Baltimore.
BALTIMORE – Ben Roethlisberger played Sunday against the Baltimore Ravens, returning to the lineup 20 days after having surgery to repair a meniscus injury in his left knee.
For three quarters, he might have been better off staying on the sidelines.
His statistics wouldn’t have been much different as Roethlisberger was only 8-for-18 for 54 yards with an interception through three quarters as the Steelers had more penalty yards than total yards.
Baltimore’s offense wasn’t much better, but the Ravens did connect on a 95-yard touchdown pass and then blocked a punt that was returned for a score as they outlasted the Steelers, 21-14, in an ugly game at M&T Bank Stadium.
The win moves the Ravens (4-4), who have won four straight games against Pittsburgh, into a tie with the Steelers (4-4) atop the AFC North and just ahead of Cincinnati (3-4-1), which was idle Sunday.
It was the third consecutive loss for the Steelers, who entered the fourth quarter with only two first downs, one of which came via penalty.
“We had a game plan coming in and we got behind the chains a little too much,” said Roethlisberger, who didn’t know he was playing until two hours before the start of the game.
“We were in third-and-long a lot. It’s tough to convert against a good defense like that.”
The Steelers rushed for just 36 yards on 18 attempts and Roethlisberger struggled early to find any rhythm, though he finished with 264 passing yards and a touchdown through the air and on the ground.
“It’s frustrating,” said Roethlisberger. “We did not make plays. I did not make plays. I did not convert third downs. I turned the ball over. … I hold myself to a higher standard.”
While Roethlisberger was struggling, so were the Ravens, who entered on a four-game losing streak.
Baltimore did little in the first half until quarterback Joe Flacco connected with former Steelers wide receiver Mike Wallace on a short slant from the Baltimore 5-yard line.
Wallace, who was working on rookie cornerback Artie Burns, made the catch, then stiff-armed safety Mike Mitchell, whom he outraced down the sideline for a 95-yard touchdown. It was Wallace’s second 95-yard TD catch in his career, the first coming with the Steelers in 2011 against Arizona.
“Just press man-to-man,” said Wallace of the Steelers’ coverage. “It’s disrespectful. I’m a guy, who, I feel like if you press me, you’re going to lose 90 percent of the time, maybe 95.”
Burns’ mistake was trying to make an interception. He dove for the ball and once he missed, Wallace was off to the races.
“I tried to get the pick, but Flacco made a good throw and he made the catch and was off,” said Burns, who had an interception of Flacco earlier in the game, the first of his career.
“I was pretty close but not close enough.”
The Steelers could say the same about the rest of the game. Though they had just 66 yards in the first half – compared to 84 penalty yards – they trailed only 10-0. And the game remained just 13-0 through three quarters, though the Steelers had just two yards of offense in the third quarter.
Baltimore pushed its advantage to 21-0 early in the fourth quarter when running back Buck Allen burst through the line of scrimmage cleanly and blocked a Jordan Berry punt. Chris Moore scooped the loose ball up at the Steelers’ 14 and returned it for a touchdown.
The ensuing successful two-point conversion made it 21-0 with 13:36 remaining.
“We put ourselves in a hole with some adversity, some of which was created by us,” said Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin. “The margin of error is too thin for us to slice it in that manner.”
Roethlisberger did finally get things going when the Steelers gave up on the run and began attacking the Ravens down the field. He threw a 23-yard touchdown pass to Antonio Brown with 8:38 remaining and had the Steelers in position to cut the lead to 21-14 on Pittsburgh’s next possession. But Sammie Coates dropped a pass in the back of the end zone with 4:09 remaining and the Steelers were turned away on downs after advancing to the Baltimore 13.
Roethlisberger ran for a 4-yard TD with 56 seconds remaining to make it 21-14, but Chris Boswell flubbed an onside kick, nearly whiffing on it, giving the Ravens the ball with 48 seconds left.
“We stepped on our own feet a lot of times,” said Steelers linebacker James Harrison, referring to the team’s 13 penalties for 99 yards. “But at the end of the day, they made more explosive plays than we did. They made plays in a timely manner and got points off of them.”
Baltimore had 10 penalties for 94 yards. … Wallace had four catches for 124 yards. … The Steelers’ Eli Rogers finished with six catches for 103 yards, all in the fourth quarter. … The Steelers punted on their first seven possessions, five of which were three-and-outs. … Harrison had two of Pittsburgh’s three sacks, giving him 76.5 for his career, a half-sack behind Jason Gildon for the franchise record. … Burns’ interception was the first for a Pittsburgh defensive back this season. … The Steelers outgained the Ravens 277-274.