It took overtime, both in Baltimore and in Las Vegas, and it ultimately came down to the final two seconds of the NFL regular season for the Steelers to make it to the playoffs. But they squeezed into the final playoff spot with a 16-13 overtime win over the Ravens, a shocking Jacksonville upset of Indianapolis, and a 47-yard overtime field goal by the Raiders’ Daniel Carlson that beat the Chargers.
Ben Roethlisberger’s 6-yard touchdown pass to Chase Claypool gave the Steelers a 13-10 lead with 2:54 left in the fourth quarter, and after the Ravens tied the game on a Justin Tucker field goal to force overtime, Big Ben took the Steelers from their 17-yard line to the Ravens’ 16. From there, Roethlisberger took a knee to run down the clock, and Chris Boswell then ended the game when he kicked a 36-yard field goal to win it.
The Steelers’ defense allowed a season-high 249 rushing yards to the Ravens, but forced three turnovers.
Coach Mike Tomlin said afterward the Steelers did all they could to get into the postseason tournament.
Roethlisberger said he could not afford to be emotional about potentially playing his last game against Baltimore, because there was a job to do.
Big Ben says yesterday’s win was the best culmination of his years of playing against the Ravens.
TJ Watt sacked Ravens quarterback Tyler Huntley in the second quarter to tie Michael Strahan’s all-time record of 22-and-a-half in a season, after tackling Huntley in the first quarter to apparently tie the record. The official scorekeeper ruled that it was not a sack because Huntley had fumbled the bad snap and was credited with a rushing attempt rather than a pass.
Watt says he was thrilled to get the win.
Roethlisberger engineered his 53rd game-winning drive of his career, tying him with Tom Brady and Drew Brees for second on the all-time list, one behind Peyton Manning.
Ravens defensive end Calais Campbell says Big Ben was relentless.
Steelers injuries included running back Najee Harris, who suffered an apparent serious right arm injury on the first series but returned later in the second half and was a key part of the offense on the fourth quarter and overtime; and wide receiver Diontae Johnson, who had another tremendous game, took a helmet to the ribs on a pass in the fourth quarter.
The Steelers will play the Chiefs in the Wild Card round next Sunday night, with kickoff scheduled for 8:15.
The playoffs begin with two AFC games on Saturday afternoon. At 4:30 the Raiders visit the Bengals and at 8:15, it’s Patriots at the Bills.
On Sunday, two afternoon games kick off the action, with the Eagles at the Buccaneers followed by the 49ers at the Cowboys.
Next Monday night, the Cardinals play the Rams in L.A. to wrap up the Wild Card Weekend.
The Tennessee Titans are the top seed in the AFC and the Green Bay Packers earned the top spot in the NFC. Both get byes this week.
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