Steelers score late, hold off Ravens

[December 06, 2021] Ben Roethlisberger and Diontae Johnson connected on the go-ahead touchdown with 1:48 remaining, and the Pittsburgh Steelers stopped the Baltimore Ravens on a potential game-winning two-point conversion in the final seconds to cap a thrilling 20-19 home win on Sunday.

Pittsburgh (6-5-1), which was coming off an ugly 0-2-1 stretch that included a tie against the lowly Detroit Lions and a blowout loss to the Cincinnati Bengals, trailed by one with a little over seven minutes left.

The Steelers converted two third downs -- one via a penalty -- before Roethlisberger and Johnson hooked up on another third-down conversion for a 5-yard touchdown. Pittsburgh added a two-point conversion pass to take a 20-13 lead.
 

The ensuing kickoff went out of bounds, giving Baltimore good field position. The Ravens converted a third-and-14 on their way down the field, and Lamar Jackson found Sammy Watkins for a 6-yard score to bring the visitors within a point with 12 seconds to go.

On the two-point conversion, tight end Mark Andrews got his left hand on Jackson's pass and likely would have scored easily, but he couldn't haul it in.
 

Jackson passed for 253 yards with a touchdown and an interception and ran for a team-high 55 yards for Baltimore (8-4), which dropped into a tie with the Tennessee Titans and New England Patriots in the race for the AFC's No. 1 seed. The Titans (8-4) have a bye this weekend, while the Patriots (8-4) visit the Buffalo Bills on Monday Night Football.

Roethlisberger finished 21 of 31 for 236 yards with two TD passes to Johnson, who totaled 105 yards on eight receptions.

Steelers linebacker T.J. Watt recorded 3 1/2 of his team's seven sacks. Watt entered COVID-19 protocols earlier this week before producing a pair of negative tests in recent days, allowing him to suit up Sunday.

Baltimore opened the scoring in the middle of the second quarter, when Devonta Freeman punctuated a 16-play, 99-yard drive with a 3-yard TD plunge.

Trailing 10-3, the Steelers finally found a rhythm early in the fourth as Roethlisberger found Chase Claypool for 40 yards and a wide-open Johnson for a 29-yard score on consecutive plays.

However, Chris Boswell missed the extra point as Pittsburgh still trailed 10-9.

On Baltimore's next possession, a 41-yard pass interference penalty on Minkah Fitzpatrick set up Justin Tucker's 28-yard field goal. However, Pittsburgh responded with Boswell's 43-yard boot to get back within a point with 7:18 left.

Watt's sack was the key play on the ensuing possession, as the Ravens punted back to the Steelers, setting up the go-ahead drive.

--Field Level Media

[© 2021 Thomson Reuters. All rights reserved.]

Copyright 2021 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.  Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content.