Steelers Rally to Beat Ravens and Clinch AFC North
A 46-yard field goal by Chris Boswell with 42 second left in the game clinched the Pittsburgh Steelers their third AFC North title in the last four years. The Steelers rallied to defeat the Ravens 39-38.
Baltimore took a 31-20 lead near the end of the third quarter. Many loyal Steelers fans at Heinz Field started to show their displeasure with boos raining down on the players.
However, the Steelers led by quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and wide receiver Antonio Brown outscored the Ravens 19-7 in the final quarter-plus to shock Baltimore and clinch the division title.
Going into the game, the Ravens defense had not allowed a passer to throw for 300 yards all season. That ended Sunday night as Big Ben threw for 506 yards as he completed 44 of 66 passes.
Brown, who many believe is a legitimate contender for the NFL MVP caught 11 passes for 213 yards. Including a 34-yard reception on the final drive that helped set up the winning field goal.
Brown’s sure hands have now set up three straight wins in the final seconds of play. With Carson Wentz suffering a possible season-ending injury, and Russell Wilson throwing three picks on Sunday, Brown is right alongside New England’s Tom Brady as favorites to win the MVP.
The Steelers must also find someone to replace fallen linebacker Ryan Shazier. The Pittsburgh defense has given up to 100 yards plus on the ground without their All-Pro linebacker the last two games and that makes their passing defense all the more vulnerable as well.
The Steelers and Ravens are used to low scoring defensive struggles but on Sunday scored a combined 77 points.
The last time they came close to that was October of 1997 with 76 combined points when the Steelers beat the Ravens 42-34 behind quarterback Kordell Stewart against Ravens quarterback Vinny Testaverde. The 77 points scored on Sunday are the most ever in a game between these two rivals.
Pittsburgh at least for a night leads the AFC at 11-2. New England can tie the Steelers on Monday with a victory over the Dolphins. Pittsburgh and New England meet next weekend in a preview for many of a possible AFC Championship matchup, with the winner likely securing postseason home-field advantage.
The Ravens at 7-6 are tied with Buffalo, Kansas City and the Los Angeles Chargers in the wildcard race. Their final three opponents are a combined 8-41 so their chances of making the postseason appear good.
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