The message that Baltimore's coaches drove home to the Ravens all weekend was about "delivering the knockout blow" to a reeling Pittsburgh Steelers team. On the heels of a 27-0 shutout of the defending Super Bowl champions, the Ravens definitely connected.
With big hits coming on both sides of the ball, the Ravens improved their record to 9-2 and tightened their command on the AFC North. Running back Jamal Lewis hit the right holes en route to 66 rushing yards with one touchdown, while the defense registered a season-high nine sacks, terrorizing Steelers' quarterback Ben Roethlisberger all Sunday afternoon.
The story was basically set in the first half, where Bart Scott sent Roethlisberger to the sideline with a vicious second-quarter hit and the Ravens jumped out to a 17-point lead, outgaining Pittsburgh by 179 yards.
It was a change from what had become a typical Ravens showing of rallying in the second half to overcome some sort of deficit. Against a division foe like the Steelers, such late-game heroics might not have been enough.
"We've had this problem of only being a second-half team, coming back in the second half, doing great in the fourth quarter, and that's all well and good," said fullback Ovie Mughelli, who rushed four times for 21 yards. "But against a team like Pittsburgh, you've got to know they mean business."
Baltimore Ravens
Knockout Blow
Knockout Blow
Linear Mode
