Mike Preston: Steelers give Ravens a taste of their own medicine in comeback win | COMMENTARY - Baltimore Sun

The Pittsburgh Steelers borrowed a section from their nemesis’ playbook arsenic they defeated the Ravens, 16-13, connected Sunday nighttime astatine M&T Bank Stadium.

The Steelers came retired with a blimpish violative crippled program to power the gait of the crippled and pummeled the Ravens with 198 rushing yards connected 41 carries.

The Ravens (10-6) had utilized that look to triumph 7 of their past 9 games dating to a 23-20 triumph implicit the Cleveland Browns connected Oct. 23. That includes a 16-14 triumph implicit the Steelers connected Dec. 11 erstwhile the Ravens rushed for 215 yards connected 42 carries.

“Very disappointing. Give them credit; they flipped the script, and that’s not what we expect,” Ravens manager John Harbaugh said. “We don’t expect that astatine all. They got the occupation done [and] ran the shot precise good against us.”

Pittsburgh (8-8) didn’t conscionable flip the script; they deed the Ravens successful the look with it. The Ravens entered the crippled with the No. 3 tally defence successful the NFL, allowing lone 87.5 yards per game. But they had nary answers for Pittsburgh, which entered ranked No. 18 successful rushing, averaging 115.4 yards per game.

Pittsburgh moving backmost Najee Harris ran around, done and implicit the Ravens for 111 yards connected 22 carries. His backup Jaylen Warren had 12 attempts for 76 yards arsenic the Steelers did their champion impersonation of the Ravens’ 1-2 punch of moving backs J.K. Dobbins and Gus Edward, who had 95 yards connected 20 attempts.

Steelers information Minkah Fitzpatrick (#39), center, celebrates with teammates Robert Spillane (#41), from left, Damontae Kazee (#23) and Cameron Sutton (#20), aft Fitzpatrick intercepted a Ravens walk precocious successful the 4th quarter. The Steelers defeated the Ravens, 16-13, astatine M&T Bank Stadium. (Kenneth K. Lam/Baltimore Sun)

Pittsburgh wasn’t bashful astir letting the Ravens cognize what it wanted to do. The Steelers wanted to play smashmouth shot and bounds the passing attempts and imaginable turnovers from rookie backmost Kenny Pickett.

It’s a atrocious time for the defence erstwhile some safeties pb the squad successful tackling. The Ravens’ Chuck Clark had 10 and chap information Marcus Williams had nine.

“I deliberation they were hitting america with the wide portion [running game], really,” Clark said. “They were conscionable getting downhill, and they person a bully ‘back [in Harris]. Hats disconnected to him. We had him; we kept him bottled up a mates games successful the past, but helium had a bully time today, honestly.”

Pickett had gotten disconnected to a unsmooth commencement earlier successful the play aft failing to bushed retired seasoned Mitch Trubisky, who threw 3 interceptions successful alleviation of an injured Pickett erstwhile the teams past met.

This time, Pittsburgh played it harmless for astir of the game. Pickett threw a batch of speedy hitches and turnaround routes, overmuch similar the Ravens usage with backup backmost Tyler Huntley, who is present 2-2 successful 4 starts for injured prima Lamar Jackson.

But Pickett played well, completing 15 of 27 passes for 168 yards and a touchdown. The first-round draught prime scrambled and was elusive successful the pocket. He threw immoderate bully passes implicit the mediate with velocity. He had overmuch much bid of Pittsburgh’s discourtesy than Huntley has of the Ravens’, and helium has a overmuch brighter future.

There were 2 passes from Pickett that stood retired during the Steelers’ 11-play, 80-yard game-winning thrust successful the last minutes.

On first-and-10 from the 50 with 2:06 remaining, Pickett threw a 28-yard dart crossed the mediate to wide receiver Steven Sims that acceptable successful a constrictive model betwixt 2 Ravens defenders, including Williams. The Ravens don’t person a subordinate connected their roster who tin marque that throw.

The 10-yard touchdown walk to Harris with 56 seconds near had bully interaction arsenic Harris bushed mediate linebacker Roquan Smith down the near sideline.

“We each didn’t marque a play,” Ravens wrong linebacker Patrick Queen said of the Steelers’ last drive. “We had a accidental to get to the quarterback; we didn’t get to the quarterback. We had a accidental to marque a play; we conscionable didn’t marque the play. It shouldn’t person adjacent gotten to that point, honestly. So, we’ve conscionable got to spell backmost to the drafting board, get amended and effort to triumph a crippled adjacent week.”

Even much insulting was that Pittsburgh ran the shot 4 times successful the past drive, including 2 backmost sneaks connected third-and-1. The Ravens couldn’t halt those either.

The defence mislaid astir each conflict successful the trenches.

Steelers moving backmost Jaylen Warren carries the shot arsenic Ravens information Marcus Williams attempts to tackle him during Sunday night's crippled astatine M&T Bank Stadium. (Jerry Jackson/Baltimore Sun)