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Xtra Points

Steelers defeat Ravens, 20-19

It took a while, but the Steelers finally found their way past the Ravens.

Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger's second touchdown pass of the day to wide receiver Diontae Johnson, a 5-yard strike with 1:48 left in regulation, provided the first and only lead the Steelers would need in a 20-19 victory this afternoon at Heinz Field.

The Steelers improved to 6-5-1 overall and snapped an 0-2-1 slide.

The Ravens fell to 8-4.

Kicker Chris Boswell's kickoff went out of bounds following the go-ahead score, and the Ravens took over at their 40-yard line with 1:48 left in the fourth quarter.

They reached the Steelers' 6 with 16 seconds remaining and scored on a 6-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Lamar Jackson to wide receiver Sammy Watkins with 12 seconds left in the fourth. But Jackson missed tight end Mark Andrews on a two-point conversion attempt and the Steelers survived.

The Steelers faced a 13-12 deficit when they took over at their 31 with 6:21 left in the fourth. They responded with an 11-play, 69-yard drive in 4:33 that produced the eight points they'd need to secure victory.

A two-point conversion pass from Roethlisberger to tight end Pat Freiermuth upped their lead to 20-13.

The Steelers produced their first touchdown in the first minute of the fourth on a 29-yard, catch-and-run touchdown connection from Roethlisberger to Johnson.

The touchdown pass finished off a four-play, 78-yard drive in 1:38 and brought the Steelers to within 10-9 with 14:01 left in the fourth. But Boswell missed the extra point attempt and the Ravens maintained the lead.

Baltimore countered with a five-play, 51-yard march in 2:10 that ended with a 28-yard field goal by kicker Justin Tucker for a 13-9 advantage with 11:51 left in regulation.

The big play was a 41-yard pass interference penalty against free safety Minkah Fitzpatrick that advanced the ball to the Steelers' 18.

The Steelers countered thanks to another big play from Roethlisberger to Johnson.

Johnson caught a short pass, eluded cornerback Anthony Averett and ran down the sideline for a gain of 25 to the Baltimore 49 on second-and-9 from the Steelers' 26. The 10-play, 50-yard drive in 4:33 eventually ended with a 43-yard field goal by Boswell that cut the Ravens' lead to 13-12 with 7:18 left in the fourth.

The Ravens re-established a seven-point lead on their first possession of the second half.

Tucker's 35-yard field goal ended a 10-play, 41-yard drive in 5:20 that increased Baltimore's advantage to 10-3 with 7:24 left in the third quarter.

Fitzpatrick's interception in the end zone on third-and-6 from the Steelers' 10-yard line turned the Ravens away empty on the game's first possession.

The drive lasted 11 plays, covered 75 yards (Baltimore was penalized twice for a combined 10 yards) and used up 6:23 but didn't change the scoreboard.

It was a sign of things to come in a first quarter in which the Steelers held the ball for 2:48, ran six offensive plays and didn't register a first down but emerged in a scoreless tie.

The Ravens' third possession last even longer, covered more ground and resulted in the game's first touchdown.

It began at the Ravens' 1 after a 64-yard punt out of bounds just inside the pylon by punter Pressley Harvin III.

It ended with a 3-yard burst for a touchdown by running back Devonta Freeman.

In between, the Ravens converted a third-and-7 from the Baltimore 16, a third-and-10 from the Steelers' 46 and a third-and-6 from the Steelers' 32 that went for 29 yards on a pass from Jackson to Andrews. The Ravens also benefitted from a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty against outside linebacker T.J. Watt that turned what would have been a third-and-7 at the Ravens' 39 into a first-and-10 at the Steelers' 46.

Tucker capped the 16-play, 99-yard march in 10:27 with an extra point gave the Ravens a 7-0 lead with 8:37 left in the second quarter.

Game action photos from the Steelers' Week 13 game against the Baltimore Ravens at Heinz Field

The Steelers didn't put consecutive first downs together until a possession that began at their 13 with 1:48 remaining before halftime.

Three completions by Roethlisberger (12 yards to wide receiver Chase Claypool, 17 yards to tight end Pat Freiermuth and 14 yards to Johnson) registered the Steelers' second, third and fourth first downs of the opening 30 minutes.

Roethlisberger threw incomplete on three straight snaps from the Ravens' 35, including one that bounced off Johsnon's hands at the goal line on first-and-10 after Johnson had gotten behind Averett.

The nine-play, 52-yard drive in 1:21 ultimately ended on a 53-yard field goal by Boswell that brought the Steelers' to within 7-3 with 27 seconds left before the break.

Jackson was sacked four times in the first half, when the Ravens out-possessed the Steelers, 23:30-6:30.

Watt was responsible for one of the sacks, which upped his total on the season to 13.5 and made Watt the second player in NFL history to register at least 13 sacks in four consecutive seasons since sacks became an official statistic in 1982 (Reggie White did it from 1985-88 and again from 1990-93).

Roethlisberger led the Steelers on a game-winning drive for the 51st time in his career, which is tied with Tom Brady for third-most in NFL history.

Left guard B.J. Finney was knocked out of the game in the first quarter (back) and replaced by John Leglue.

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