There is nothing like a game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Baltimore Ravens, and the two teams had a barn burner of a game on November 2nd, 2014. It was Sunday Night Football for the divisional rivals, and both came into the game with a record of 5-3. Because the division was so stacked, the loser of the game would fall to last place in the division. The Steelers had just come off of a 52-34 win the week before, and the Ravens had to do everything in their power to slow down the speeding train.
Gene J. Puskar / AP Photo
Steelers outside linebacker James Harrison registers a sack on Baltimore Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco during a divisional playoff game in 2011
That is exactly what the Ravens did. After a long punt return by one of the best returners at the time in Jacoby Jones, the Ravens scored on their first play of the drive on a 35-yard touchdown pass from Joe Flacco to Torrey Smith. Meanwhile, the Steelers were stuck in quicksand and failed to get a first down until the last drive of the first quarter. Once they finally got going, they refused to stop.
While that drive did not end well, Arthur Moats forced a fumble at midfield, and Bobby McCain took it all the way to the Ravens' 27-yard line. Five plays later, Ben Roethlisberger hit Le'Veon Bell for a five-yard touchdown to tie the game. It was put up or shut up time for the Ravens. They had to answer. Spoiler: they shut up quickly.
After a roughing the passer call to begin the drive, Flacco immediately threw a horrible interception to Jason Worilds, who returned it to the Ravens' 30-yard line. Three plays into that drive, Roethlisberger found Martavis Bryant in the end zone for a 19-yard touchdown. The Ravens would kick a field goal after that, but when it rains, it pours.
giants.com
Brad Wing punting a ball in his first stint with the Steelers.
Right before the end of the half, Roethlisberger found Markus Wheaton on a go-route for a 47-yard touchdown pass, but the extra point was anything but ordinary. After muffing the snap, Brad Wing, the holder, called for a "fire drill," and managed to turn a failed kick into a successful two-point conversion. The Steelers went into halftime with a 22-10 lead.
Halftime was also magical, as "Mean" Joe Greene had his jersey retired. He was only the second Steeler to have his number officially retired at the time, with the first one being Ernie Stautner. Some people call him the greatest Steeler of all time, and his jersey is now hanging in the stadium for anyone to see.
The second half started with some punts going back and forth (as well as a pair of unnecessary roughness penalties from the Ravens), but when the Steelers want a spark, they turn to Antonio Brown. In the beginning of the 4th quarter, Brown juked and stiff armed his way to a 57-yard touchdown catch with 35 yards after the catch (YAC).
Jones had a 108-yard kickoff return for a touchdown to try and bring the Ravens back, but all it did was force their tired defense back on the field immediately. The Steelers picked them apart on a nine-play, 71-yard drive that ended in Roethlisberger hitting Bryant on the goal line for his fifth score of the game. The Ravens would later cash in on a botched snap to cut down the lead, but they failed the two-point conversion.
Jared Wickerham
The Steelers used Matt Spaeth and Heath Miller to set up a lot of two tight end sets.
The Steelers refused to show mercy. With under two minutes to go, they opted to go for a fourth and two, as opposed to trying a 51-yard field goal. Roethlisberger found Matt Spaeth wide open for his sixth touchdown of the game. The Steelers won by a final score of 43-23. Cameron Heyward couldn't believe what just happened, and neither could Terrell Suggs.
"It's unbelievable," said Heyward. "He's on a run right now."
Suggs saw the film from the week before but didn't expect history to repeat itself that soon.
"You could have never sold me that during the week, even though he did it last week," said Suggs. "But he had a helluva game, and that's a reflection on us all. You have stop him in some certain situations."
Why couldn't anyone believe this? This was the first time in NFL history that a quarterback threw for six touchdowns in back-to-back games, and it was also the first time that a quarterback threw for 12 touchdowns in a two-week span. There was nothing that could stop this runaway train... except the New York Jets, for some reason.
What all did you remember from this game? Let us know in the comments.
#SteelerNation
