The Ravens and Steelers have played some classic games over the years in a rivalry that has been as heated and close as any in the NFL over the past two decades.
And they've had some fantastic finishes, from Antonio Brown reaching the ball across the goal line in the closing seconds to clinch the AFC North title, to Troy Polamalu getting a strip sack of Joe Flacco to send the Steelers to the Super Bowl, among others.
This one might not rise to the level of those games in terms of importance, but the end was no less thrilling.
T.J. Watt pressured Lamar Jackson into a tough pass to Mark Andrews that the tight end couldn't handle on a two-point conversion try moments after the Ravens had driven 60 yards in the final 1:48 to pull within one point. The incompletion prevented Baltimore from taking the lead with 12 seconds remaining and preserved a 20-19 victory for the Steelers.
"Trying to win the game right there," said Baltimore coach John Harbaugh of his decision to go for two after Jackson hit Sammy Watkins for a 6-yard touchdown pass. "We were pretty much out of corners at that point in time. It was an opportunity to try to win the game right there."
The Steelers were somewhat surprised by the two-point try -- at least some of them.
Cam Heyward, exhausted from chasing Jackson around for the more than 36 minutes the Ravens held the ball in this game, had jogged to the sideline after the Ravens scored, thinking Baltimore was about to send the game into overtime.
Mike Tomlin rushed onto the field to call timeout so that he could get Heyward back onto the field for this play:
"I was a little surprised because I ran off the field to begin with," Heyward said. "But we called a timeout and it bought me a couple extra seconds. At first I thought (Andrews) scored because he had it in his hand and he dropped it. It’s just one or two plays that go your way. Luckily we got the touchdown to keep them from using their great kicker. Our guys just kept fighting. Was it pretty? No. But when those games come down to little things, that’s the beauty of this game."
The result is that the Steelers are now 6-5-1 and remain in the hunt in the AFC playoff race and AFC North standings, now a game-and-a-half behind the Ravens (8-4).
Coming off back-to-back games in which they had allowed 41 points, including a 41-10 thrashing at the hands of the Bengals, this was the response Tomlin hoped to get from his team.
"I'm appreciative of the Ravens," said Tomlin. "It takes two to tango. They bring out the best in us."
Even if the Steelers' results in recent weeks had brought out some of the worst in some former players, who had taken to social media to criticize the team.
"Whether we like it or not, I'm talking about us and the Ravens. We're tied together," Tomlin said. "There've been some significant games. It's about the men that have played in these games, the standard that they hold the current players to. Guys like Ray Lewis and Ed Reed and others, guys on this side like Alan Faneca, Troy Polamalu, those gold-jacket types that have had an opportunity to watch for 15 years that really kind of set a standard in the series that we all have to play to and uphold, and we are appreciative of that. Hopefully, we made those Steeler alumni proud with our efforts."
As has been the case many times this season, the Steelers offense came alive in the fourth quarter, scoring 17 points. But it was the defense -- on the field for nearly 32 minutes in the first three quarters -- that kept Baltimore from running away with things.
Despite dominating the time of possession in the first three quarters, the Ravens held just a 10-3 lead going into the final 15 minutes.
Ben Roethlisberger opened the fourth quarter with back-to-back big plays, connecting with Chase Claypool on a 40-yard pass on third-and-one on a deep crosser, then finding Diontae Johnson all by himself on the next play for a 29-yard touchdown.
Usually reliable Chris Boswell missed the PAT and the Ravens still led 10-9. But the momentum had shifted.
Even when Baltimore got a field goal on its next possession to go up 13-9, it was only because Minkah Fitzpatrick was penalized 41 yards for pass interference.
The Steelers answered that score with one of their own, getting a 43-yard field goal from Boswell, then got the defensive stop they needed.
Watt, who went on the Reserve/COVID-19 List Monday and was cleared on Saturday, missed practice all week. But he was a deciding factor in this game, recording six tackles, 3.5 sacks, three tackles for a loss and six quarterback hits.
The Ravens couldn't block him. And that was clearly evident on Baltimore's possession after the Steelers had cut the lead to 13-12.
Watt's second-down sack put the Ravens in the hole, setting the stage for cornerback Ahkello Witherspoon, one of the lineup changes the Steelers made for this game, to break up a deep pass intended for Andrews and force a punt.
That's when Roethlisberger again went to work with the no-huddle. Except in this version of the no-huddle, instead of simply throwing the ball every play, the Steelers ran the ball, as well.
