Sports Illustrated Grades the Sides in the Steelers Win Over Ravens

Sports Illustrated’s Kerry J. Byrne is out with his grades from today’s game, and here are some for the Steelers after their comeback 31-24 win to move on to the AFC Title game next Sunday.

Quarterback: In typical Roethlisberger fashion, Big Ben came up clutch when it mattered most: 3rd and 19 at his own 38, two minutes to play in the fourth quarter of a 24-24 battle — and Roethlisberger fired a perfect strike to rookie Antonio Brown for 58 yards. It was the longest play of the game, and the biggest play in a game full of them. It came near the end of day in which Roethlisberger was under pressure from the opening whistle and had that key first-quarter fumble. We also saw the indecisive worst out of the unorthodox but hugely successful quarterback: his repeated pump fakes as he searched for his best options down field only served to heighten the effectiveness of Baltimore’s intense pass rush. At the end of the day, though, he produced winning numbers: 19-of-32 for 226 yards, 2 TD, 0 INT, 101.8 passer rating, a perfect strike on the most important throw of the year — and a fourth AFC title-game appearance in seven NFL seasons. Grade: B+

Running Backs: Rashard Mendenhall fumbled deep in his own territory, handing the Ravens the ball at the Pittsburgh 16 midway through the second quarter, which they quickly converted for a 21-7 lead. But he scored two touchdowns, including a hard-fought 2-yard struggle for the winning points with 1:39 to play. He posted game highs of 20 attempts and 46 yards on what was a very tough night for running backs. Grade: B-

Receivers: Hines Ward was flagged for unnecessary roughness on Pittsburgh’s very first offensive play, and did not touch the ball once in the first half. But Ward later hauled in a difficult 12-yard reception late in the fourth quarter, to help Pittsburgh convert a big 3rd-and-10. Two plays later, rookie Emmanuel Sanders failed to hold on to what would have a been a big first-down reception when hit by a pair of Baltimore defenders. Rookie Antonio Brown made up for what was otherwise a tough day with his highlight-reel reception. Grade: B

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