Steelers 31, Baltimore Ravens 27
December 25, 2016
Heinz Field
Merry Christmas.
For the first time ever the Steelers played on Christmas Day, and they delivered the perfect gift to their fans.
By defeating the Baltimore Ravens, 31-27, the Steelers won the AFC North.
In 2016 the Steelers defeated the Ravens in a regular season game 31-27.
Antonio Brown
Ravens head coach John Harbaugh and Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin
Antonio Brown
Artie Burns and Carnell Lake
Anthony Chickillo
Ross Cockrell
Head Coach Mike Tomlin
James Harrison
James Harrison and the linebackers
Arthur Moats
Lawrence Timmons
Ben Roethlisberger
Johnny Maxey
Le'Veon Bell
James Harrison and Ben Roethlisberger
James Harrison
Alejandro Villanueva
Ramon Foster
Maurkice Pouncey
David DeCastro
Marcus Gilbert
Jesse James
Roosevelt Nix
Le'Veon Bell
Eli Rogers
Eli Rogers
Antonio Brown
Antonio Brown
Ben Roethlisberger
Ben Roethlisberger
Le'Veon Bell
Le'Veon Bell
Cobi Hamilton, Le'Veon Bell and Ramon Foster
Alejandro Villanueva
Eli Rogers
Le'Veon Bell
David DeCastro
Le'Veon Bell
Xavier Grimble and Eli Rogers
Ramon Foster
Le'Veon Bell, Xavier Grimble, Antonio Brown and David Johnson
Ben Roethlisberger
Vince Williams and Mike Mitchell
Maurkice Pouncey
L.T. Walton
David DeCastro
Jordan Berry
Sean Davis
Ryan Shazier
Artie Burns and Javon Hargrave
Bud Dupree
Ricardo Mathews and Bud Dupree
Roosevelt Nix and Arthur Moats
Marcus Gilbert, David DeCastro, Maurkice Pouncey, Ramon Foster and Alejandro Villanueva
Ramon Foster
Artie Burns and Javon Hargrave
Javon Hargrave
Alejandro Villanueva
L.T. Walton
Eli Rogers
Eli Rogers
Eli Rogers
Maurkice Pouncey
Johnny Maxey
Ryan Shazier
Bud Dupree
Daniel McCullers and Ross Cockrell
Head Coach Mike Tomlin
Le'Veon Bell
Le'Veon Bell
Ben Roethlisberger
Bud Dupree
Head Coach Mike Tomlin, Maurkice Pouncey and David DeCastro
Ben Roethlisberger
Antonio Brown
Chris Boswell
Ben Roethlisberger and Marcus Gilbert
Ben Roethlisberger
James Harrison
Darrius Heyward-Bey
David Decastro, Le'Veon Bell, Maurkice Pouncey and Jesse James
Marcus Gilbert
Ben Roethlisberger
Antonio Brown
Antonio Brown
Antonio Brown
Jesse James, Le'Veon Bell, Ramon Foster, David DeCastro, and Alejandro Villanueva
Jesse James, Le'Veon Bell, Ramon Foster, David DeCastro, Alejandro Villanueva, Eli Rogers and Antonio Brown
Ramon Foster
James Harrison
William Gay and Ross Cockrell
Demarcus Ayers
Cobi Hamilton
Ben Roethlisberger, David DeCastro, Alejandro Villanueva and Marcus Gilbert
Antonio Brown
Antonio Brown and Ben Roethlisberger
Tyler Matakevich, Ryan Shazier, Mike Mitchell, Vince Williams and Arthur Moats
Ryan Shazier, Vince Williams and Arthur Moats
Alejandro Villanueva
Head Coach Mike Tomlin
Head Coach Mike Tomlin, Demarcus Ayers and Johnny Maxey
Marcus Gilbert, David DeCastro, Maurkice Pouncey, Ramon Foster, Alejandro Villanueva, Matt Feiler, Chris Hubbard and B.J. Finney
Antonio Brown and Head Coach Mike Tomlin
David DeCastro and Art Rooney II
Marcus Gilbert, David DeCastro, Maurkice Pouncey, Ramon Foster, Le'Veon Bell, Matt Feiler, Alejandro Villanueva and Chris Hubbard
"Man, it's great to be AFC North Champs," said Coach Mike Tomlin. "We tip our cap to the Ravens, they're a tough, tough opponent, not only today, but always. I like the mentality that the guys showed. We knew it was going to be a tough football game. It was just great to see the no-blink mentality, the competitive spirit. We helped one another. We were turning the ball over, the defense kept us in it there at the early portions of the second half. And then, we gave a drive up late and the offense responded. And that's just good team ball.
"All of the men are to be congratulated. It's significant. We punched our ticket. And that's an awesome thing."
And they punched their ticket in exciting fashion.
When the big guns were needed, they came though. Ben Roethlisberger and Antonio Brown were among the playmakers for the Steelers offense and on the final, pivotal, playoffs on the line, offensive drive, they came through.
The Steelers were down 27-24, with just 1:18 to play, after the Ravens scored a go-ahead touchdown. Roethlisberger, starting at his own 25-yard line, completed eight of eight passes, and spiked the ball twice, as he drove the offense down the field with incredible precision, completing passes to five different receivers.
But the play of the game, and possibly of the season, was a four-yard pass to Brown where he wouldn't be denied getting into the end zone for the 31-27 win. Brown, who looked like he was stopped short, extended his arm and got the ball over the goal line. And fittingly enough, it was the 50th touchdown the two combined for, the most ever by a quarterback-receiver combination in Steelers' history.
"No one stopped believing," said Roethlisberger. "It's pretty special the way we won it. Especially after feeling the way I felt at a certain point in that game and feeling like you let guys down and you blew it. So to come back and win it is pretty special."
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