Najee Harris, bottled up for 13 yards on five first-half carries, finished with 71 yard on 21 carries, while Benny Snell also had two carries for 13 yards, both of which came on the Steelers' final possession.
"The more you keep pounding the ball, eventually something’s going to break," said Johnson. "We started to wear them down up front. The O-line was doing a great job coming off the ball. We were able to get those 5-, 6-yard gains."
And that set up a 5-yard touchdown pass from Roethlisberger to Johnson, his second of the game, with 1:48 remaining:
That put the Steelers ahead 18-12 and the Steelers lined up to go for a two-point conversion.
This time, Roethlisberger looked to rookie tight end Pat Freiermuth in the front corner of the end zone for a 20-13 lead:
The Ravens had safety Chuck Clark intentionally jump offside after the Steelers got inside the 10 to help conserve a timeout. And that was needed as they used nearly the entire clock to get down the field, scoring on third-and-5 from the 6 with 12 seconds remaining.
"Absolutely exhausted," said Watt of the game. "That’s how it felt. I was absolutely out of breath. We have a great rotation of guys going in there. Minkah kept saying, just keep him in the pocket, we’ve got the back end. I’m just really happy with how we played with our backs up against the wall all day."
They flinched, but they didn't blink. And they held on to win.
"Man, it’s a battle. You’d better be ready for 60 minutes and almost plus," Heyward said. "But I can’t say enough enough about the fight so many different guys had. It’s a team effort. It took a lot out of us."
• The Steelers started Montravious Adams at nose tackle in place of Isaiah Buggs just a few days after signing him off the practice squad of the Saints. Witherspoon started in place of James Pierre, already subbing for Joe Haden, with Justin Layne joining him outside when the Steelers went to their dime defense and Cam Sutton slid inside.
The Steelers also extensively used a three-outside linebacker package that they first used against the Ravens in 2020, subbing in both Taco Charlton and Derek Tuszka for strong safety Terrell Edmunds on those plays.
And it worked. Though the Ravens had 107 rushing yards, nearly 50 below their average, Jackson had 55 of those on scrambles. Running back Devonta Freeman managed just 52 yards on 14 carries (3.7 per carry). All told, Baltimore's running backs had 52 yards on 17 carries.
"Man, my defensive line was awesome today," said Heyward. "I can’t say enough about what Mon Adams did coming in on short notice. To come in on such short notice against the Baltimore Ravens and play the way he did was pretty special. How about Chris Wormley today? I’m just proud of that dude. They traded him. He made them pay."
Wormley, traded from the Ravens to the Steelers last year, had a career-high 2.5 sacks as the Steelers sacked Jackson seven times and intercepted him once, that coming from Fitzpatrick in the end zone on Baltimore's first possession.
There were times when the Steelers didn't get much of a rush on Jackson, just trying to hem him into the pocket. And that worked, too. He was 23 of 37 for 253 yards with one touchdown and one interception.
"Just trying to stay as sound as we could all day and not being selfish and getting behind the quarterback," Watt said. "It sucks to have to bull rush all day long, but against a guy like this, you have to be smart with stuff like that. He’s definitely a challenge for us, but we stepped up."
• Watt now has 16 sacks this season, taking over the NFL lead and tying James Harrison's team record for sacks in a season. The only difference is that Watt has gotten there in just 10 games.
He said he had minimal symptoms of the COVID-19 that kept him at home this week.
"Stationary bike and then I put the cleats on. I have like a half-an-acre yard at my house. I ran around trees and stuff, but I had to do what I had to do," Watt said of how he stayed in shape.
But it also provided some valuable time off. Watt had missed the Steelers' game two weeks ago against the Chargers with hip and knee injuries. He returned to play last week against the Bengals, but was clearly hampered.
Not in this game.
"Absolutely," he said when I asked if that time off helped. "My body needed rest for my knee and my hip. That helped me a lot."
Watt wasn't the best defensive player in the NFL Sunday, he was arguably the best player in the league -- period.
But don't expect Tomlin to give him more days off.
"Yes," Tomlin said when asked if Watt will ever practice again. "And there won't be music, either."
• That final point by Tomlin was a little dig at Claypool's comment about playing music at practice helping the Steelers pull out of their doldrums.
A win like this is really the kind of thing that pulls a team out of a tailspin. We'll see if the Steelers can use this as a springboard into their final five games, starting Thursday night against the Vikings on the road.
