Steelers-Ravens Fifth Down

At times Pittsburgh’s 13-10 Sunday night win over the Ravens looked more like a bar fight, and their leader, Ben Roethlisberger, left Baltimore with a broken nose. For Roethlisberger, whose known for getting punched in bars while forcing his will on struggling opponents, it’s just another day at the office.

Ben's broken nose.

The Steelers at 9-3, and with games remaining against the Bengals, Panthers, Jets and Browns, are not only in control of their destiny in the AFC North, but also positioned to challenge the Jets and Patriots for home-field advantage in the playoffs.

Baltimore quarterback Joe Flacco failed miserably trying to put the Ravens in position for a potential game-tying field goal late. With four games remaining the Ravens (8-4) have a comfortable two-game lead over Miami, Indianapolis, Oakland and San Diego for the final wild card playoff berth.

Roethlisberger and Steelers safety Troy Polamalu came up large when needed late. Trailing 10-6 in the fourth, Polamalu’s blind side blitz and strip of Flacco put the struggling Steelers offense in position to win the game. A couple of plays later it was vintage Roethlisberger: escaping the grasp of Ravens linebacker Terrell Suggs, scrambling out of the pocket and tossing the ball out of bounds to avoid a sure sack and a big loss. Two plays later Roethlisberger hit running back Isaac Redman in stride allowing him to break tackles for the game-winning touchdown with minutes left.