Skip to main content
Advertising

What went right, wrong vs. Baltimore

WHAT WENT RIGHT
* The Steelers defense turned in a good first series. On the first two plays – both incomplete passes – the Steelers defensive backs were competitive when the ball arrived, and then on third down Stephon Tuitt broke through to sack Joe Flacco for a 5-yard loss.

  • The Steelers scoring drive – 52 yards on eight plays that resulted in a 45-yard field goal by Josh Scobee – was highlighted by the team never falling behind the chains. It started with a 7-yard run by Le'Veon Bell, and then the ensuing plays were an 8-yard run by DeAngelo Williams, an 11-yard run by Bell, and an 18-yard pass from Mike Vick to Markus Wheaton. The drive then stalled, and Scobee converted on a fourth-and-2 with the Baltimore 27-yard line being the line of scrimmage.
  • Down 7-3 early in the second quarter, and with the Ravens driving, Ross Cockrell intercepted a pass for Steve Smith and returned it 36 yards to the Ravens 36-yard line. It was the Steelers' second interception in the last two games.
  • The end of the first half and the start of the second are considered by coaches to be critical times in every football game. The Steelers did some good things and they came out of it with a 20-7 lead. In the final 4:46 of the first half, the Steelers scored a touchdown, forced the Ravens into a three-and-out that forced a punt from the 20-yard line, and then got into position for a 36-yard field goal as time expired to take a 13-7 lead at halftime.
  • In the second half, the Ravens received the kickoff, but their possession was disastrous. After starting off with a false start penalty, Joe Flacco was flushed out of the pocket and as he was running toward the sideline he was sacked by Cam Heyward and had the ball stripped. Ross Cockrell made an acrobatic recovery along the sideline to give the Steelers the ball at the Baltimore 26-yard line.
  • On the series after Cockrell's fumble recovery, the Steelers would convert their first two third downs of the game. Mike Vick ran for 9 yards on a third-and-7, and then on a third-and-5 from the 9-yard line Vick passed to Darrius Heyward-Bey for the touchdown.
  • On a fourth-and-2 from the Steelers 20-yard line and with the Ravens lined up to attempt a field goal, Baltimore attempted a fake. Holder Sam Koch threw a shovel pass to Nick Boyle, but Sean Spence diagnosed the play and dropped the Ravens tight end for a loss to turn the ball over to the Steelers.
  • Midway through the fourth quarter, the Ravens had the ball at the Pittsburgh 43-yard line, and it was third-and-1. On third down, Stephon Tuitt led a contingent of defenders who stuffed Javorius Allen for no gain. On fourth down, Tuitt and James Harrison combined to stuff Joe Flacco for no gain on a quarterback sneak.
  • It was fourth-and-10 at the Baltimore 39-yard line with 2:11 to play, and because the Ravens trailed, 20-17, John Harbaugh decided to go for it. James Harrison sacked Flacco for a 10-yard loss to turn the ball over to the Steelers offense.
  • It was overtime, and the sudden death portion had kicked in, which meant a field goal by either team would win the game. On a third-and-7 from the Baltimore 42-yard line, Joe Flacco's pass down the left sideline appeared to be caught by Kamar Aiken but Mike Mitchell came across to deliver a big hit to dislodge the ball and cause an incompletion.

WHAT WENT WRONG
* It was not a good start for the Steelers offense. The Ravens won the toss, elected to defer and had Justin Tucker's kickoff go for a touchback. Then Mike Vick's first pass – an apparent screen to Heath Miller – was overthrown. A penalty on David DeCastro for a false start plus a 1-yard loss on a run by Le'Veon Bell set up a third-and-16. Then after a get-what-you-can dump off to Bell, Jordan Berry's punt traveled only 37 yards.

Game action from the Pittsburgh Steelers' Week 4 game against the Baltimore Ravens at Heinz Field.

  • Missed tackles led directly to the first quarter touchdown that gave the Ravens a 7-3 lead. On a third-and-2 from the Pittsburgh 9-yard line, the Ravens ran a jet sweep to wide receiver Michael Campanaro at the left side of the Steelers defense. Arthur Moats met Campanaro in the backfield but he was stiff-armed by Campanaro, and then Will Allen came across and missed him as well. The touchdown came with 25 seconds left in the first period.
  • One of the problems with the Steelers defense during the preseason was that it gave up yards and points too easily, and that's what happened on the Ravens' possession following the pass to Darrius Heyward-Bey had given the Steelers a 20-7 lead. On the drive, Justin Forsett ran for 33 yards, Kamar Aiken caught a 7-yard pass from Joe Flacco, Javorius Allen ran for 12 yards, and then Flacco hit Aiken for 15 yards and a touchdown.
  • On a third-and-long deep in their territory, Elvis Dumervil grabbed Mike Vick's facemask in the process of sacking him, but none of the on-field officials saw it and no penalty was called. The Steelers had to punt.
  • In the first four games of 2015, Josh Scobee has missed four field goals – all between 40-49 yards. Two of those misses came in the fourth quarter against the Ravens. The first, with 2:29 remaining, was from 49 yards and was wide left. The second, with 1:06 remaining, was from 41 yards and also was wide left.
This article has been reproduced in a new format and may be missing content or contain faulty links. Please use the Contact Us link in our site footer to report an issue.
Advertising