"We'll see," Roethlisberger said. "I would like to think that it will help to say, 'OK, this is what we can do, this is what we need to do.' But you never really know until you get going. Hopefully I can maybe answer that in a couple of weeks if things are going well."
• Johnson had a crucial dropped pass in the first half after he got behind the Baltimore secondary for what would have been a touchdown. But he bounced back, finishing with eight catches for 105 yards and both Steelers touchdowns.
Johnson was at his best in the second half, when he caught seven passes for 91 yards -- after the drop.
"I take all responsibility. I’ve got to catch the football," Johnson said. "I can’t let that get in my head. I’ve got to look forward to the next play. I was able to capitalize on that in the second half and get the offense going."
It also showed a lot of maturity for the third-year receiver. When he went into a funk dropping passes last season, it spiraled out of control on him, eventually leading to him being benched in the first half of a loss at Buffalo.
This year, he showed a higher level of maturity.
"Big-time maturity," Johnson admitted. "Last year, I don’t know what I would have done in that situation, probably folded. But I remembered that things are going to happen, it’s how you respond. And I responded in a positive way. That carried over. I was able to get in the end zone two more times."
• Are the Steelers Jackson's kryptonite? The numbers suggest they might be.
He's now 1-2 against them as a starter -- with the one win being over Mason Rudolph/Duck Hodges in 2019.
And in those three games against the Steelers, he's thrown four touchdowns and six interceptions while being sacked 16 times. The Steelers' seven sacks against him Sunday were the most of Jackson in a regular season game and tied the most against him overall. The Chargers sacked him seven times in a playoff win over the Ravens as a rookie in 2018.
• Roethlisberger now has 10 career fourth-quarter comebacks against the Ravens. That's the most for a player against any one team.
He wasn't vintage Roethlisberger in this game, but he certainly was in the fourth quarter when the Steelers went to the no-huddle, finishing 21 of 31 for 236 yards and two touchdowns.
The no-huddle continues to be something the Steelers excel at. And it's just not used enough.
"Yeah, because he’s comfortable calling what he sees," Johnson said. "He’s able to adjust. We’re comfortable too. Not taking anything from the OC, but we’re just doing whatever he tells us to do. The offense just rallies around him."
• The Steelers were embarrassed on both sides of the line of scrimmage last week in Cincinnati.
This week, they won with John Leglue, signed off the practice squad two weeks ago, stepping in at left guard in place of B.J. Finney after the latter suffered a back injury in the first half.
Late in the game, the Steelers were actually running the ball -- and effectively -- behind Leglue, an offensive tackle by trade who made this team's practice squad because he also could play center.
"I go against these guys every week and I make sure these guys are well prepared for it," Heyward said. "Leglue, we always say they’re starters in waiting. He answered the call today."
It was that kind of day for the Steelers.
"How about guys like Leglue?" Tomlin asked. "How about Adams? Adams just got here and played a bunch of snaps for us. Witherspoon started in place of Joe Haden. I just can't say enough about the contributions we got from new Steelers or Steelers that are getting an opportunity to get their train out of the station in terms of their careers. Leglue, awesome."
Those are the kind of efforts expected for guys getting big opportunities. As Ike Taylor once told me, "A once in a lifetime opportunity only comes around so many times."
• Anyone questioning Fitzpatrick's play now? Yes, he had the pass interference penalty, but he now has interceptions in back-to-back games. He once again led the Steelers in tackles with nine.
He's a great all-around safety and a player opposing offenses have to contend with at all times.
• The Vikings will be without Dalvin Cook on Thursday night in Minneapolis. They'll also likely be without receiver Adam Thielen, who suffered a high ankle sprain in Sunday's loss to the Lions.
Yes, they lost to the Lions.
Win that game on Thursday night and the Steelers will be sitting at 7-5-1 and back in the playoff hunt in the AFC.
Add in the fact the Ravens lost top corner Marlon Humphrey for what Harbaugh said will probably be an extended time, and you begin to see how quickly things can change in the AFC.
Every week is a roller coaster. Ask the Bengals, who took a roundhouse kick to the head Sunday at the hands of the Chargers.
"Ebbs and flows of a season. We got challenges last week and didn’t answer the call. This week, we did," Heyward said of this game. "What a big play by Minkah to start the game off and get a pick in the end zone. T.J. had a lot of sacks. Wormley had a lot of sacks. I thought (Devin) Bush played downhill for the most part. It was just a collective approach. Guys ran to the ball and it was a nitty gritty game. Our offense came through at the end."
Yes, there was even some praise for Bush after this game.
