Roethlisberger Has Last Word for Steelers Against Ravens
BALTIMORE - Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger broke the Ravens' heart for the last time.
In his last game in Baltimore, Roethlisberger ended any chance for the Ravens to make the playoffs with another dramatic comeback.
On the fourth and eighth in overtime, Roethlisberger threw a 10-yard pass to the Ravens 31 to Ray-Ray McCloud. That play set up a 36-yard field goal by Chris Boswell that gave the Steelers a 16-13 win and a fourth consecutive victory over Baltimore.
"If you're going to talk about the start of the season, [and] if you're going to talk about what doesn't happen, it's how you react, you better live it. Be prepared, I guess," said Baltimore coach John Harbaugh. "They lived it. As I told them in the locker room, there's going to be a time in your life when your kids are going to go through some tough times, they're going to pile on them a little bit, and they'll tell you this." I'm going to ask why and what's happening and how to handle it. You'll be able to tell them this story, and that's going to be a strong testimony you're going to be able to get, because they did. They stuck together.
"Nobody ever pointed a finger. Everyone competed at their best. We fell behind a number of games here in the sense that we didn't get any play. We didn't get a play we needed. We wanted to make them games. Couldn't find a way to put him in position that would make a difference in the game, and that's what makes me feel bad as a coach. In any of these games we could have found something to find a way to win the game."
With Jacksonville's victory over the Colts, the Steelers' (9-7-1) playoff hopes are still alive if the Chargers and Raiders don't tie.
Baltimore finished the season 8–9 and ended a three-year playoff run.
Ravens quarterback Tyler Huntley, playing for injured Lamar Jackson, had three costly turnovers that were the difference in the game.
Huntley was 16 for 31 for 141 yards with two interceptions and a lost fumble (37.2 rating).
Tight end Mark Andrews caught eight passes and finished the season with 107 receptions, breaking the Ravens single-season record set by Derrick Mason in 2007.
Steelers Defensive End TJ Watt had a sack and finished the year with 22.5, tying the single-season record owned by Michael Strahan.
"We still have a pulse if you give us a chance," Watt said. "To get us in the dance, anything can happen, and that's where we're at now. So, [we're] hungrier than ever. We want to keep playing football, keep playing . There are a lot of people ready to come to the facility tomorrow, watch some movies and move on."
Latvius Murray scored a 46-yard run to give the Ravens a 10-3 lead in the first possession of the second half. It was Baltimore's longest run of the season. Murray covered 150 yards for 16 yards.
"Obviously, we knew the situation to come," Murray said. "So, the first was to take care of business and win the game, [and] we didn't. And if we did that, we knew we had a chance; without it, we didn't. So, none of it Doesn't even matter, obviously, because we didn't work."
