Ravens vs. Steelers: Torrey Smith touchdown catch with eight seconds left gives Baltimore victory

The Pittsburgh defense was without injured linebackers James Farrior and LaMarr Woodley, although fellow linebacker James Harrison made his return to the lineup after missing four games because of a fractured orbital bone and had three sacks.

The Ravens appeared to grab a quick lead when Rice dashed 76 yards to the end zone on the opening play. But the touchdown was nullified by a holding call on Smith, who was blocking Gay. The Ravens regrouped and moved down the field, with Flacco providing third-down completions to tight end Dennis Pitta and Boldin to keep the drive going.

A pass-interference penalty on Gay, who was covering Smith on a fade pattern in the end zone, gave the Ravens a first down at the Pittsburgh 1-yard line. But they couldn’t get the yard they needed. Flacco threw a first-down incompletion on a pass that nearly was intercepted by safety Ryan Clark. Rice was stopped for no gain on second- and third-down carries, and the Ravens had to settle for Cundiff’s short field goal.

The Baltimore defense forced a punt after the Steelers managed to hold the ball for only three plays on their opening drive, and the Ravens were back at it on offense. Flacco had two more third-down completions, including a lob to Smith for a 29-yard gain. But the Ravens’ drive stalled and Cundiff pushed a 40-yard field goal try wide right.

So the Ravens had little to show for a first quarter in which they had possession of the ball for nearly 11 1 / 2 of the 15 minutes, and the Steelers drew even when Suisham connected on a 36-yard field goal in the opening minute of the second quarter.

Cundiff’s 43-yard field goal gave the Ravens another lead, and Suisham’s 30-yarder got the Steelers even. A personal foul called on Clark helped the Ravens move into position for Cundiff’s third field goal, a 51-yarder as time expired in the half.

The Steelers had a scoring opportunity right away in the third quarter, moving to a first down at the Baltimore 14-yard line. But Suggs made a leaping interception as Roethlisberger attempted to zip a quick screen pass to Wallace.

The Ravens capitalized. A pass-interference penalty on Steelers cornerback Ike Taylor, who was called for a slight tug of Boldin’s jersey, gave the Ravens a first down at the Pittsburgh 4. Flacco threw a first-down incompletion but Rice got into the end zone on a second-down carry for the game’s first touchdown. The Steelers had an immediate reply, crafting a solid drive that ended with Mendenhall’s touchdown in the opening minute of the fourth quarter.

Flacco lost the ball on Harrison’s third sack of the night, and Gay recovered the fumble for the Steelers. Roethlisberger’s go-ahead touchdown pass to Wallace came with just less than five minutes left, after he scrambled to his right to avoid the Ravens’ pass rush.

The Steelers were lining up for a 47-yard field goal attempt by Suisham with a little more than 21 / 2 minutes to play. But they were assessed a delay-of-game penalty before they could take the kick, and ended up punting to set up the Ravens’ winning drive.

“I accept responsibility for that,” Tomlin said. “There was some hesitation on that. I was concerned about that distance.”